


Mist of Memories

by HeroR



Series: Luffy's Mind Series [7]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Brotherhood, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Epic, Friendship, Gen, Mild Language, Psychological Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-24
Updated: 2013-09-24
Packaged: 2017-12-27 12:11:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 512,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/978707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeroR/pseuds/HeroR
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Guilt, regret, if left alone these feelings will consumed even the strongest of souls. That is the reality the Strawhats face as they go into their captain's memories to save their precious crewmate. To free their captain's from his guilt, they must first understand the depths of his pain and lost.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Island with no Name

**Author's Note:**

> Beta by Cana-Puff and Mon Esprit Libre

 

"Wow Sanji, I didn't know you were with Iva-chan for two years!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise as he sipped his hot cocoa.

Sanji blushed deeply as he bit down on his cigarette.

While Luffy was amazed by his stories in 'Hell', all his other crewmates were practically in tears from laughter. Even the normally calm Robin was chuckling uncontrollably.

"Let me get this straight, eyebrow," Zoro said as he barely controlled his laughter. "You spent two years stuck on an island full of cross-dressing homosexuals?"

"Okama," Sanji corrected in a soft voice, making the swordsman laugh harder.

"I wish I was there!" Zoro roared with laughter. "Just seeing you running from endless waves transvestites would have been worth not training with Mihawk."

"Who would have imagined that Kuma had such a sense of humor," Usopp snickered.

Sanji growled. "Glad you all are having such fun at my expense. You have no idea how much I suffered these last two years."

Franky firmly patted the cook's back. "It's okay Sanji, it's all in good fun."

"I guess," Sanji muttered before he gave the cyborg a devilish smirk. "At least I didn't blow up a national treasure. Really, Franky, you thought pressing a button with a skull and crossbones sign was a good idea?"

Franky rubbed his head in embarrassment. "I thought it was a pirate mark?"

"Really, how stupid can you be to make such a mistake," Usopp said in good nature.

Unknown to him, however, Chopper flinched when he heard Usopp's words. Nami gently patted Chopper's hooves and gave him a kind smile. Out of all the Strawhats, she was the only one who knew about Chopper's past. Although Franky's mistake was hilarious, Chopper's mistake was far more fatal. Chopper, however, was young and naive. Franky really had no excuse.

"But Sanji, that explains how you've gotten so strong," Luffy said with a huge smile. "Iva-chan is really strong. I bet you learned a lot from him."

"Like I would want to learn anything from a queer!" Sanji exclaimed in annoyance, earning another round of laughter from the crew.

Zoro gave an uncharacteristically soft smile towards his captain. It was nice to see Luffy in such good spirits again. Luffy's mood has been somewhat down since they had left that cloaked island nearly two weeks ago.

He couldn't blame his captain for his mood swings lately, especially since he still had lingering dreams about his brothers. Most were pleasant and happy dreams, given the way Luffy would giggle and smile in his sleep. Others, however, were terrible nightmares that had him jolting awake and unable to sleep the next night.

Chopper suspected it was a lingering effect of Toby's Dream Dream Fruit, but he found nothing physically wrong with Luffy to support his theory.

It was decided by the crew that the best way to lift Luffy's mood was to amuse him with stories from their own adventures during their two years separation. They have been doing two stories a night and it was currently Franky and Sanji's turn. The plan seemed to be working well since Luffy's nights have been dreamless for the last few nights.

This was also their way of apologizing to Luffy. All the Strawhats to some extent felt bad for looking into Luffy's dream and seeing his private thoughts. It was all to save their captain from an eternal sleep, but by going into their captain's Dream World they had allowed themselves to see parts of Luffy that he had never revealed to them. For a lack of better words, they had spied on their captain when he was at his most vulnerable. The least they could do was share a piece of themselves with Luffy.

Nami gave a stiff yawn. "It's getting late. We should call it a night."

"Yeah, you're right, sis," Franky said as he looked at his clock that was built into his metal arms. "It will be sunrise in about six hours and we have a long day ahead of us."

Nami looked at her Log Pose. "I think we should be reaching an island soon."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "You think?" It wasn't normal for Nami to sound unsure.

"I'm still not completely used to the new Log Pose," Nami admitted. "However, going by how the middle needle is acting, we should be close to land."

Luffy smiled happily. "Cool, we get to see a new island!"

"Hopefully, things will go better than our last stop," Robin said.

"With our luck," Nami muttered dryly.

With that, the Strawhats went to to their cabins, save for Brook who had watch. Luffy took his place in the bunk above Zoro's bed. It didn't take too long for the men to settle down and most were asleep with an hour.

Zoro, however, was still wide-awake, which was unusual for him. What kept him from sleeping was the uneven breathing of his captain, showing that he was still awake.

"Hey, Luffy, you okay?" Zoro asked softly so he wouldn't wake his other crewmates.

Luffy shifted in his bunk. "I'm fine, Zoro."

Zoro, however, didn't believe him. "Are you still afraid to sleep?"

Luffy said nothing for a moment. "I don't want to see them again. I mean...I love seeing my brothers, but remembering them makes me miss them."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Zoro said.

Luffy sighed, but didn't say anything.

Zoro decided to ask a question that had been on his mind since they had left Luffy's Dream World. "Luffy, did you ever meet my dream counterpart?"

Luffy blinked several times. He wasn't expecting that question. "No."

Zoro smirked. "We did. We met him in a restaurant owned by that shitty cook."

Luffy furrowed his eyebrows. "I...I think I remember you guys telling me that. But I can't quite remember." He paused for a moment. "What was he like?"

"You should know, since it was your reflection of me," Zoro said with a note of humor. "Nonetheless, you captured all of our personalities well in your Dream World."

Luffy giggled. "I know my crew."

"I know you do," Zoro said as his voice became serious. "But your version of Zoro said something that has been bothering me."

Luffy frowned when he heard this. "What did he say?"

Zoro sighed. "He said he didn't join your crew in Shell Town because he thought you were a burden to him. He also specially called you a brat."

"So, people call me a brat all the time," Luffy said dismissively.

"But I've never once call you a brat. I also never thought of you as a burden," Zoro said. "So, why did my dream counterpart say those words?"

Luffy shrugged. "I don't know. It was all just a dream anyway."

"That dream was a reflection of your soul, Luffy," Zoro said with a bit of heat. "Even though my counterpart spoke those words, it originated from your mind."

Luffy said nothing.

"Luffy," Zoro said harshly.

"I guess...I guess I always believed that you never needed me to achieve your dreams. None of you do, actually," Luffy whispered.

"You know that isn't true," Zoro said.

"Zoro, even if you had never joined my crew, you would have still achieved your dream. You would have continued to grow stronger and beat Hawk-Eye one day. You didn't need me to push you along," Luffy said.

"In case you have forgotten, you saved me back in Shell Town," Zoro said. "If you weren't there, I would have been killed. For that alone you can never be a burden to my dream."

Luffy sighed. "Sometimes I feel you guys can go further without me. I forced all of you to put your dreams on hold for my sake."

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "Luffy, do you know why all of us trained for two years?"

Luffy looked down curiously at his swordsman.

"We did it because we want to support you. We did it because your dream of becoming Pirate King has become our dream as well," Zoro said. "Even though the others have never said it, I know they feel the same way as me. If you never achieved your dream, Luffy, then our goals would be meaningless."

Luffy's eyes widened when he heard this. "But I don't want your dreams to be link to mine. I mean, I want you all to succeed even if I fail."

Zoro chuckled. "I'm afraid it's too late for that, captain. We're all linked to each other now. For better and worse, the success of one of us is a success for the entire crew. The same goes for all our failures."

"Zoro..." Luffy muttered.

"Don't even believe again that you're a burden," Zoro said firmly. "You are our captain, and we will stand by you to the end."

Luffy gave a gentle smile. "Thank you, Zoro."

Zoro nodded. "Now, get some sleep. We have a new adventure tomorrow."

Luffy grinned in excitement as he closed his eyes. He once again had a dreamless night.

The next morning was bright and warm. Knowing that the weather could turn at any moment, the Strawhats enjoyed the day. Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook spent the morning playing games while Nami kept a close eye on the Log Pose. Franky spent most of the morning in his workshop, while Zoro went through his daily training on deck.

It was late afternoon when an island came into sight.

"Land-ho!" Usopp exclaimed as he looked through his telescope.

"Wow, it's really an island!" Luffy yelled in excitement.

"Nami-chan, do you know the name of this island?" Robin asked.

Nami checked several of her charts and frowned. "The island does appear on my sea charts, but it has no name."

"No name?" Robin repeated in confusion.

Nami nodded. "All the charts I have on this island don't give it a name. There is also no information about it."

"That doesn't sound good," Usopp said as his old fear returned. "Maybe we should skip over this island."

"I don't know," Nami said in worry. "The island could have supplies that we need and it could be another couple of weeks before we reach land again."

"It could be dangerous," Robin said as she turned towards her captain. "It is your call, Luffy."

Luffy folded his arms and nodded his head several times. "Okay, we're going on this mysterious island!"

Usopp looked like he was near tears. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

As the Sunny sailed closer to the unknown island, the Strawhats began to notice a strange purple mist surrounded the landmass.

"What is that?" Usopp asked as he used his goggles to get a closer look. "I've never seen fog like that before."

"I can't believe my eyes, even though I have none," Brook laughed.

Chopper frowned when he saw the purple mist. "We have to be careful. That mist could be poisonous."

Luffy crossed his arms. "If it is, it won't bother me."

"Maybe so, but the rest of us are not immune to poison," Nami said in annoyance.

"Maybe we can get a sample of the mist before we get too close to the island," Robin suggested.

Chopper nodded. "That's a good idea. I can use my equipment in the lab to examine the fog for any hazardous chemicals."

"Then, it's settled," Nami said as she turned towards Zoro, who was still training on deck. "Zoro, drop the anchor here."

Zoro gave Nami an annoyed look, but decided not to argue with her.

Once the anchor was dropped, Robin used her powers to bloom hands that created a bridge to the island. She used a tube that Chopper had given her to collect the sample before passing the tube back towards the ship.

Chopper spent most of the afternoon examining the mist sample, much to Luffy's annoyance. He wanted to go exploring, but no one on his crew would allow him to rocket off the ship. Whether the mist was poisonous or not, it was too dangerous to go into any new island alone, especially an island within the New World.

It was lunchtime on the ship by the time Chopper finished running his tests.

"After much study, I have found that the mist is not poisonous or have any harmful substance within it as far as I can tell," Chopper said as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"Great, then we can finally go exploring," Luffy said excitedly as he turned towards Sanji. "Make a pirate lunch for everyone!"

"Yeah, yeah, you rubber idiot," Sanji muttered as he cleaned his plate.

Robin, however, noticed something strange in Chopper's voice. "You still sound worried."

Everyone looked towards their doctor.

"I can't find anything harmful about the mist, but there is still something strange about it," Chopper admitted.

"Something strange?" Franky questioned. "What's wrong with the mist?"

"That's the thing, I don't know," Chopper said in frustration. "I've run every test that I could think of and everything appears normal, except there seems to be some unknown molecule within the mist."

"But this mist isn't harmful," Nami said.

"No, the molecule does not match any known poison," Chopper said. "I tested the mist on bugs and even some fishes I took from the aquarium and they appear to be unaffected."

Nami sighed. "So, we need to be on our guard."

"There's no point in worrying about something we can't control," Zoro said in a bored voice. "If something happens, we can handle it."

"You sound so confident," Nami muttered.

"Do not fear, Nami-san," Sanji said with a smile. "I will personally protect you from anything dangerous on that island."

"But who's going to protect you, dart board?" Zoro asked smugly.

"What does that mean, shitty swordsman?" Sanji growled.

Zoro grinned at him. "What do you think it means?"

"I can take care of myself just fine," Sanji growled.

"So well that you allowed your body to be switched by Law," Zoro said.

Sanji growled and Zoro continued to smirk at him.

"Will you two save it?" Nami said in annoyance. "I swear, we need to separate you two into different corners."

When lunch was done, Zoro went outside to raise the anchor. Once that was done, Franky steered the Sunny until they were feet away from the island's shore. Now that the Strawhats were so close to the island, they could see a thick forest hidden within the fog. There was also a strange glow that radiated from the trees. It looked like thousands of light bugs were living in the trees.

"Wow, look at that!" Luffy exclaimed in amazement.

"It's so beautiful," Chopper said as he took in the natural beauty.

"This place must be a wonder a night," Robin said with a smile on her face.

Luffy pumped his fists into the air. "Yeah, let's go exploring!" He jumped excitedly off the ship.

"Luffy, wait up!" Franky yelled as he followed his captain.

"So, who's going to watch the ship?" Nami asked.

"I'll stay," Zoro said as he walked to the mast of the ship and sat down. He promptly fell asleep and started snoring.

"Now I'm concerned," Nami muttered.

"I will stay on-board with Zoro-san," Brook said happily. "You guys can go and enjoy the island."

Nami nodded. "Okay everyone, be back by dinner time."

"Okay," the remaining Strawhats yelled as they disembarked the ship.

The rest of the day on-board the Sunny passed peacefully. Zoro spent the entire afternoon asleep while Brook amused himself by playing several songs from his latest album.

Zoro shifted in his sleep as a dream started to overtake his mind. In his dream, he was standing in a purple fog in what looked like the middle of nowhere. He then heard what sounded like a childish giggle echoing across the void.

Without knowing why, Zoro was drawn to the laughter and walked towards the source. As he got closer to his destination, he felt the air around him becoming colder. He could actually see his breath coming out of his mouth.

Zoro suddenly stopped when he saw what appeared to be a group of kids dancing around something. They were all laughing and smiling like normal children, except their eyes were shadowed and their smiles had an aura of malice. All the kids also looked alike. They all had the same greenish-yellow hair, long-sleeved red shirts, and blue jeans. It was more than a little unnerving.

He moved closer to see the object the kids were playing around. He stopped cold when he saw a familiar body lying prone on the ground.

"Luffy!?" Zoro exclaimed.

His captain looked dead with his pale face lying against one of his arms. Zoro didn't even see his captain's chest move.

The kids stopped their playing as they glared at the swordsman. They chuckled at him. The laughter was cold and eerie.

"What did you do to him!?" Zoro demanded as he took his swords out.

"This boy's soul is ours," one of the kids answered.

"His soul belongs to us," another child said.

"What!?" Zoro growled angrily.

"A soul filled with guilt and sorrow belongs to us," one of the kids said with a sadistic grin.

Zoro narrowed his eyes. He had enough of these 'kids'. He charged in to save his captain, but before he could reach Luffy, however, the fog thickened, blocking Zoro's view.

"Dammit!" Zoro exclaimed as a cold wind was blasted into his face. "Luffy!"

"Zoro, wake up!" a voice suddenly penetrated his mind.

Before he could contemplate who was speaking to him, Zoro felt a hard kick land on his face.

He was jolted awake as he landed on the wooden deck. He looked around in confusion for a moment as his vision began to clear.

"Zoro-san, are you alright?" Brook asked worriedly.

Zoro looked up to see Brook, Nami, and Sanji staring down at him. They all had varying degrees of concern on their faces.

"Geez moss head, what kind of dream were you having?" Sanji asked. His voice lacked any of its usual venom.

"Dream?" Zoro repeated.

Brook nodded. "You started to yell in your sleep. I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't wake up."

"You were so loud that Sanji and I could hear you coming back to the ship," Nami added in concern.

As long as she had known Zoro, he had never had a nightmare, or at least not nightmares that would scare him to the point of screaming.

Zoro shook his head. "It's nothing." However, he was having a hard time believing his own words. That dream just seemed so real.

Sanji stared at his rival, not believing him at all. "Well, whatever. Dinner will be ready in an hour." He made his way towards the kitchen.

Nami frowned at Zoro before she too finally walked away.

"Zoro-san, are you sure you're okay?" Brook asked. "As someone who has more than their fair share of nightmares, I may be able to help."

"It was just a stupid nightmare," Zoro said as he stood up. "I'm going to train before dinner." Hopefully, that would help clear his head. Although, Luffy's lifeless body surrounded by those children continued to haunt him.

As it grew closer to dinner, Robin, Usopp, and Chopper returned to the ship. The little reindeer was quite happy since he had found plenty of herbs and plants to study. Zoro became unnerved, however, when Luffy and Franky hadn't returned to the ship. Luffy loved exploring, but he would never miss dinner.

It wasn't until everyone was seated in the galley that the absence of their crew members became apparent to the rest of the Strawhats.

"Strange, Franky and Luffy still haven't returned," Sanji said as he looked out the gallery door.

Normally, he would be fuming at his crewmates for delaying dinner. This, however, was different. As long as he had known Luffy, he had never missed a meal unless he was unconscious or captured. Luffy would have rocketed Franky and himself back to the ship knowing that food was going to be served soon.

"Did anyone see Luffy and Franky on the island?" Nami asked.

Usopp shook his head. "We saw no one while exploring."

Nami frowned in worry. "Robin-chan, can you use your power to locate them?"

Robin solemnly shook her head. "The mist on this island is too thick for me to see properly."

Zoro stood up from his chair. "I'll go look for them."

"You going on a fog filled island by yourself?" Sanji questioned as if Zoro's hair had changed colors. "We don't need to lose you out there too." Zoro glared at the cook, but knew he was right.

A loud clunk got everyone attention. Everyone stood up and ran towards the gallery's door. When they reached the deck, the Strawhats saw Franky kneeling on one knee on the lawn. He was alone.

"Franky!" all the Strawhats yelled as they ran towards the cyborg.

"Franky, what happened!?" Chopper yelled as he examined his crewmate.

It took Franky a moment to speak. "Lu...Luffy..."

Zoro's eye widened in fear. "What's wrong with Luffy!? Where is he!?"

Franky shook his head several times. "Some kids got him." As soon as he spoke those words, Franky promptly fainted.


	2. Within the Mist

Chopper worked frantically as he scanned Franky's body on the bed. The cyborg was lying unconscious in the infirmary bed, as still as death.

After over an hour of checking Franky's vitals and finding no physical or mental injuries, Chopper was forced to conclude that Franky had fainted from exhaustion.

"Exhaustion?" Nami questioned when Chopper gave the crew his report.

"There is nothing physically wrong with him and his brain scan came out normal," Chopper said. "I think we just need him to sleep off whatever happened to him."

"We don't have time for that," Zoro said impatiently as he paced the lawn. "We need to find Luffy."

"It would be unwise to go to the island as things stand now," Robin said with her hand on her chin. "We do not know where Luffy is and it is too dark to do a proper search. Not to mention, we are not completely certain what has caused Franky's current state."

"Do you really believe some kids have him?" Usopp asked.

"Franky was not completely lucid. He could have misunderstood what has happened," Robin said.

Nami sighed in frustration. "But we won't know either way until Franky wakes up."

Zoro lowered his head for a moment. A bunch of kids having Luffy sounded completely ridiculous. His dream, however, remained fresh in his mind. Was what happened to Luffy somehow connected to his nightmare?

"How long will it be before Franky wakes up?" Brook asked.

Just as he asked that question, the infirmary door burst open and Franky came stumbling out.

"Franky!?" Chopper exclaimed as he went into his Heavy Point and helped stabilize the cyborg.

"Franky, are you alright?" Usopp asked in worry.

"Oh, I'm fine, bro. Just feel less than super at the moment," Franky said as he attempted to clear his head. He obviously still wasn't completely well.

"What happened to you?" Nami asked.

"Luffy and I were on the island. You know, exploring and stuff," Franky said as he rubbed his eyes. "Without warning, the temperature dropped and these strange kids suddenly appeared out of the mist like some kind of ghost."

"Strange kids?" Usopp repeated.

"Ghost!?" Brook yelled in fright.

"Yeah, they had green-hair and they all wore red shirts," Franky explained. "Really creepy stuff."

Zoro's eye widened in shock. They sounded like the kids in his dream.

"Green hair? Are they all related to moss head?" Sanji asked as he glanced Zoro.

"Don't make me hurt you!" Zoro yelled at the cook.

"Go on, Franky," Robin encouraged.

"Well, once these kids appeared they began to do this weird dance. I can't quite explain it, but Luffy thought it was funny," Franky said.

"Naturally," Sanji said in a deadpan voice.

"Then I started to feel dizzy and before I knew it, I blacked out," Franky said with some shame. "I'm not sure if I was dreaming or not, but I suddenly started to remember my entire life all the way back to my pirate parents. I recall feeling a strong sense of loneliness and guilt. It was like...my soul was being peered into by something. I also remember some weird voice, but I can't remember what it said or who it was."

"Sounds scary," Usopp said fearfully.

"How did you manage to escape?" Brook asked.

Franky shook his head. "Not sure to be honest. I just kind of felt myself breaking free. When I woke up, I was lying on the forest's floor, exhausted. Felt like I had been awake for a week or something."

"And Luffy?" Zoro asked.

Franky lowered his head. "He was lying on the ground not moving. Those brats had surrounded him and were doing that strange dance around him. I tried to get near them, but for some reason, I couldn't reach them. I decided then it was best to come back and get help before I passed out again."

"This sounds troubling," Robin said in deep concern.

"Could this place really be haunted!?" Usopp cried in fear. Even after his years of training, he still hated supernatural stuff.

"Who cares, Luffy's in danger," Zoro growled as he turned back towards the shipwright. "Can you take us back to Luffy?"

"I think so," Franky said as he attempted to clear his head.

"Then we should get moving," Zoro said.

"But you're still sick!" Chopper exclaimed, still in doctor mode.

"I'll be fine. I just need some sleep," Franky said dismissively.

"Shouldn't someone stay behind to watch the ship?" Usopp asked.

"I doubt the ship is in any danger," Zoro said. "Besides, if these 'kids' can knock anyone unconscious like they did Franky and Luffy, we can't be too careful."

Robin nodded. "I agree with Zoro."

"Then it's settled," Nami said as she looked at her entire crew.

"Are you sure you're strong enough to go?" Chopper asked as he slowly looked over Franky with a critical eye. "If you need to rest longer..."

"I'm fine, Chopper, really," Franky said, although he didn't sound too convincing. "Our captain comes first."

Chopper looked over Franky again before he sighed in defeat. He knew there was no point arguing further.

With everything settled, the small band of pirates made their way off the ship and into the thick forest. Even thought it was a moonless night, the entire forest was lit up in a bluish eerie light. The mist itself appeared to sparkle in the night, giving the entire island an otherworldly look.

"This place is even more beautiful at night," Chopper said in awe. At the same time, however, he felt a dark aura that was not there when they first explored the island.

Sanji also looked on edge. "There's something very wrong with this island. I can't explain it, but there is a presence here."

Zoro nodded. "I feel it too. It doesn't feel human. It doesn't even feel like a beast as Luffy puts it."

Sanji took out a cigarette. "Strange, I felt nothing like this when I was with Robin-chan and Usopp."

"It could be because the aura is stronger at night," Zoro surmised as he looked at Franky. "When were you and Luffy ambushed?"

Franky paused in thought. "I think it was pretty late in the evening. Luffy mentioned something about returning for dinner."

"So, it had to be around six or seven o' clock," Robin noted. "About an hour before sunset."

"Robin, do you have any idea what could be on this island?" Nami asked the older woman.

Robin shook her head. "Afraid not. Information about islands within the New World is extremely limited. The mist on this island, however, may have something to do with what happened to Franky and Luffy."

"We can ask those children once we've found them," Zoro said as he used his Haki to search for any danger. "Until then, there's no point in guessing."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

After walking for several minutes, the Strawhats reached the clearing where Franky and Luffy collapsed.

"It was here," Franky said as he looked around.

"This fog is so thick that I can barely see anything," Usopp said as he began to shiver. "It's cold here too."

Robin also started shiver as the cool breeze hit her. "This is no ordinary cold."

Brook looked unnerved. "This is the cold of the underworld."

"The underworld!?" Usopp exclaimed in fear.

"I'm certain of it. It is the same chill that empowers my attacks," Brook said.

"Look over there!" Chopper suddenly exclaimed.

The Strawhats turned in the direction that Chopper was pointing and saw several kids surrounding something. They were all doing their strange little dance, not taking any notice of them at all.

Zoro froze for a moment. It was exactly like his dream. Was it a dream at all? Was it really his Haki giving him a warning about the island?

Sanji walked over towards the kids, but stopped short when he saw an all too familiar figure lying on the ground.

"Luffy!" Sanji yelled when he saw his prone captain.

All the Strawhats could see him when they walked to where Sanji was standing.

"Luffy!" Nami screamed in horror.

He appeared to be dead. His chest wasn't moving and his skin was bluish tint.

"Get away from him!" Zoro yelled as he removed his swords.

The kids stopped their dance and stared at the Strawhats.

It was then that Zoro realized that the kids had no pupils. Their orbs were pure white and soulless. They all also had creepy grins on their faces.

Before Zoro could make a move, he felt himself suddenly becoming tired. He could barely keep himself awake as he fell to his knees. Everything became colder and he felt the mist wrapped around him, smothering his senses and mind.

Through his half-conscious state, he could see the same thing was happening to the rest of his crew, except for Franky.

"Guys, you have to fight it!" Franky screamed frantically. "You can't fall asleep!"

Despite Franky's warnings, Zoro felt himself slip into the darkness.

When Zoro opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in his old dojo. Wait, eyes?

Zoro felt his left eye and found to his amazement that it was intact. In fact, his entire body was smaller.

"Zoro-san, it is your turn," he heard a familiar voice said.

He looked up and felt his heart stopped when he saw his master. He looked as young as the day he had first met him over twelve years ago.

Before Zoro could process all of this, he felt his body move without his permission. He attempted to stop himself, but found that he couldn't. It was like his body was on auto. As his body moved into the center of the mat, he got another surprise. Standing on the other side of the mat was Kuina. She looked exactly the way he remembered her.

Zoro wanted to call out to her, but found that he couldn't even move his lips.

"Begin!" he heard someone yell.

His body moved on its own accord and attempted to uppercut Kuina with his wooden swords. Kuina skillfully evaded the attack and she responded by swinging her sword into his lower ribs.

Zoro gave a cry in pain as he felt his ribs burn. The attack was nothing compared to the other bodily injuries he had endured over the years; nonetheless, the attack still hurt and his young body hadn't adapted to taken such hits yet.

Zoro felt himself attempt a counterattack. His body swung his sword towards Kuina's upper legs, while his second sword attempted to disable her right arm.

Both attacks failed miserably and within seconds, Kuina had knocked both of his swords out of his hands. Before Zoro could process what had happened, he felt a stinging pain on top of his head. The world burst into a collage of colors before Zoro fell backwards onto the floor with an ungraceful thud.

"Winner of their two-thousandth match, Kuina!" someone yelled.

Kuina casually brushed her bangs out of her eyes as she stared down at Zoro. "You're still weak as ever, Zoro."

Zoro felt himself turned towards his childhood rival. He could feel the anger burning within him as Kuina smiled smugly at him.

"You're so pathetic, especially since you're a boy," Kuina continued with an almost sadistic glee.

"Zoro isn't weak," he heard someone whisper from the crowd. Zoro recognized the voice as one of his old sparring partners and classmates.

"He's the strongest one out of all us boys," he heard another one of his classmates mutter.

"He even beat grown-ups," someone else whispered.

"But he's weaker than me," Kuina said sharply, but the smug smile never left her face. She turned towards the dojo's door and began to leave "Even with two swords, a weakling is still a weakling. You losers would do good to stay quiet. Your howling makes you even more pitiful." With those words, she closed the door behind her.

Zoro felt himself stand up just as Kuina left.

The scene suddenly changed from the dojo to him running in an open field. He held two steel swords in his hands and the moon was full this night.

Zoro did not have to guess what event he was about to relive. This night has been engraved into his very soul.

Zoro felt his body stopped when he saw Kuina sitting some distance away on a wooden bench. Her shoulders were slumped and she looked nearly defeated. For the first time since he had known her, she looked like a vulnerable little girl instead of the cocky and powerful swordsman that he had come to begrudgingly respect during the course of a year.

It didn't take long for Kuina to notice his presence and looked up towards the younger swordsman. It was obvious that she has been crying, although she did a good job hiding it.

"Zoro," she said in an uncharacteristic soft voice.

Zoro wanted to look away. He hated seeing Kuina like this, even if it was just a memory. He, however, had no control of his body.

"What are you doing here?" Zoro asked.

"That's my line," Kuina said in mild annoyance as she wiped any remaining tears from her eyes with a cloth rag. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

Zoro felt himself confidently stroll up to Kuina. "I'm here to challenge you to our two-thousandth and first duel! I plan to make this my last fight with you. I'm going to end this!"

As Zoro said those words, he could remember his thinking behind this duel. He thought if he laid it all on the line against Kuina in one final match that it would compel him to finally defeat his archrival. Ahh, the simple thinking of a child.

"Fight me with a real sword!" Zoro challenged. "You have a real sword, don't you?"

Kuina stared at him in surprise for a moment before her eyes narrowed in determination. All her previous sadness and doubt disappeared in a blink of an eye. She gave him her signature smirk. "Sure."

The scene changed again and this time Zoro was standing parallel to Kuina in a grassy field. He could feel the weight of his two steels swords against his younger and weaker muscles. Even by just standing in position, he could feel himself beginning to strain under the weight of the two swords. What exactly was he thinking when he challenge Kuina to use real swords anyway?

Just as a cool breeze hit them, Zoro felt his feet shift. Within seconds, Zoro was running into battle against Kuina.

The battle was fierce with both sides attempting to seriously harm one another. This was no fight with wooden sticks. One wrong move from either of them could end in someone losing a limb, or their life. At that moment, however, neither one of the two fighters cared.

Zoro suddenly pulled away from Kuina and got back into battle position. He could feel the sweat building on his forehead while Kuina looked like she was barely tired.

Zoro, with the gift of hindsight, could clearly see just how outmatched he truly was against his childhood rival. The difference between them was almost as great as the difference between himself and Mihawk when they first met.

Now, he couldn't help but wonder how far Kuina would had gone if her strength was allowed to fully blossom. There was no doubt in his mind that she would have been among the greatest of swordsmen.

Zoro felt himself charge in again. Kuina and he met in the middle of the field and both attempted to overpower the other. Several swords swings and parries were exchanged between the two swords fighters under the watchful eye of the moon.

Within another few minutes of fighting, Zoro felt his strength beginning to give. He was breathing hard and barely able to keep his swords up. Kuina still wasn't breathing hard and barely had any sweat on her. Where did Kuina get such endurance at such a young age?

"Two real swords are heavy, huh?" Kuina asked smugly. Zoro felt himself cringe. "It seems you lack strength."

Zoro growled in annoyance and frustration. "Shut up!"

His childish outburst proved to be a fatal mistake. In a blink of an eye, Kuina was right on top of him. With one sweep of her sword, she had effortlessly knocked both of his blades out of his hands. While he was falling to the ground, Kuina moved in to finish him with a downward thrust. There was nothing Zoro could do as he watched his death descend upon him.

Just as he hit the ground, the sword thrust had hit its mark. The blade was embedded into the ground just inches away from his face. If Kuina had been just been an inch off, she would have taken his ear off. Zoro couldn't help but to admire her control with a sword. She truly was a prodigy.

"My two-thousandth and first win," Kuina whispered almost viciously.

Zoro could only glare at her as he felt tears beginning to build in his eyes. Just as Kuina stood up to wipe the sweat from her forehead, Zoro burst into tears.

"Dammit!" Zoro cursed as uncontrollable tears ran down his eyes. "Dammit! This sucks..." Zoro internally cringed at his choice of words.

"I'm the one who should be crying in frustration," Kuina said softly, taking Zoro off-guard. He had thought for sure that Kuina would have teased him over his tears. "You see, when girls grow up, they become weaker than men. Even you will catch up soon."

Zoro internally gritted his teeth as he listened to Kuina's self-defeating words. He despised seeing her like this, memory or not. Someone so strong and talented should never doubt their strength.

"You're always saying you're going to be the world's greatest swordsman. My father told me that a girl could never be that..." Kuina continued to say. There was no anger or bitterness in her voice. There was just cold acceptance. Her eyes were shadowed under her bangs, most likely to hide any tears that may fall. "I know...I know that, but it's frustrating! You're lucky to be born a boy, Zoro. I want to be the world's greatest swordsman too!"

It was only now that the full impact of Kuina's words made sense to Zoro. Her arrogance and self-assured attitude was all a facade. It was her way of coping with the fact that she could never achieve her dream. That she was destined to fall behind and be reduced to a second-tiered swordsman based solely on her sex. Kuina was especially hard on him because she believed that her defeat by his hand was inevitable no matter how hard she trained and dedicated herself.

Kuina suddenly put her hand on her chest. "My breasts have even started to grow out. If only...if only I was born a man."

Zoro almost wanted to cry with her in frustration. He couldn't even imagine the pain she must have felt through her short life believing her dream would amount to nothing because of how she was born.

"Don't whine like that after you have beaten me!" Zoro felt himself yelled at the teary-eyed girl. "That's not fair. That's my goal!"

"Zoro," Kuina whispered.

"Boy this, girl that! Are you going to say that stuff too when I beat you someday!? You act like none of it is skill!" Zoro continued to yell in frustration and anger. "You're insulting all the hard training I've been doing! So, don't say stuff like that!"

Kuina was left utterly speechless for the first time since he had known her.

Zoro walked with purpose towards Kuina. "Promise me! Someday, one of us will be the greatest swordsman. We'll compete to see who gets there!" He held out his hand to seal the vow.

Kuina continued to stare dumbfounded at Zoro. The younger swordsman, however, refused to back down.

Kuina turned her head away from him and gave a soft smile. "Idiot. You're so weak..."

Zoro refused to move from his spot. Without another word, Kuina took his hand.

"It's a promise!" they both exclaimed in unison.

There was another flash and the scene once again changed. Zoro was running again, but this time it was late afternoon. The sun was slowly falling in the horizon as Zoro dashed towards the dojo.

Within minutes, Zoro ran through the yard and tore opened the door that led to his teacher's private quarters. There were several people already inside. They were all quiet as they huddled around a frail body that lay lifelessly in bed.

"Coward!" Zoro yelled, shattering the respectful silence. "How dare you leave!?"

He marched over towards the bed where he could see Kuina laying in a peaceful state. There was a rag covering her eyes, making her appear like she was only asleep.

"Zoro," several people muttered. No one, however, moved to stop him.

"What about our promise!?" Zoro continued to yell. "You promised that one of us had to become the world's greatest swordsman. You can't chicken out of your promise now!"

"Zoro, that's enough," his teacher said softly, but there was no hiding the authority in his voice.

Zoro took several breaths as he continued to stare at Kuina's body. She couldn't be gone. Someone who was worthy enough to become his rival couldn't just disappear like this. She couldn't be...

Without finishing his thoughts, Zoro ran out the door.

"Zoro!" several people called to him.

Zoro felt his own eyes burn as he recalled the memory.

"What a sad end to such a powerful girl," a voice whispered in his ear.

Zoro jolted up and looked around for the source of the voice. He was now standing in a foggy plain and he was no longer a young boy. "Who's there!?"

"A girl who was just barely in her prime, struck down in an unforeseen accident," the voice continued. "How cruel and unfair life can be."

Zoro growled. "Show yourself!"

"Imagine if she had lived. If her skills were allowed to grow, she would have become the world's greatest swordsman, surpassing all in her wake. Including you," the voice said.

Zoro narrowed his eye as he listened to the voice.

"You should be grateful that she died," the voice mocked. "If she had lived, you would have lived forever within her shadow. You would never achieve your dream. You would be destined to always be second best."

"So what?" Zoro growled. "Even if what you say is true, I wouldn't care if it was Kuina who defeated Mihawk and claimed his title. Our vow was that one us must become the greatest. If destiny felt fit to choose her, who am I to argue otherwise?"

The voice laughed. "I thought it was your goal in life to become the greatest swordsman. Would you have really been happy to lose to your childhood rival?"

Zoro closed his eye. "If I had lost to her, then that simply meant that I was always meant to be weaker than her. I'm not that same jealous child you showed me." He then opened his eye. "I can and never will be jealous of Kuina's power and what she could have become." He grabbed his Wadō Ichimonji. "This sword is the link between the vow that Kuina and I made on that night. I carry it because she is no longer able to reach for her dream. So the hopes and dreams of both of us are carried within this blade. It can never be broken by petty jealousy of what could have been."

"You sound so sure. How would your dear captain feel if he knew that his swordsman doesn't mind being second best," the voice mocked. "Never lose again indeed. You have already lost to a dead girl."

"Luffy would understand better than anyone," Zoro said. "As long as I reached for my best, what could have been means nothing to him."

The voice said nothing.

"Begone, whatever you are!" Zoro yelled viciously as he pointed his sword into the mist. "Get the hell out of my head!"

With that, everything faded into darkness.

When Zoro opened his eye, he found himself lying back in the misty forest. What happened?

"Hey, Zoro's awake!" someone yelled.

"Zoro, how are you feeling?" someone asked as they shone a bright light into his eye, causing him to grimace in pain. He quickly knocked the light out of his eye.

Zoro slowly sat up and found himself surrounded by his crewmates. They were all staring worriedly at him.

"What happened?" Zoro asked once he had regained his bearings. He felt exhausted for some reason.

"You fell asleep along with the others," Franky explained. "I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't respond to anything." He pointed towards Sanji who was sanding nearby with his hands in his pocket. "Sanji even kicked you in the head and you didn't react at all."

That would explain why his head hurt. He made a mental note to kill the cook.

"How long was I out?" Zoro asked.

"For over an hour," Nami said. "I only woke up about twenty-minute ago."

Zoro frowned. "Is everyone else awake?"

"Yeah, you were the last to wake up, as per usual," Sanji said, earning a glare from Zoro.

"According to Franky, each of us began to wake up over the course of the last hour," Robin explained. "Sanji was the first to wake up followed by Usopp."

"I woke up not long after Usopp," Chopper said as he continued to check the swordsman.

"Once Chopper finished checking everyone who had woken up, Nami and Robin regained consciousness," Franky said.

"I only awoke about ten minutes ago," Brook said. He seemed very unnerved. "Did...did anyone else have a strange dream?"

"If you mean did I take a trip down memory lane, then yes," Zoro said.

Nami frowned as she huddled into her knees. "I dreamed about my mother and when she was killed by Arlong. I also recalled all my years working for Arlong."

Usopp put his head down in shame. "I dreamed about the fight Luffy and I had over the Going Merry. It seemed so real."

"I remembered in great detail seeing my crew die and living out my years in the Florian Triangle," Brook shivered. "It was like I was reliving those dark days. I might have drowned in despair if I didn't remember all of you and Laboon."

The silence among the rest of the Strawhats told Zoro that they all had similar experiences.

Zoro's eyes widened as he remembered why they were there. "Where's Luffy?"

All the Strawhats became forlorn.

"He's still there," Nami said as she pointed to the kids who continued to dance around Luffy. "We tried several times to reach him, but something keeps holding us back."

Zoro frowned. "If he fell asleep like us, why hasn't he woken up?"

"Maybe those kids have something to do with it," Brook surmised.

"But why didn't they bother with us?" Zoro asked in frustration.

"Because they know they can't get to you," someone answered. All the Strawhats were immediately on guard as a yellow ball of light hovered towards them. The light was about the size of a baseball and floated easily in the air.

"Who are you?" Zoro demanded.

"My name does not matter," the ball of light said. "What does matter is that all of you managed to beat the spell of mist. This is the first time I have seen so many people do it."

"Spell of the mist?" Robin repeated.

"What spell?" Nami asked.

The ball of light said nothing.

"Never mind that," Zoro said as he stood up. "What is happening to our captain?"

"Your captain..." the ball paused, "Your captain's soul is being consumed."


	3. A Lonely Child

All the Strawhats looked at the ball of light in shock before they took a quick glance at their very still captain.

"What...his soul is being consumed?" Nami repeated, unable to comprehend what she just been told.

"What are you saying, you shitty light ball?" Sanji asked, barely able to control his temper. "What exactly are you anyway?"

"I mean exactly that. Your captain's soul is being consumed by the entity that lives within the mist. That entity is the lord of this island and the mist is a part of his essence," the ball of light said, ignoring Sanji's other question.

"An entity?" Robin repeated.

"The mist on this island puts everyone within it into a trance like sleep. Once asleep, the entity using its powers to enter its victims and begin to feed on their despair until that person's soul shatters," the ball of light explained. "Once it has finished consuming a person's soul, the living shell of the person is left to rot on the forest floor."

"You can't be serious," Sanji muttered. This sounded like one of Usopp's wild stories.

"Are the kids this entity or another part of it?" Robin asked.

"The kids are just projections created by the entity," the ball of light stated.

"Why did he create them?" Robin questioned.

This time, the ball of light didn't answer.

"Wait, you say this entity feeds on despair," Chopper said as he took in the ball of light's words.

"Yes. On these seas, people suffer great tragedies that shapes the scope of their entire lives," the ball of light said. "The entity on this island takes advantage of this weakness and uses a person's own memories to destroy them from within. By forcing people to relive tragic and painful events they become easy prey to the entity. You and your captain are just its latest victims."

"And that is what's happening to Luffy," Robin said, putting everything together. "Is that why we all dreamed of our darkest memories?"

"Yes, you all were consumed temporarily by the mist. However, you all managed to beat the entity because you all have already made peace with your past," the ball of light explained. "As painful as those events were, you had overcome them and become stronger. Because you have long since beaten your demons, the entity has no power over you."

"So, by accepting and moving on from a tragedy, the mist on this island because harmless," Robin said in awe.

"But what about Luffy?" Zoro asked. "He isn't weak enough to be consumed by this entity."

"It is not about strength or weakness. Even the stronger person can be brought to their knees by grief," the ball of light stated with a hint of anger. It glowed brightly, blinding some of the Strawhats. "Your captain, although very strong, has suffered a terrible and life changing event recently. The events with the boy with the dream fruit have only weakened him further, making him easy prey for the entity. If you had known the true nature of this island, you would not have brought him here."

Nami's eyes widened. "How do you know about Toby?"

"When your captain collapsed, his memories became one with the mist and therefore a part of me," the light said.

"Wait, you're a part of this island?" Usopp asked in fear. "Then, you're like the entity who is trying to eat Luffy!?"

Sanji glared at the ball of light. "What are you?"

"As I said, what I am does not matter," the ball of light said firmly. "What you should ask is how I can help you save your captain."

This got all the Strawhats' attention.

"Keep talking," Zoro hissed.

"Your captain is not completely gone. Given his current mental state, he will last until sunrise. When the sun rises, his soul will be consumed and cease to exist," the ball of light explained.

Brook was shaken to hear this. "His soul will die? But a soul is immortal. It cannot be killed."

"On this island, your soul will cease to exist once it is absorbed into the mist," the ball of light said.

"Then how can we save him!?" Franky snapped. They had already come close to losing their captain barely two week ago.

"You reach him by going into his memory and confronting the tragedy that has left him broken. Once he is allow to make peace with his past, the spell of the mist will be broken and his soul will be saved," the ball said.

"We have to go into Luffy's mind again," Nami said with a note of humor.

"Your trip into your captain's memories will not be the same as traveling through his dream," the ball of light said. "His Dream World was pleasant and ideal. His memories, however, will be filled with darkness and heartbreak. You will also be putting your own existence at risk."

"What do you mean?" Chopper asked.

"If you go into his memories and fail to save him in time, not only will his soul be lost, but so will all of yours," the ball of light stated.

All the Strawhats looked at each other.

"So, if Luffy's soul shatters, we all die with him," Zoro summarized.

"You don't have to do this," the ball said. "You all have passed your trials and can leave on your ship at any time. There is no need for you to share in this boy's fate."

"If you really have looked into our memories, you should know that isn't an option," Sanji said in determination as he lit a cigarette "We've trained for two years to support our captain and even risk ourselves by going into his dream to retrieve him. If we have to go into the depths of his mind again to save him, we will do it."

The ball of light said nothing for a moment. "You are aware that this isn't just death you are facing. This is your very existence. Once you go in, there is no coming back."

"You heard Sanji," Usopp said without an ounce of fear.

"He would do the same for us," Chopper added.

"Besides, we don't intend to lose our existence," Sanji said with a grin. "We're going to save our shit head captain."

The ball of light seemed to smile at them. "In that case, come with me."

The ball of light floated towards Luffy, who was still surrounded by the strange children. They only stopped when they saw the ball of light.

"What are you doing?" one of the children asked.

"This boy's soul is ours," another child said, unnerving Zoro.

"Move aside," the ball said and with a flash of light, the children suddenly disappeared.

"Where did they go?" Franky asked in surprise.

"I dispelled the illusion with my power. As I told the woman, those kids were nothing more than a reflection created by the entity. They did, however, act as a barrier to keep you from touching the boy, but that shield is also gone," the ball of light explained.

"I wonder if the entity created those kids to unnerve its victims and keep people away from them?" Nami wondered out loud.

"Why would some all-powerful entity create a bunch of children to scare people?" Usopp asked.

"Well, those were some creepy kids," Franky stated.

The ball of light hovered over Luffy's body. "His spirit is still strong, good. He definitely should last until sunrise."

Robin frowned in thought. "That gives us only about eight hours."

"Then, you better hurry," the ball of light said. "You must follow this boy's memories until you reach the source of the tragedy. Once there, you must get your captain to make peace. Only then will the spell end."

"Wait, we can't just go to the source of the tragedy?" Zoro asked.

"No. You cannot help your captain unless you truly understand the scope of the tragedy. You cannot help someone find peace if you do not fully understand their pain," the ball of light explained.

All the Strawhat looked at each other again.

"If you are having second thoughts..." the ball of light started.

"Just take us into our captain's mind," Zoro said, cutting the ball of light off. "We wasted enough time."

The ball of light seemed to nod. "Very well. Good luck to you, Strawhats."

With a flash of yellow light, the Strawhats found themselves standing in what looked like a farm area. There were dozens of cows in the area grazing peacefully on the grass and several windmills could be seen in the distance.

"Where are we?" Usopp asked as he looked around. The peaceful atmosphere reminded him of his home island.

"I think this is Luffy's hometown," Sanji said as he looked at the windmills in the distance. "I remember him talking about a place with windmills when he mentions his home."

Nami folded her arms in thought. "I think I remember the name of such a town. I think it is called Foosha Village. If I recall correctly, it's found on Dawn Island."

Zoro looked a little surprised. Luffy's home island wasn't that far from his old dojo.

Franky began to scan the area. "Hard to believe that Luffy came from such a peaceful looking place. One would never expect that someone could be encouraged to be a pirate from here."

"Speaking of Luffy, where is he?" Robin asked as she observed her surroundings. "If this is his memory, he should be around here."

"Grandpa, put me down!" a voice whined.

All the Strawhats turned to see a man walking down the dirt road with something in his arms.

"Be quiet, this training is necessary for you to become a strong marine," the man said. "You need to become a strong man to take down those vicious pirates."

The Strawhats could now see the man and knew immediately who it was.

"That's Garp," Usopp said.

The vice-admiral looked much younger than he did when the Strawhats met him back in Water 7. His hair was only gray on the sides and he generally looked healthier and stronger.

"Who's Garp?" Brook asked.

"Oh, he's Luffy grandfather," Nami explained. "He is considered a hero among the marines for cornering Gold Roger several times along with many other feats of courage."

"You don't say," Brook said in awe. "And Luffy-san's father is also an infamous Revolutionary. Luffy-san has one wild bloodline."

"Tell me about it," Sanji said as he took a puff of his cigarette. For whatever reason, he could smoke just fine in Luffy's memory.

"But I don't want to go through your training!" Luffy whined as he was being carried in his grandpa's arms. He looked anything but happy with the entire situation. "I always get hurt!"

"Nonsense, you recovered just fine after I threw you into that endless ravine. You climbed out of that pit with only three cracked ribs, after all," Garp said as he dismissive his grandson's concerns. "Once this is done, we'll begin your survival jungle training. A good marine knows how to survive anywhere."

Luffy started to visibly weep at the thought.

Brook watched the exchanged in horror. "Is Luffy-san's grandpa trying to kill him?"

Sanji sighed. "Luffy's grandpa has very odd ideas about how to toughen someone up."

"He's crazy. Luffy looks no older than four years old," Nami said in horror.

"He could be older. Luffy has always been small for his age," Zoro noted.

"That isn't the point!" Nami yelled.

Within minutes, Garp passed right by the Strawhats like he didn't even notice them.

"Huh, didn't he see us?" Franky asked.

"I would guess that since this is a memory, no one can see or interact with us," Robin surmised. "It is not the same as Toby's ability which allowed us to be a part of Luffy's dream."

"We better go after them," Nami said as the Strawhats followed Garp further from the edge of town.

"Ah, here we are," Garp said with a huge grin on his face. He was currently standing in front of hundreds of balloons that were tied to a tree.

Luffy's eyes widened in excitement. "Wow, is that all for me!?"

Garp gave a loud laugh. "Sure is."

Before Luffy could fully enjoy the balloons, Garp quickly tied him to all the balloons.

"Huh, what are you doing?" Luffy asked. All of his previous excitement transformed into pure fear.

"This is part of your survival training," Garp said as he finished tying Luffy. "You will go up into the air and stay there as for a long as possible."

"WHAT!?" Luffy exclaimed as he began to panic. Tears form in his eyes as pure fear over took him.

"Now, now, strong marines don't cry," Garp said as he took out a knife. "There should be enough air in these balloons to keep you up in the air until sundown. So, enjoy."

Before Luffy could protest further, Garp cut the string to the balloons and Luffy quickly ascended into the air, much to the boy's distress.

"GRANDPA!" Luffy screamed in terror.

"Happy flight, Luffy!" Gasp yelled as he waved his grandson off.

The Strawhats looked at the scene with a mixture of horror and humor.

"He really did strap Luffy to a bunch of balloons," Chopper said in awe as he watched his captain float away.

"Since he is not rubber yet, he will die if he falls," Robin said neutrally.

"How can you be so calm!?" Usopp exclaimed.

"Shouldn't we follow him?" Sanji asked as he followed the balloon trail.

"We should. We can't afford to lose Luffy," Zoro said as he went after the balloons.

Luffy, meanwhile, frowned unhappily as he looked down at his island. The fear, however, was quickly replaced with a sense of wonderment as he passed over his town. It was actually quite nice up here. As long as the balloons held, he should be just fine.

Just as he thought that, a flock of seagulls suddenly flew past him. He didn't pay too much attention to them until he heard several loud pops.

Luffy looked up to see that the seagulls were busting his balloons.

"No, don't do that!" Luffy yelled as he attempted to scare the seagulls away. They didn't listen and continued to bust the balloons. Gradually, Luffy began to sink to the ground. Fear overtake him again as he started to descend.

The Strawhats watched the entire scene in horror.

"Those seagulls are popping those balloons!" Brook screamed in dismay.

"Luffy's still too high in the air to survival such a fall!" Nami exclaimed.

Zoro also growled as he watched the scene. Even if this was only a memory, he couldn't stand to see his captain in danger, especially over something so stupid. It didn't help that they could actually hear Luffy's screams of terror from where they stood.

Luffy was becoming more frantic as more of his balloons disappear. By some divine luck, a strong gust of wind suddenly pushed his balloons out towards the ocean. Luffy sighed in relief, knowing he would at least hit something soft when he fell.

This relief, however, was short lived. Within another few minutes, Luffy had lost too many of his balloons and he plummet towards the water. Luffy gave a loud scream as he fell and hit the water with considerable force. He'd hit it so hard that he left a miniature rainbow in his wake.

Just about all the Strawhats winced when they saw the landing.

"Damn, that had to have hurt," Franky muttered.

"Hitting the water like that is the same as hitting concrete," Chopper said in worry.

"Well...we know he has to still be alive," Sanji said slowly. He thought his training from Zeff was bad.

There was another flash and the Strawhats were now standing inside a house.

"Huh, what happened?" Brook asked.

"I guess we got a scene change," Usopp said, remembering his own experience when he was trapped in the mist.

The Strawhats now saw Luffy covered in bandages and looking absolutely miserable. He obviously had a broken nose and several large bruises that covered his body. Although, given what had happened to him, he was in much better shape than the Strawhats expected. Especially since he didn't have his rubber powers to protect him.

"Garp, you old fool, what were you thinking?" a man with a cleft chin and oval glasses asked in annoyance. "Are you trying to kill Luffy?"

Garp snorted. "I'm trying to make him into a strong marine."

"How can he be a strong anything if he's dead?" the man asked in exasperation. "For goodness sake, Garp, the kid is just four years old. Not to mention he just lost his mother not even a year ago. There's no need to put him through all of this."

Usopp's eyes became downcast. So, Luffy lost his birthmother at a young age. He was probably too young to even remember her.

"Don't underestimate our bloodline, Woop Slap," Garp said as he folded his arms. "Luffy can take all of this and more. Why, a normal person would have been dead from such a landing."

Woop Slap gave Garp an irritated look. "And that's something to celebrate?"

The door to the room suddenly opened. "Sorry for taking so long. Here are the extra bandages." A young woman with dark green hair walked into the room carrying a bag of supplies.

Sanji's mouth dropped the minute he saw her. "Who is this lovely goddess!?"

Nami shrugged. "Don't know. Other than Garp, I recognize no one in this room."

The woman knelt until she was about Luffy's eye level. "How are you feeling?"

Luffy gave a small smile, showing that he was missing some teeth. "I'm feeling better, Makino."

Makino gave him a kind smile. "Good thing you were over the water. I don't even want to think about what could have happened otherwise." She then gave Garp a cold glare.

Garp didn't seem to notice. "Well, until Luffy heals up, I can't continue with his marine training. I guess I'll come back in a couple of weeks when he is all mended."

Woop Slap sighed. "You can at least spend some time with your own grandson."

Garp said nothing for a moment. "Luffy, behave yourself for Makino and Woop Slap. I'll see you in a couple of weeks." With that, he walked out the door.

"That was kind of cold," Brook noted.

"Didn't that man spend any quality time with his grandson?" Nami asked, not caring for how Garp had blown Luffy off.

"Luffy's grandfather doesn't seem like the type to spend quality time with people unless he can kill them," Zoro noted. The very business-like way Garp treated Luffy reminded Zoro of how Kuina's father used to treat her.

"I swear, I don't know what goes through that man's head," Woop Slap said in frustration. "I mean, it's not like we can replace the boy's parents."

Makino gave Luffy a kind smile. "Well, Luffy, I guess you get to spend more time with me."

Luffy gave Makino a blank stare. "Why can't grandpa ever spend time with me?"

Makino's smile faulted for a moment. "Garp is a busy man. He always being called away by the marines. Your grandpa has an important job of protecting everyone from pirates."

"Are pirates really that bad?" Luffy asked innocently.

"Of course, they are," Woop Slap said before Makino could answer. "Pirates are vicious, selfish men who think nothing of attacking and murdering innocent people, including children. We need people like the marines to protect us from those outlaws."

"So, pirates are like mountain bandits," Luffy said softly.

"Exactly," Woop Slap said with a nod. "Garp is only tough on you because he wants you to become a force of justice in the world. If you listen to him, you too will become a Hero of the Marines, just like your granddad."

Luffy said nothing for a moment. "But...I don't want to be a hero."

This answer caught Woop Slap off-guard. "What do you mean you don't want to be a hero!?"

"Well, if you're a hero, that means you have to share all your food with everyone," Luffy said as he crossed his arms. "I don't want to share my food. I want it all."

Woop Slap was left dumbfounded by this, while Makino just laughed.

Some of the Strawhats also chuckled at Luffy's comment.

"Damn straight," Zoro said with a nod.

"I can't believe he still thinks this way," Nami said as she rubbed her forehead.

The scene changed with a shift within the mist and the Strawhats were standing outside again.

"These scene changes are going to be hard to get used to," Franky said.

The sound of children laughing caught the Strawhats' attention. The small band of pirates turned their attention towards a group of kids playing soccer in an open field. Luffy was off to the side watching them, looking like he wanted to join in. A whistle was blown and one of the kids was seen limping off the field.

"Dammit, Joe got hurt," one of the kids cursed in annoyance.

"Now what do we do? We don't have enough people to continue to play," another kid complained.

Luffy immediately raised his hand and jump up and down in excitement. "Hey, I want to play! Pick me! Please, pick me!"

The kids looked at Luffy before they huddled together. "That's Vice-Admiral Garp's grandson. I've heard he's a real monster despite being a runt."

"Have you seen his granddaddy?" one kid with a runny nose asked. "He beats up pirates and chase that demon pirate Gold Roger himself. He also throws children into the jungle to be eaten by wild animals."

"I've heard from my parents his daddy is some kind of infamous wanted criminal trying to take over the world," a kid muttered. "That entire family is a group of freaky monsters."

"I've heard that he actually fell like fifty feet from the air and lived," another kid whispered as he pointed at Luffy. "Do we really want that freak on our team?"

"We've got no choice if we want to continue playing," the first kid muttered. "Just keep an eye on him."

They finally broke the huddled and stared nervously at Luffy, who was completely unaware of their gossiping. "Sure kid, you can play with us."

Luffy jumped and down joy. "Yeah, I finally get to play!"

The Strawhats, however, didn't care for how the kids were talking about Luffy.

"Man, what a bunch of brats," Sanji said.

"Kids do tend to fear those who are different," Robin spoke softly, remembering her own experience.

Chopper nodded his head, recalling his own years as an outcast.

"Well, what they said wasn't completely untrue," Zoro stated, although he was upset too.

"Maybe so, but talking about person like that behind their back is wrong," Nami said.

Another whistle was blown and the game started up again. Despite Luffy's vigor, none of the kids would pass him the ball and generally ignored him. Luffy took not one notice of any of this as he ran back and forth across the field. He was generally having a good time.

This all change, however, after one of kids messed up one of the kicks and Luffy was able to intercept the ball and quickly ran down the field.

"Hey kid, kick it over here!" someone on Luffy's team yelled.

Without a second thought, Luffy kicked the ball as hard as he could. This turned out to be a mistake for two reasons.

Just as Luffy kicked the ball, one of the children from the opposing team stepped in front of Luffy, attempting to steal the ball away from him. Luffy hit the edge of the boy's legs just when he kicked, causing the kid to scream in pain.

The ball flew at amazing speeds towards the other boy, but Luffy's aim was off. The soccer ball smacked the boy clean in the face and he immediately fell to the ground. He didn't move.

The entire game stopped when everyone saw what had happened. Even Luffy was horrified as he looked at the scene he had caused.

The first boy was rolling in the grass, clutching his damaged leg, screaming in agony. He kept yelling over and over again that his leg was broken.

The second boy had blood all over his face. It was obvious by the way his nose was bent that Luffy had a broken it. The boy also appeared to have a busted lip that was rapidly swelling. However, the blankness in his eyes and the drool coming out of his mouth were the most troubling signs.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Luffy screamed as he ran over the first boy to see if he was alright.

"Get away from him, you monster!" one of the kids yelled as they pushed Luffy away.

"Damn, he really did break Charlie's leg," a kid said as they watched the leg swell and turned a nasty shade of purple.

"Jones isn't doing too well either," another kid said as they ran over to the second kid. "What did that freak do to them?"

Luffy looked to be near tears. "It...It was an accident."

The children were beyond caring for excuses.

"You're still here!? Go away before you kill someone!" a child yelled.

"Yeah, go away!" someone else yelled.

"But..." Luffy started to say.

"I said go!" one of the kids exclaimed as they threw a rock at Luffy's head, which he quickly dodged.

The other kids also joined in and began to throw random objects at Luffy. Before long, Luffy was forced to run away from them. As he ran, he had to fight to hide his tears.

"Those evil little brats," Franky growled as he watched the entire memory.

Chopper didn't hide his tears as he put his hooves to his mouth. It was too much like Drum.

Even Robin was nearly moved to tears and had to take several deep breaths to keep the tears from falling.

"How can children be so mean-spirited?" Brook asked in disgust. "I can understand them being mad about what had happened, but to downright reject someone over an accident is uncalled for."

"I don't know why, but I always thought Luffy was popular among the kids given how childish and innocent he is," Usopp said slowly. "I never thought that he could scare people like that without trying."

Nami also had tears in her eyes. She always knew Luffy was strong, but she never considered how his strength could have been a detriment to his social life. Luffy did hurt them at times by underestimating how strong he was, but to think he was so out of control with his power that he could break bone with no effort was mind numbing.

Zoro said nothing, but he did have his arms tightly crossed. He understood what it meant to become so strong that you could no longer interact with normal people without always being self-aware of your power and your ability to harm people. The biggest difference was that Zoro had worked for his power and had accepted the consequences of it willingly. Luffy, however, was born strong. He was born with strength in a world built of twigs.

The scene changed again and they were now standing by one lone tree just outside the village by the seashore. It was ironically the same place where Garp had tied Luffy to the balloons. Huddled under the tree in a small ball was Luffy. His form was shaking and his head was down. It was obvious that he was crying.

Chopper's heart broke for the child and he walked over to Luffy in an effort to comfort him.

"You can't help him, Chopper," Sanji said firmly, but there was a hint of regret in his voice. "This is all just a memory, remember."

"But..." Chopper whispered as he looked at his captain. "He's in pain."

"Sanji is right," Robin said softly as she patted Chopper's shoulder. "You...we cannot help him. These are events that have already transpired. They are a part of Luffy's history."

Before Chopper could say anything more, the Strawhats heard the footsteps of someone coming up the road. They looked up to see Garp walking slowly towards the tree. The marine didn't have his usual wide grin. Instead, he looked dead serious, something that none of them had seen before.

Garp kept walking until he was standing next to his grandson. He said nothing and waited for Luffy to acknowledge him.

After a few minutes, Luffy finally took noticed of his grandfather and looked up at him with tearstained eyes. He attempted to dry his eyes, not wanting his grandfather to see him cry. "Grandpa..."

"I was told what happened," Garp said, getting straight to the point. "Those two boys you hurt will be fine. Although, the boy you gave the concussion to will be taking speech therapy for a while."

Luffy lowered his head in shame and prepared for one of his grandpa's tongue lashing.

Garp sighed as he sat next to his grandson. "It wasn't your fault. It was mine for not teaching you to control your strength better. I know it can be hard to control your power in the heat of the moment."

Luffy said nothing for a moment. "I didn't mean for it to happen. I...I just wanted to play with the other kids. Since they were all bigger than me, I thought I could kick the ball harder."

"I understand that. As humans, we all have the need to fit in. To find our place in the world," Garp said as he looked over the sea. "I had the same problem as you growing up. I had all this power and I had no way of properly using it." He then gave a fond smile. "That's when I found the marines. There, not only could I use my power to help people, but I've created lifelong bonds with many dear friends."

"Lifelong bonds?" Luffy repeated.

Garp nodded. "As you get older, you will understand. It may seem hard now, especially with so many tragic events happening lately, but eventually you'll find your place in the world. Never see your power as a curse. Instead, think of it as a gift given to you to protect those you care about. Use that desire to protect to grow even stronger."

Luffy was left speechless for a moment. "To...to protect? But I have nothing to protect."

Garp suddenly pulled Luffy into his arms in the closest thing the Strawhats had ever seen to a hug from Garp. "You will someday. Especially once you become a true marine." He laughed in good nature, lighting the tense mood.

The two sat by that tree until the sun completely set.


	4. Red Hair Shanks

The Strawhats watched the touching scene for a moment longer before the background shifted around them again. They were now standing in the middle of town and several people walked past.

"You know, despite how mean Garp can act towards Luffy, he really knows when to pull through when it counts," Nami said, somewhat surprised to see such a tender side to the hardened marine.

"I think it's because at the end of the day, Garp cares about his grandson and he only wants what he thinks is best for him," Robin said.

"Too bad his idea of 'best' borders on child abuse," Sanji said.

Zoro looked around the town, bored by the sights. This really was a sleepy little village. It reminded him of his own home.

"So, where do we go now?" Zoro finally asked.

Within moments of him saying those words, something small and fast ran past them. It took Zoro a moment to recognize the figure as Luffy. He could never get used to seeing the boy without his signature strawhat. Luffy just looked plain without it. Not to mention Luffy also didn't have his scar under his eye.

The Strawhats followed Zoro's line of sight as Luffy ran into a building with the sign 'Party Bar' written above it. It didn't take Zoro long to recognize it as the local bar. Now he wished this wasn't just a memory so he could grab a drink while he was here.

The small group of pirates followed Luffy into the bar and saw him sitting happily on a barstool.

"Hi, Makino!" Luffy greeted happily.

"Luffy, how've you been?" Makino said with a wide smile. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Luffy's smiled faltered. "Well...I was out camping...with grandpa..."

Makino frowned. "He didn't leave you in the forest again, did he?"

Luffy said nothing. His face was pale like he was recalling a painful and traumatizing event.

"You don't have to answer," Makino said kindly. "How about a hot meal? My treat!"

This perked up Luffy's mood back up. "Thanks, Makino."

"I'm almost curious to know what Garp did to Luffy," Usopp said.

Makino put a big plate of food in front of Luffy. It was a strangely small serving of food for Luffy, but the young boy didn't seem to mind. "I'm surprised your grandpa isn't with you."

Luffy took a bit of meat. "He had to leave again."

"Oh, how long will he be gone this time?" Makino asked.

Luffy's eyes became downcast. "He said he most likely won't be back until next year."

"Next year!?" Makino exclaimed in shock.

Luffy nodded as he played with his food. "He said something to do with the marines and pirates."

Makino gave a sad smile. "I see. Well, you can always visit me whenever you get lonely."

"Yeah..." Luffy muttered, seeming to lose his appetite as he pushed his plate away.

Nami shook her head as she listened to this. "What kind of guardian just leaves their kid for an entire year?"

"I heard this kind of lifestyle is common for a marine," Robin said. "A man of Garp's status would be in high demand because of all the trouble on the Grand Line. It is not surprising that he would be on leave for a year or more."

Nami put her hand on her chin. "I wonder if that's the reason why Bellmère left the marines."

"It won't be too bad, Luffy," Makino said in an effort to cheer Luffy up. "You won't have to go through training for a while."

"Yeah, but at least being with grandpa there's something to do," Luffy said sadly as he moped at the bar. "No one here wants to play with me and the grown-ups are always so busy."

"Well, I'm sure we'll find something for you to do," Makino said kindly.

"He sounds so lonely," Chopper muttered sadly.

He always thought that Luffy was like one of the 'cool' kids growing up. Even when they talked to Ace, at least Luffy's dream version of him, he never fully connected the word outcast with Luffy. How did Luffy maintain his cheerful and carefree attitude?

Before the Strawhats could reflect on Chopper's words, the door to the bar suddenly flew open.

"Pirates are coming, pirates are coming!" a man screamed.

"Pirates?" Makino repeated in shock. "Which ones?"

The man shook his head. "I don't recognize the mark. Whoever they are, they're either not from East Blue or a new rookie crew looking to make a name for themselves."

Makino ran from behind the bar to join the man. "We need to get Woop Slap. Maybe he can try to reason with the pirates." Her face became forlorn. "What a time for pirates to come. Garp just left."

Luffy jumped from his stool to go outside.

"Luffy, stay here," Makino said firmly.

"But I want to see the pirates," Luffy said innocently.

"Too dangerous!" the man exclaimed. "Do you know what pirates do to children?"

Luffy blinked in confusion. "What do pirates do to children?"

The man paused nervously. "Well...they...Stop asking questions and stay in the bar!"

With that, Makino and the man ran out of bar.

Luffy continued to stare at the door with a blank expression.

"Five belli says that Luffy waits five minutes," Franky said.

"Too long," Zoro said in a deadpan voice. "I'd give it thirty seconds."

Almost thirty seconds on the dot, Luffy walked out of the bar.

"Told you," Zoro said smugly, much to Franky's annoyance.

The Strawhats followed Luffy out and saw him running towards the harbor. They didn't have to run after him since the scene changed again and they were all standing at the port.

"Well, that's handy," Usopp mused.

"What pirate crew is that?" Brook asked as he looked towards the pirate ship heading towards the harbor. From what Brook could tell, the ship was fairly big and built in an old style. The sails didn't appear to have a pirate mark.

"If I know Luffy's history, the pirates coming here can only be one crew," Zoro said.

As the ship got closer, more people came into the harbor. Most of the people seemed more curious than scared.

Within a couple more minutes, everyone could see the pirate flag. It was a skull and crossbones design with three red marks across its left eye. In place of the traditional crossbones were two steel swords.

Luffy hid himself behind one of the crates on the harbor so none of the adults could see him. He hid just in time as Woop Slap came walking onto the harbor with a grim expression. Makino was close behind him with an equally worried appearance.

"Mayor Woop Slap, do you recognize that pirate mark?" one of the town people asked.

Woop Slap nodded. "I'm afraid I do. That mark belongs to none other than Red Hair Shanks. He's an infamous pirate from the Grand Line."

Everyone within earshot of Woop Slap grasped in shock and terror.

"As I thought. That is the mark of one of the Four Emperors," Robin said.

Chopper's eyes widened. "So, we get to see Shanks!?"

"Not surprising given the influence Shanks had in Luffy's life," Sanji said. He was looking forward to seeing the pirate who had such an effect on his captain.

Usopp also became excited. "That means I get to meet my father!"

"Pirates from the Grand Line?" someone asked in disbelief. "Why would they come all the way here?"

"Given the marines' weaker influence in East Blue, these pirates could see us as easy prey," Woop said grimly. "Any pirate from the Grand Line is on a completely different level from any hoodlums around here."

"What can we do?" another villager asked desperately.

"Maybe...maybe there's a chance we can still get in contact with Garp. He only left over a day ago, but I want that to be a last resort," Woop Slap said in thought. "The last thing we need is a battle between the marines and the pirates here. Hopefully, this can be settled with money."

Nami was uncomfortably reminded of when Arlong came to her island.

It wasn't too much longer before the ship docked into port. All the townspeople waited anxiously for the pirates walk off their ship. Luffy felt his heart beat faster when he saw the ladder lower from the ship.

Soon, three pirates came walking onto the dock. One was a fairly tall, lanky looking man with jet-black greasy hair that was tied into ponytail. He also carried a large gun on his back and had a serious expression on his face.

The second man was a really fat guy who had an eternal grin on his face and red-tinted glasses that covering his eyes. He also had a giant piece of meat in his hand and was currently bitten into it.

The last man had a somewhat slim built and wore a long black cape that swung in the wind. His most distinguishing physical features were his short, flaming red hair and the three scars that were engraved onto his face, matching his pirate's mark. The thing that really stood out the most to the Strawhats, however, was his bright yellow strawhat.

The Strawhats couldn't help feeling strange seeing anyone wear Luffy's beloved hat, even if Shanks was the original owner. It just didn't seem right on Shanks' head.

Luffy stared transfixed as he looked at the red-haired pirate. He didn't know how, but he could feel the power radiating from the man. It reminded him very much of his grandpa.

Woop Slap stepped forward to confront the pirates. "I am Woop Slap, mayor of this village."

The man with the red hair smiled. "Hello. My name is Shanks and I'm the leader of this band of pirates."

"I know who you are," Woop Slap said harshly. "I would ask why pirates from the Grand Line would come all the way here, but I have my assumptions. If you want our money, you can have it all. Just leave our village peacefully."

Shanks looked at Woop Slap for a moment before he burst into laughter. The fat pirate, who was still eating his meat, also began laugh in good nature.

"Old man, we don't mean you, or this village, any harm," the man with the greasy hair said calmly.

Shanks nodded. "We didn't come to pillage your village or anything like that. We just came here to relax for a little while. Life on the Grand Line can be tough, so it's nice to take a break every now and then."

Woop Slap was taken off-guard by the pirates' attitude. "Then, you will not harm anyone?"

"Just show us where the booze is at and you won't even know we're here," Shanks said with a wide smile.

Makino meekly walked towards the pirates. Woop Slap gave her a disapproving look, but didn't move to stop her.

"I...I own the bar in town," Makino said softly. "If you like, you can go there and drink whatever you want."

"Alright! I told you, Benn, this place would have a bar!" Shanks exclaimed happily.

"Still, do you really think it's safe to dock in the hometown of the Marine Hero?" Benn questioned.

Shanks dismissively waved his hand. "Old Garp won't be back for months at the very least. By the time he returns, we'll be long gone." He then dramatically crossed his arms. "Besides, I'm famished and we just finished the last barrel of rum this morning. No pirate crew can function without some form of alcohol. It's against nature."

Zoro nodded in agreement. This man spoke the truth.

"It probably would have lasted longer, Boss, if you didn't have that drinking contest with Yasopp," the fat pirate pointed out.

"Hey, I won, didn't I?" Shanks said as he rubbed his head. "It was worth the hangover too."

"Huh, this is Luffy's role model?" Franky asked in disbelief. "This guy really is a drunkard."

"He kind of acts like Luffy. If Luffy was an alcoholic," Sanji said with an air of amusement.

"Just replace rum with meat and they're practically the same," Nami said dryly.

Usopp and Chopper nodded in agreement with Nami.

Brook laughed at Shank's crew. The Red-Hair Pirates reminded him of his old crew. They all just seemed good natured.

"Anyway, to the bar, boys!" Shanks yelled to his ship. There was a loud cheer before dozens of pirates came storming off the ship, stunning poor Makino.

"Sorry about that," Benn apologized to the young woman. "Can you please lead the way to the bar?"

Makino nodded numbly. "Please…follow me."

The pirates followed Makino out of the port and into the main town. Their cheers could be heard across the island and the villagers could only look on in disbelief.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Woop Slap?" a villager asked in concern. "We can still contact Garp."

Woop Slap shook his head. "As long as these pirates behave themselves, we don't need to bother Garp. He has enough to worry about with those pirates going crazy in the Grand Line. Although, we may not have any booze for a long time."

Luffy slowly crawled out from his hiding place and stared at the pirates as the disappeared into town. "So, those are pirates?"

The scene changed to the Party Bar and the pirates were drinking happily into the night. Makino found herself running out of beer after only the first couple of hours and was forced to used her emergency supply. These pirates just seemed to never stop drinking.

Luffy was able to sneak into the bar using the backdoor Makino allowed him to use. From the safety of the backroom, Luffy watched the pirates the entire night. They acted very different to the pirates his grandpa described. His grandfather had always told him how evil and vicious pirates were, but these pirates just acted like regular drunks in town. There was nothing scary about them at all.

It was only until things had quietened down that Luffy left the storage room. Most of the pirates appeared to have passed out, including their captain who was slumped over the bar counter. He was snoring heavily and his strawhat lay on his side.

"Luffy, you're still here?" Makino asked as she picked up the beer mugs. "Shouldn't you be home by now?"

Luffy shrugged. "It's not like anyone's there."

The Strawhats were taken back by the answer. Did Luffy live alone when his grandfather left? Surely, not even Garp could be that neglectful.

"Luffy, you shouldn't be here," Makino said as she glanced around at the unconscious pirates.

Luffy bravely puffed up his chest. "I'm not afraid of these pirates. And besides," He poked one the drunken pirates. He did it until the man fell out of his chair. Regardless, the man remained asleep and even curled up on the floor, "they're all drunk."

"He has a point," Franky said as he looked around the bar. He thought he could throw a party.

"Aw, this brings back so many memories," Brook said happily.

"Still hard to believe that these are fearsome pirates," Nami said, shaking her head as she looked at Shanks' slumped form. For someone who drunk so much, she expected him to hold his liquor better than this.

Even Usopp looked disheartened when he saw his father passed out on the floor with drool coming out of his mouth. "So, this is the crew of one of the Emperors."

"Still, be careful," Makino warned, getting the Strawhats' attention. "People are at their most dangerous when they're under the influence of alcohol."

Luffy climbed onto the stool next to Shanks and poked the older man's face. "This is Red Hair, right?"

Makino gave a loud sighed. Luffy wasn't listening to her at all. "Yeah, that's him. I hate to admit it, but he isn't as scary as I thought. He's actually really nice." She started to blush. "And cute."

Luffy forced one of Shank's eyes opened. "I still can't believe he's a pirate." He let go of his eye.

Luffy let his eyes wondered to Shanks' strawhat. It was an odd thing to see, given that no one he knew wore a strawhat. It also looked fairly old and beat up.

A mischievous look suddenly appeared on Luffy's face.

"Hm, what's that boy up to?" Sanji asked for all the Strawhats.

Luffy looked at the passed-out captain again before he began to reach for the strawhat. Just as he touched the rims of the hat, however, a hand suddenly grabbed his wrist. Luffy gave a startled gasp as he turned towards the source of the hand. Within seconds, he was staring at two very red and angry eyes.

"Don't touch my hat," the red-haired captain growled ferociously.

Luffy gave a loud scream as he attempted to pull his hand free, getting Makino's attention.

"Luffy!" Makino exclaimed as she dropped the beer mugs.

The commotion woke up some of the pirates.

Even the Strawhats were startled by the change in Shanks' demeanor. It looked like he really was going to hurt Luffy.

Luffy continued to struggle to free himself as he was lifted off his barstool. For the first time since the pirate had arrived, Luffy was afraid of this man.

"What do you think you're doing, kid?" Shanks continued to growl at him.

Luffy was near tears. "Let me go! Let me go! Makino, help!"

Makino ran towards Luffy's side. "Please, Red Hair, let him go! He didn't mean any harm!"

"Hey Boss, it's just a kid," the fat pirate, who the Strawhats learned was named Lucky Roo, said. "I'm sure he meant no harm."

Shanks kept Luffy suspended in the air for a long moment before he suddenly dropped him back onto his stool.

"Oh, do I have a migraine," Shanks muttered as he rubbed his eyes. "Tell the doctor to bring some painkillers when he regain consciousness."

Luffy dropped down from the stool and attempted to crawl away. Benn cut Luffy off before he could escape, however.

"Isn't it a little late for kids to be up?" Benn asked nonchalantly.

Luffy was completely frozen in fear.

"Hey, kid, are you mute or something?" Lucky Roo asked in humor. "He looks like he's about to wet himself."

Before Lucky could tease Luffy any further, Yasopp pushed him out of the way. "Stop that, you're scaring him. He has been frightened enough already with our captain growling in his face."

Shanks gave a loud grunt in response as he continued to rub his face.

Usopp watched in awe as his father knelt down before Luffy and began to speak in a soft, gentle voice.

"What's your name?" Yasopp asked.

Luffy was still too frozen to speak.

"Hey, sorry about what our captain did to you. He can be kind of...'protective' over his hat," Yasopp said with a small smile.

This earned a chuckle from Lucky.

Luffy slowly started to relax.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yasopp, number one sniper of the Red-Hair Pirates," he said proudly as he put his hand over his chest, much like what Usopp does when he's bragging.

Luffy said nothing for a moment. "My...name is Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy."

Everyone became silent. Even Shanks stopped rubbing his face.

"Monkey D?" Shanks repeated slowly. His eyes widened in realization. "You...You're not related by any chance to Monkey D. Garp?"

Luffy nodded. "He's my grandpa."

Shanks looked like he was just struck by lightning. Lucky Roo and Yasopp also were both completely shocked by the revelation. Benn was the only one who looked somewhat unimpressed.

"Hm, you're Garp's grandson. I didn't even know he had a son," Benn admitted.

"I didn't even know he was married! What crazy woman hooked up with him!?" Yasopp exclaimed.

Nami chuckled. "Yasopp is definitely your father."

Usopp blushed at his father's antics.

"If you're Garp's grandson, who's your father?" Shanks asked.

Luffy shrugged. "I don't have a father."

Shanks blinked several times at him. "What, did you come out of the cabbage patch?"

Luffy tilted his head, not getting the joke.

Most of the Strawhats did and snickered at the comment.

"Huh, what's so funny?" Chopper asked, looking just as lost as Luffy.

"It is an old lie that parents used to tell their children," Robin explained.

"Why would anyone tell their children that they come from the cabbage patch?" Chopper continued to question.

Robin paused in thought. "Some parents do not like to talk to their children about sex."

Chopper looked even more confused.

"Maybe moss head was born in the cabbage patch," Sanji suggested. "That would explain the green hair."

"Save it, dart board!" Zoro yelled.

"Well, I would had never guess you were Garp's kin," Yasopp said as he folded his arms. "You just seem so...fragile."

Luffy quickly stood up and puffed his chest. "I'm not fragile, I'm strong! I can survive in the jungle eating nothing but frogs and snakes."

Nami and Usopp cringe at Luffy's food choices.

"Yeah, but why would you?" Yasopp asked as he sweat-dropped.

Luffy pondered the question for several seconds. "Well...because grandpa said it's necessary to become a strong marine."

"What kind of marine is Garp thinking of?" Lucky Roo asked.

"Well, Garp has always been a little odd," Yasopp said in thought. "I once heard he gave away the marine's treasury for a box of donuts."

"He did what!?" Nami exclaimed in disbelief. An entire treasury for donuts!? What kind of idiot would do such a thing?

Zoro stood silent. Not surprising. Luffy would give away all the gold they got from Skypiea for meat, or bronze statues. Given how much Luffy was like his grandfather, it was perfectly within his character to trade away crap loads of treasure for food. That family simply didn't value money.

Sanji puffed on his cigarette and smiled. "I guess Garp is to donuts as Luffy is to meat."

Franky laughed. "I guess it's a family quirk."

Shanks got off his stool and knelt down to Luffy's level. "Listen kid, I'm sorry I scared you earlier." He grabbed his strawhat off the counter. "But you see, this hat is very important to me. It was given to me by someone I considered a father figure."

"Father figure?" Luffy repeated.

Shanks smiled and looked fondly at his hat. At that moment, he looked very similar to Luffy. "This hat is my special treasure. I don't let anyone touch it."

Luffy looked at Shanks for a moment before he lowered his head. "I'm sorry I tried to take it. I just wanted to have some fun with you."

Shanks folded his arms. "You're pretty bold to want to play a trick on a bunch of ruthless, murderous pirates." He gave Luffy's an evil grin. "You could have been killed."

Luffy rolled his eyes at him. "I've been watching you all day. There's nothing scary about you."

Shanks laughed. "Oh, and who almost pissed themselves in fear not even five minutes ago."

Luffy blushed in embarrassment. "I...I...I wasn't scared. You just startled me."

Shank busted into a full-blown laugh. "You're such a terrible lair! You were ready to run away and cry to your mother!"

"I was not!" Luffy yelled as he got into Shanks' face.

Makino watched the conversation back and forth, and began to laugh as well.

"Luffy was such a hot tempered child," Brook noted. He had never seen Luffy's face turned that shade of red before.

"He does seem to get agitated easily," Sanji said as he watched Shanks and Luffy continue to fight.

The scene changed, but the Strawhats were still inside the Party Bar. This time, however, it was daytime and most of the commotion was coming from outside.

The Strawhats made their way out of the bar and saw the pirates cheering someone on in the street. It didn't take long to figure out who it was when they heard Yasopp's name being chanted. They also heard Luffy's childish laughter above the crowd.

When the Strawhats got close enough, they could see Yasopp standing in the middle of the street with a long rifle in his hands. He gave a cocky smile as he calmly waited for something to happen. One of the pirates, who was nearly on the other side of the village, suddenly threw several objects into the air. They were barely dots from where the Strawhats stood.

With reflexes that Sanji and Zoro's could barely see, Yasopp lifted his gun and shot several times at his targets. Each of the dots disappeared as the bullets hit their marks. Within a span of less than a second, it was all over.

"Amazing," Robin murmured as she used her ability to see what had happened on the other side of the village. "He shot each of those plates perfectly."

"From this distance!?" Franky exclaimed in shock. "That guy has to be at least ten-thousand feet from us!"

Usopp smiled proudly at his old man. "That's my dad. The greatest sniper ever!"

"Your father is so cool, Usopp!" Chopper exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"Of course, look who his son is," Usopp laughed cockily as he rubbed his nose.

"Wow, Yasopp, that was amazing!" Luffy shouted in excitement. He was now standing right next to Yasopp.

The older man smirked at him and held his gun up. "That's nothing. I can shoot the antennae off an ant from one-hundred free away."

Luffy's eyes widened in amazement. The Strawhats could practically see the stars in his eyes. He looked almost like Chopper. "Really?"

"Of course. There's nothing I can't shoot," Yasopp said proudly, earning several more cheers from his crew.

"Amazing, you guys are so cool!" Luffy yelled with stars in his eyes.

"Well, that's the thing, Luffy. When you become a pirate, cool becomes part of your resume," Yasopp said with a wink.

"You mean, if I become a pirate, I will become as strong as you guys?" Luffy asked as he followed Yasopp and the other pirates back into the Party Bar.

"Luffy, when you become a pirate, you have to become strong," Benn said as he walked next towards the boy. He had a very serious expression. "It is dangerous out on the sea and death can come at any moment."

Luffy frowned. "But you guys still have fun, and that's where it counts, right?"

"Of course," Yasopp laughed as he ordered a beer from Makino.

Benn gave Yasopp a disapproving look. "You shouldn't just give Luffy the fun side of being a pirate."

"But I would be lying if I said that a pirate's life wasn't worth living," Yasopp said with a huge smile on his face. "I left a wife and a kid back home to sail the open seas and live free."

"Huh, you have wife and kid?" Luffy asked in surprise.

"Oh no, now you've done it, Luffy," Lucky Roo moaned as he slapped his head, confusing the young boy.

Benn also sighed.

"Yes, right here in East Blue, I have a son who's about your age, Luffy," Yasopp said as his smile got wider. "He was a cute little baby too. He got my wife's nose and my handsome looks. You two would get along well."

Usopp smiled and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we do."

Yasopp continued to talk about Usopp for what felt like hours. Slowly, the Red-Hair Pirates backed away from the sniper, leaving only Luffy to listen to his stories. Luffy was interested at first, but was quickly becoming bored.

The Strawhats also became tired of listening to Yasopp talk their ears off about Usopp.

"Man, doesn't this guy ever stop talking?" Sanji asked as he lit up his fifth cigarette.

"For a kid he barely knows, he sure talks a lot about him," Zoro said dryly before given a huge yawn. If this keeps up, he might as well take a nap.

"Zoro..." Nami hissed as she elbowed the swordsman hard in the ribs.

Usopp, unlike his other crewmates, enjoyed seeing his dad talk about him like this. It warmed his heart to see that his father cared for him this much despite never visiting him.

The memory abruptly stopped.

"Huh, what happened?" Franky asked as he looked around the empty void.

"Was Luffy-san's soul already consumed?" Brook asked fearfully.

"I think Luffy just fell asleep at this point," Robin said, remembering how kid Luffy was barely awake listening to Yasopp's stories.

"He fell asleep while my dad was talking about me!?" Usopp yelled in annoyance.

"I'm surprise he lasted that long," Nami said dryly. Admittedly, she was close to falling asleep too.

The emptiness faded and Luffy was walking with Shanks across town.

"Shanks, thanks for taking me fishing," Luffy said happily.

Shanks chuckled lightly. "It's no problem, Anchor. It's been a while I've been fishing as well."

Luffy frowned at the nickname. "Don't call me that."

"What, Anchor?" Shanks teased with a huge smirk.

Luffy puffed his cheeks. "You can be such a jerk!"

"If you learn how to swim, then maybe I'll stop calling you anchor," Shanks continued to tease.

"I do try to learn to swim," Luffy grumbled.

"And you sink like the little anchor you are," Shanks laughed.

"Huh, so Luffy couldn't swim even before he had a Devil Fruit. That's unusual," Sanji said.

Given that the entire world was mostly a big ocean, learning how to swim was one of the first things you learned along with walking and talking. It was surprising that Garp would throw Luffy in a jungle to survive on his own, but he never taught Luffy how to swim. If Luffy was going to be a marine, he would spend almost all his time on a ship, not on land. He really couldn't imagine Luffy being one of those marines who only stood on base.

"In some ways that is a good thing. Since Luffy never learned to swim, he would not miss it once he lost his ability to ever learn," Robin said.

Usopp nodded. "Suddenly not being able to swim ever again after you spend so many years learning how to does sounds terrible."

"Hmmm, I can't completely agree. Losing your ability to swim isn't the worst thing in the world," Brook said.

Sanji snorted. "Speak for yourself."

"Seriously," Franky said. He didn't care what Devil Fruit it was, he loved swimming. Besides, he was awesome enough without an ability.

Luffy muttered something under his breath as he led Shanks to what the Strawhats assumed to be his house. The house wasn't too big. It was a nice sized two-story home and it was about average size for this village.

"So, this is where Vice-Admire Garp lives," Shanks mused as he looked over the humble home. "I expected something grander from someone of his rank."

Luffy carefully opened the unlocked door and led Shanks inside. The house was quite dusty and it was dark. The atmosphere felt stale and cold. It looked like no one had lived within the house for years.

All Strawhats felt uncomfortable. It didn't feel like a home at all.

"This place feels kinda creepy," Chopper muttered as he looked around the darkened house. "Does Luffy really live here?"

"It can definitely use some dusting," Nami said as she went to touch the dusty furniture. Her hand went right through it.

Luffy ran upstairs to get his fishing pole while Shanks waited for him downstairs. The Strawhats followed their captain to what appeared to be his room. The bed was a mess, showing that he had obviously slept in it recently. There were also several toys scattered across the room. Most of them were actions figures mixed with unfinished coloring books.

"Huh, Luffy never struck me as someone who would play with action figures," Usopp said as he looked around the room. "They're still in good shape too."

"I guess unlike some things, Luffy isn't rough with his toys," Nami said in good humor.

Once Luffy found his fishing pole, which was buried under a mountain of junk, he ran downstairs to find Shanks walking around the house, looking somewhat sad.

"I'm ready, let's go!" Luffy cheered.

"Luffy, do you live here by yourself?" Shanks asked, not sharing in the boy's good mood.

"I live with my grandpa...when he's here," Luffy added under his breath.

Shanks easily heard him, however. "So, you stay here alone when your grandfather is gone? Can't you go live with someone in the village?"

"Grandpa says I need to learn to survive on my own and that I'm old enough to live by myself," Luffy said as if every child lived like him.

Shanks stared at Luffy for several seconds with a blank expression.

"What the...? Since when is a six year old old enough to live on their own?" Sanji asked, barely controlling his anger. His feelings of annoyance with Garp were returning in full force.

Zoro shook his head in disgust. A child of Luffy's age and mentality shouldn't be left unsupervised. He was beginning to understand why Luffy was so depressed about his grandfather leaving. Even if they did had a somewhat abusive relationship, it was better than being left alone in this big house for god knew how long. What the hell was Garp thinking?

"How is the house even still standing? I mean...Luffy breaks everything on almost a daily basics," Usopp said. From what he had seen, there wasn't a crack on the wall.

Nami's eyes became downcast. "It's most likely because Luffy himself is hardly here."

"How do you survive?" Shanks asked gently. "I mean, how do you buy your food, wash your clothes, or even buy your clothes?

"Grandpa sends me money every two weeks to buy food," Luffy said. "If I run out, Makino treats me at the Party Bar. She also helps me buy my clothes and helps with the laundry."

"I see," Shanks said softly. "So, Makino is like a mother to you."

"I guess..." Luffy said slowly.

"What happened to your birthmother?" Shanks asked.

"She died," Luffy said bluntly. "Grandpa has been taken care of me since then."

"I'm not sure how leaving a kid in a house by themselves for months on end is taking care of them," Shanks stated coldly, voicing the thoughts of all the Strawhats.

Luffy gave small smile. "It's not too bad. The adults in the village take care of me when grandpa's away." His smile began faulted slightly. "Although, it does get lonely around here. Especially at night."

"Luffy, is that why you hate to go home from the Party Bar?" Shanks suddenly asked.

Luffy looked away, refusing to answer the question.

"Luffy...let's go fishing, okay?" Shanks said with a huge smile. "Let's catch the biggest fish ever and grill it into a feast!"

Luffy's eyes lit up. "Yeah!"

They both walked out of the house closed the door behind them.

"How lonely it must have been. To be in a house that isn't a home," Brook said in a broken tone.

"This house looks like it was once filled with a lot of love and joy," Robin said sadly as she looked at pictures of what looked like Luffy's family during happier times. For some reason, the face of Luffy's mother was shadowed in all the photos. "However, it looks like those days had long since passed."

Usopp sighed. "I know how Luffy feels. My house was never the same after my mother died. I also survived on the kindness of my neighbors." He gave a sad smile at the thought of his home.

There was long silence among the Strawhats.

The memory shifted and Luffy was now sitting on a barstool next to Shanks. The older pirate was drinking as per usual while Luffy ate a snack.

"Shanks, why did you become a pirate?" Luffy suddenly asked the older man.

Shanks stopped drinking his rum to look at Luffy. "Why this question all of a sudden? You're not growing serious on me, are you Anchor?"

Luffy gave Shanks an annoyed look for a moment. "I was asking because I've heard nothing but bad things about pirates."

"Really?" Shanks asked.

"Grandpa and Mayor Woop Slap always told me that pirates were heartless thugs who thought nothing of hurting and killing people and stealing their treasure. Grandpa said if it wasn't for the marines, pirates would overrun everything and people would be in danger."

"I see," Shanks said slowly

"But when I look at you guys, I think they're completely wrong," Luffy said before he began to smile. "You guys aren't bad at all and you treat everyone nice. Everyone in town loves you guys and even the mayor let you stay. So, everything that Grandpa and Woop Slap said must have been a lie."

Shanks said nothing for a moment. "It's not a lie, Luffy."

The softness and coldness in his voice caught Luffy off-guard.

"What your grandpa and the mayor said is completely correct. Most pirates are indeed cold, heartless bastards. I've seen plenty of pirates ruin people's lives for the fun of it and a number of other atrocities that you can't even imagine," Shanks said darkly. "We need people like the marines to keep such evil people from hurting others, which is why your grandfather is greatly respected, even though we are enemies."

Luffy blinked in confusion. "But if pirates really are evil...does that mean you're really a bad person?"

"Life isn't black and white, Luffy. Although most pirates are evil, not all of us are bad, although we're not entirely good either," Shanks explained. "Pirates like us do not set sail to spread terror or rob people, but for fun and love of adventure and seeing new places from across the world."

"Adventure?" Luffy repeated in awe.

Shanks nodded and smiled. "Seeing new lands, new people, and new sights. To me, that is the true life of a pirate." He put down the bottle of rum. "There is also the joy of being around your crew, sharing those experiences."

Luffy said nothing for a moment. "It must be nice to be around people who aren't afraid of you."

Shanks gave Luffy a sad smile. "Yeah, Makino told me that you have been having a hard time with the other kids around here."

Luffy sighed. "They're afraid of me. They call me a monster."

"That's because you're a big fish in a small pond," Shanks answered.

Luffy blinked. "What does that mean?"

"Out on the big sea, your strength and power is not uncommon. There're many powerful people in the world whose strength can be considered monstrous. Your grandfather is among those people. In fact, there are a few people who are as strong as your grandpa out in this big world," Shanks said.

Luffy's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really?"

Shanks nodded. "If you ever set out to sea, you will see for yourself just how small you are and also find those who will appreciate your power and accept you for what you are without fear or judgment. When you find those people, Luffy, you will also find your second family."

"Family," Luffy whispered.

"At its heart, that's what a pirate crew truly is," Shanks said with warmth and fondness in his voice. "Those who sail with me are not just my underlings. They are my precious family."

Luffy looked to be moved near tears and so were most of the Strawhats. At that moment, they all understood why Luffy practically worshiped this man. They also saw where Luffy's philosophy of being a pirate came from.

"Shanks..." Luffy whispered, getting the older man's attention. "I've decided." He looked Shanks' dead in the eye with a wide grin. "I want to become a pirate!"


	5. Romance Dawn

The scene changed and the Strawhats were now standing on a ship. It took them a moment to realize that they were now on Shanks' ship. All around them, the Red-Haired Pirates were moving crates and barrels onto and off the ship. It looked like they had just returned from a raid.

"There're quite a few memories about Shanks," Brook noted.

"Shanks is probably the most inspiring figure in Luffy's life, save for his brother," Nami said. "It only makes sense that a good portion of his memories are devoted to him."

"I don't blame him. Shanks is one super guy," Franky said. That speech Shanks gave about pirate crews being like a family had him almost in tears.

Brook nodded. "I have to agree. It's good to see, even though I have no eyes, that the younger generation of pirates hasn't lost the spirit of adventure and freedom. I can't wait to meet this Shanks person for myself one day."

"We must first keep our captain's soul from being devoured by some crazy entity before that visit," Zoro said bleakly.

"You just had to bring that up," Usopp muttered, remembering the state they left Luffy in. He wondered how much time has already passed.

"Hey, what are you doing, Luffy!?" one of the pirates suddenly yelled.

The Strawhats all turned around to see Luffy standing on the figurehead of the ship. He had a dead serious expression on his face and held a large knife in his hand. All the Strawhats knew that this was not a good sign.

"I'm not joking this time!" Luffy yelled, getting all of the Red-Haired Pirates' attention. "I'll prove it for all of you to see!"

Shanks looked at the boy and rolled his eyes. "Go for it," he laughed. "Let's see what you're going to do."

"Don't encourage a kid with a knife!" Nami yelled at Shanks.

Another pirate smiled in amusement. "Luffy is going to do something funny again."

With any further prompting, Luffy took the knife in his hand and plunged it into face, just below his left eye.

Everyone, including the Strawhats, gasped in shock.

"What the hell!?" Franky yelled in shock.

"He stabbed himself in the eye!" Usopp screamed in horror.

Zoro sweat-dropped from the scene. Figures.

"So, that is how he got that scar," Robin whispered more to herself. She was the only one among the Strawhats that sounded more amused than terrified.

"That idiot," Nami growled as she face-palmed. "I should have known it was self-inflicted."

"He could have lost his eye!" Chopper yelled in dismay. How could Luffy hurt himself like that?

"Idiot!" Shanks yelled as he ran towards the figurehead and knocked the knife out of Luffy's hands. Blood was everywhere and Luffy attempted not to cry. "What the hell are you doing!?"

Luffy finally screamed in pain and he clutched his self-made wound. "It hurts!"

"Stabbing yourself in the eye would hurt, moron," Sanji said without any pity in his voice.

The scene suddenly jumped again and the Strawhats were back in the Party Bar.

"Let's drink up in celebration!" a pirate yelled.

"To Luffy's craziness and to our greatness," someone else yelled as everyone raised their glasses.

Luffy was once again sitting next to Shanks, but this time he had a bandage under his eye where his knife wound was. It was obvious by the puffiness in his eyes that had been crying.

"Ah, it didn't hurt at all," Luffy said with tears still fresh in his eyes.

"Liar, don't do anything that stupid again!" Shanks yelled in anger. It was the first time any of the Strawhats have seen him so unnerved.

Luffy ignored Shanks as he threw his arms into the air. "I'm not afraid of pain. Next time, bring me out to sea with you! I want to be a pirate too!"

Shanks lost all his previous anger and laughed. "You can't handle being a pirate. Not being able to swim is a pirate's greatest weakness."

"That's kind of true," Sanji said.

"As long as I stay on-board the ship, I'll be fine," Luffy countered.

"Too bad he can't even do that much," Zoro muttered, recalling all the times he had to pull Luffy from the sea.

Sanji, Usopp, and Nami all nodded in agreement.

"Besides, my fighting is pretty good too," Luffy said proudly as he threw a punch. "I've trained rigorously before and now my punches are as strong as a pistol!"

"Wow, really. A pistol," Shanks said in a bored tone.

"What kind of tone is that!?" Luffy yelled as he stood on his stool.

"I still can't get over how short-tempered Luffy is," Usopp said as he watched the scene. "Luffy is usually so hard to anger, yet here he can fly off the handle with just a couple of words."

"Regardless of the reason, it's a good thing he put his temper in the past," Zoro said. "Following a hothead captain who is also an idiot would have been disastrous."

Nami nodded. "Yeah, it would be like following Buggy." Both Zoro and Nami shivered at the thought.

"Luffy, you seem unhappy!" Yasopp yelled at the boy.

"Be happy to face anything!" another pirate yelled in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, a pirate's life is great!" Lucky Roo yelled, singing alone.

"The sea is so deep and wide. You can go to any island and seek adventure!" a pirate yelled along with the others.

"Nothing is greater than freedom!" another pirate finished the 'song'. Luffy's eyes widened in excitement.

Shanks let out a long sigh. "Don't give him these dumb ideal, guys."

"But it's the truth," Lucky Roo laughed.

"I can't tell if these pirates are making fun of Luffy," Sanji said.

Shanks turned his attention back towards Luffy. "The most important thing is that you're too young. Wait at least another ten years and I'll reconsider taking you out to sea."

Nami nodded. "Strong or not, it's a terrible idea to take a child to sea."

"Indeed, the sea is not a place for children. Especially on a pirate ship," Brook said. Even in his day, slavery and other crimes against children were common place.

"Dammit Shanks, let me tell you that I'm not a kid anymore!" Luffy yelled angrily.

"Don't be mad," Shanks said kindly as he handed Luffy a glass. "Have some juice."

Luffy happily took the glass, losing all his anger. "Thanks!" He drank the entire glass in one gulp.

Shanks started to laugh so hard that he banged the bar counter with his hand. "You really are a kid! How funny!"

It took Luffy a moment to realize what had happened. "What a dirty trick!"

"I think Shanks likes teasing Luffy-san a little too much," Brook said in amusement.

"I find it funny that he's making fun of Luffy for being a child, while he's acting very childish himself," Nami mummer.

"Why is it childish to drink juice?" Chopper asked. He drank juice all the time.

"It's a human thing," Zoro answered quickly.

Luffy got so frustrated with Shanks that he jumped down from his barstool. "I'm so tired of being teased by Shanks. I even cut myself today and he still won't take me out to sea." He rubbed his still stinging knife wound.

"Luffy, you should try to understand the captain's feelings," Benn said as he sat in one of the corners smoking a pipe. "He knows that being a pirate is interesting, but he also knows that a pirate's life is hard and very dangerous."

Luffy said nothing as he took in Benn's words.

"Do you understand? He doesn't purposely tease your ambitions for being a pirate," Benn said calmly.

Luffy frowned again as he glanced at Shanks. "I don't understand. Shanks just takes me for an idiot!"

As if to prove Luffy's point, Shanks turned towards Luffy and began to laugh at him. "Can't swim!"

"See!" Luffy exclaimed to Benn.

Benn sighed and shook his head.

Most of the Strawhats were chuckling now. Luffy and Shanks were fighting like brothers.

"I think Benn is the only sane one in this group," Nami said once her laughter died down.

"With Shanks as a captain, this crew would be down the tubes without someone with a level head," Sanji said.

Zoro nodded. "That's what a first mate is for."

Makino came walking into the main bar area carrying a large barrel of beer. "Captain, you seem to be happy as always."

Shanks smiled at her. "Yep, making fun of him is my joy."

Luffy growled in annoyance.

"He really is very happy," Benn noted as he sweat-dropped at his captain.

"Luffy, would you like something to eat?" Makino asked, taking note of Luffy's foul mood.

"When Luffy's upset, just offer him food," Sanji mused.

Franky chuckled. "Makino really does knows Luffy too well."

All of Luffy anger and frustration completely disappeared at the mention of food. "Okay, I'll pay with my treasure!" He ran back to the bar counter and grabbed a folk and knife.

Shanks smirked at Luffy. "What treasure? Are you lying?"

"No, I'll definitely become a pirate and pay her with the treasure I find," Luffy said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"That's if he ever stops eating our money," Nami said in frustration.

"Luffy's food tab must be in the millions," Sanji said. "I bet his entire bounty worth would only cover half."

Makino laughed. "I'll be waiting." It was obvious by her tone of voice that she never expected to be paid.

Luffy, however, was too naive to noticed.

Within a few minutes, a plate of food was sat in front of Luffy.

"Do you notice that Luffy doesn't eat as much?" Franky suddenly asked as he pointed to the small portions of food.

"Good point," Robin said as she looked over Luffy's plate. "I have noticed that Luffy eats more reasonable potions, but I assumed it was because he had not eaten his Devil Fruit yet and therefore could not eat as much."

"He also eats other things besides meat too," Sanji also noted. "He just doesn't seem to crave food like he does now."

"Do you think his Devil Fruit has anything to do with that?" Usopp asked.

"I have read that Devil Fruits can have other biological effects besides the powers given to a person," Chopper said with interest. "This is something I should research in the future."

"Shanks?" Luffy asked timidly as he bit into his meat.

"What is it?" Shanks asked as he glanced up from his own meal.

"How long are you going to stay?" Luffy asked.

Shanks thought about the question for a moment. "Well, it has almost been a year since we came here. I plan on setting sail a couple more times, then we'll leave this town and head north."

"Sheesh, I didn't know that Shanks stood in Luffy's town for that long," Franky said.

"Hard to believe that such a powerful crew could go unnoticed for so long," Robin said. "Especially when they made a vice-admiral's hometown their base."

Luffy became depressed when he heard that Shanks was leaving for good soon. "A couple more trips..."

Makino gave Luffy a sympathetic look.

Zoro stared sadly at his captain. He understood why Luffy wanted to go with Shanks so much. Given how the kids treated him in town and how his grandfather practically ignored him, Luffy would be left alone again once Shanks and his crew left.

It sickened him to think how little human contact Luffy had before he met Shanks. Luffy was a very sociable person who required a lot of human contract and interaction. For a lack of better words, Luffy doesn't tend to do well by himself.

At the same time, he couldn't fault Shanks for not taking Luffy out to sea. Luffy was far too young and - dare he say - emotionally fragile to leave his home. He wasn't ready, neither emotionally nor physically, for a pirate's life.

"I'll learn how to swim by the time you leave," Luffy said in determination.

"Yeah, sure, good luck," Shanks said casually.

Once Luffy had finished his plate, he began to look around for any dessert that Makino usually left for him after his meal.

After a few seconds of searching, his eyes came across a strange fruit lying inside a wooden box. He thought it was some new kind of dessert that Makino had bought him, so he carefully took it out and started to eat it.

Sanji took noticed of Luffy eating a strange fruit. He had never seen anything like it before, although it did look somewhat familiar.

"What's that Luffy's eating?" Sanji asked.

By the way Luffy was wincing and his eyes were watering, he didn't seem to like it that much. Luffy, however, had always been a person to finish his meals, no matter how badly it tasted. It was something he had always respected about his captain.

Robin turned to see what Sanji was referring to and her eyes widened for a moment. "That is a Devil Fruit."

This got the rest of the crew's attention.

"Huh, where the hell did he find that thing?" Franky asked.

"So, he ate his Devil Fruit by accident," Usopp said dryly. "Figures."

"Who would put a random Devil Fruit on a bar table, anyway?" Nami asked. "That's like daring someone to eat it."

"I remember when I ate my Devil Fruit," Brook said nostalgically, before he began to scowl. "That was one nasty fruit. I would stick my tongue out in disgust, if I had a tongue."

Chopper and Robin nodded their heads in agreement with Brook. The bitter taste of their Devil Fruits were forever burnt into their taste buds.

At that very moment, the door to the bar was thrown open violently.

"Excuse me!" a gruff voice yelled, getting everyone's attention. No one moved as they looked over their visitors. "Hm, so this is what pirates look like? They look pretty dumb to me."

Franky raised an eyebrow. "Who's this loser?"

Nami crossed her arms. "Looks like a common thug to me."

The man walked into the bar with several other people with him who were wearing white shirts with turbans. The man was quite tall and very lanky. He also had a dirty and disheveled appearance as he tracked dirt into the bar.

"We are bandits," the man said bluntly to Makino as he approached the bar counter. "We're not here to cause any trouble. We just want ten barrels of sake."

Sanji growled. "That's no way to ask a lady for a favor, you filthy shit head."

Makino sweat nervously, but looked directly at the bandit. "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't have any more sake."

The bandit gave Makino an annoyed look. "Oh? And what are they drinking?" he asked as he side-eyed the pirates, who continued to stare at him. "Is it water?"

"No, it's sake," Makino admitted nervously. "But that's all of it."

Shanks looked towards the bandit and gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. It looks like we finished all the sake." He reached across the table and grabbed a bottle. "Here, you can have the last bottle. It's even unopened."

"Aw, that's nice of him. Shanks is truly an honorable man," Brook said.

The bandit gave Shanks a cold glare before he backhanded the sake bottle into Shanks' face, getting sake and glass everywhere. Luffy had to jump from his bar stool to keep from getting soaked.

"What...that wasn't necessary!" Brook yelled.

"Looks like these bandits aren't going to be reasonable," Franky said. He seen those looks too many times. There was going to be bar fight and his money was going to Shanks wiping the floor with all these bandits.

Sanji narrowed his eyes. "If that bastard harms Makino-chan, I'll kick his greasy ass across East Blue."

Everyone on Shanks' crew carefully watched the unfolding events.

"Just who do you think I am? Don't take me lightly!" the bandit growled. "One bottle is not enough."

Shanks didn't move from spot as liquor dripped from his hat.

The bandit suddenly took out a wanted poster and slammed it onto the bar. "See this? My head's worth eight million belli. I'm one of the prime fugitives here and I've killed fifty-six people before you, cocky bastard."

Zoro rolled his eye at the man. How low class, carrying around your own bounty poster like it was a business card.

"Higuma, huh?" Franky said as he looked at the wanted poster. "Is eight million belli considered that high around here?"

"The average bounty in East Blue is three million," Robin stated.

"That low?" Brook asked in surprise.

"East Blue is the weakest of all the seas in the world," Robin explained. "That is why no one from Baroque Works originated from this sea. Zoro would have been the only exception if he had taken the invitation."

"You were invited to join Baroque Works?" Nami asked in surprise.

Zoro shrugged. "Yeah, but that was a long time ago."

Higuma leaned right into Shanks' face. "Now that you know who I am, don't mess with us again. After all, mountain bandits and sea pirates don't mingle well."

After a few moments, Shanks finally lifted his head. Some of the Strawhats expected Shanks to teach the bandit a lesson, but what he did next surprised all of them.

"Oh no, now the floor's all wet," Shanks said in dismay as he got down from his stool and began to clean up the broken glass. "Sorry about that, Makino. Do you have a mop?"

Makino looked just as surprise as the Strawhats. "It...it's alright. I'll clean it up."

"He..." Usopp whispered in admiration.

Higuma glared down at Shanks in annoyance before he took out his sword. Without a word, he broke an entire row of bottles on the counter, spilling more sake on top of Shanks.

Nami was suddenly reminded of the events in Jaya. Was this the reason why Luffy didn't fight back? Was he replicating his hero?

"Since you seem to enjoy cleaning, now you can enjoy doing it more," Higuma sneered. He turned to leave. "Later, you bunch of chickens."

As soon as the bandits left the bar, Makino ran to Shanks' side. "Captain, are you alright?"

Shanks smiled and shrugged off what had happened. "No, I'm fine."

The bar suddenly exploded into laughter.

"Our Boss looked so silly!" Lucky Roo laughed.

"He fixed you good, captain," another one of the pirates teased.

Even Shanks laughed at his own misfortune.

Makino sighed in relief, glad to see that no one was hurt.

Brook stared at Shanks for a moment. "It takes a man of great character not to fight back after being humiliated."

"It would have been a waste of time for Shanks to beat up on a man who's so much weaker than him," Zoro said nonchalantly. "They're simply some fights not worth fighting."

"Still, I kind of wish Shanks done something, even if it was just scare him a little. People like that will just cause trouble later on," Usopp said as he folded his arms.

There was one person, however, who was not amused or impress.

"Why are you laughing!?" Luffy suddenly yelled, getting everyone's attention. The room became completely silent as Luffy stood on his bar stool. His face was pulsing with rage and he was panting heavily. To say that he was piss would have been an understatement. "That was a disgrace! Why didn't you fight back!? So what if they have more people!? Who laughs after getting picked on!? You're not even a man and not a pirate either!"

"Well, that's kind of harsh," Brook said slowly, taken aback by Luffy's rage.

Zoro was completely taken off-guard by the outburst. Those words didn't sound like Luffy at all.

Shanks looked at Luffy a blank stare for a moment before he gave the boy a sympathetic smile. "Look, I know how you feel, but it's just a bottle of sake. There's nothing to get work out about," he explained in a calm voice.

Luffy sneered at him in disgust and jumped off his stool. "I don't want to see you again, coward!" He turned to leave

Shanks firmly grabbed Luffy by his arm. "Oh come on, don't go Luffy..."

Before he could say anything more, Luffy's arm began to stretch like a rubber band. Everyone in the bar was shocked into silence as they watched this happen.

Luffy looked confused for a moment as he realized he wasn't walking anywhere. He turned his head slowly and realized to his horror that his arm had stretched several feet away from Shanks.

"The hell!?" someone finally yelled, breaking the silence within the bar.

"His arm is stretching!" someone else exclaimed.

Shanks looked too dumbfounded to even form words.

"What's happening!?" Luffy exclaimed in pure fear.

Most of the Strawhats felt bad for Luffy, but his face was so cartoony, comical, that they couldn't help but chuckle. Even Zoro had to fight a smirk.

Only Robin and Chopper didn't laugh at the scene. They remembered all too well how they reacted when they discovered their abilities and the devastating effort it had around others.

Robin suspected that the only reason why Brook found this funny was because he was an adult when he ate his Devil Fruit. He mostly likely didn't accidentally eat one either so there were no surprises for him.

"It's gone!" Lucky Roo yelled in horror as he looked into the now empty wooden box. "The Gum Gum Fruit we took from that rival pirate ship is missing!" With ungodly speed that made even Brook's head spin, Lucky Roo quickly drew a sketch of the Devil Fruit. He then held the sketch up to Luffy. "Luffy, did you eat this?"

"Yeah..." Luffy said slowly, still completely freaked out. "Isn't that dessert? It tasted really bad thought..."

Shanks walked up to Luffy and firmly grabbed his shoulders. "That's the Gum Gum Fruit! It's a Devil Fruit and is one of the rarest treasures in the sea! Whoever eats it will turn into a rubberman and will never be able to swim!"

It took Luffy a few seconds to process all of this information. When he finally did, Luffy freaked out completely. "WHAAAAT! You're kidding right!?"

"You idiot!" Shanks screamed at Luffy.

The memory abruptly stopped after that.

"Huh, the memory just stopped," Brook said. "Did Luffy-san lose consciousness again?"

"No, I think it just stop because we have gained all the information we were supposed to gain out of it, although more obviously happened," Robin theorized.

"Although, why did Shanks freak out so badly about Luffy eating a Devil Fruit?" Usopp asked. "I mean, it's not the end of the world being unable to swim."

"I can't say what Shanks' motives are, but I know some pirates in my time saw Devil Fruits as truly evil and wanted nothing to do with them," Brook said.

"Or, he could be someone who truly believes that a Devil Fruit's ability doesn't make up for losing your ability to swim," Zoro said.

Sanji nodded his head in agreement. Other than the Clear Clear Fruit, he had no desire to gain an ability. He still wanted to be able to save Robin-chan if she ever fell into the water.

The new memory appeared from the mist and they were outside on the street. Several people walked by the Strawhats as they took in their surroundings. Up ahead were several kids, playing a game of jacks in the road.

"It's those kids from that soccer game," Usopp pointed out.

Franky crossed his arms in annoyance. "Damn, do we have to see these brats again?"

Luffy was running down the street when the kids spotted him.

"Oh, it's the town's monster," one of the kids muttered in fear.

"Hurry, pick up the jacks before he comes over here," the next kid said softly as they picked up their stuff.

Luffy saw them and smiled happily at them. "Hey, guys!"

All the kids cringed as Luffy ran up to them.

"Why would Luffy want anything to do with them after how they've been treating him?" Sanji asked.

Robin's eyes became downcast, remembering her abusive family. "When you are lonely, you become willing to be with anyone. Even when they abused you."

Chopper nodded in agreement as he recalled how much he wanted the humans in Drum to accept him, even after they had called him a monster and attempted to kill him.

"We told you not to come near us," one of the boys said harshly, although he was shaking in fear.

"Yeah, go hang out with your pirate friends. A monster should stay with monsters," the other boy said.

Luffy looked hurt by the words, but gave a bright smiled. "I just want to show you guys something neat."

The boys looked at Luffy curiously.

Without any prompt, Luffy stretched his cheeks, just like he had always done when showing people his abilities. "Look, I ate a Devil Fruit that makes my body like rubber! I can't get hurt like before!"

The boys stared at Luffy in shock.

Luffy let go of his cheeks and continued to smile. "I can do all sorts of stuff with my ability! It's really cool! So, I was thinking, maybe we can be friends now! I promise, I won't hurt you guys like before. I've gotten a lot better using my strength and my powers makes me even cooler."

The kids continued to stare at Luffy. All the color seemed to drain from their faces.

"Did...Did he just stretch his cheeks...?" one of the kids stuttered as he pointed at Luffy.

One of the boys turned blue in the face and nodded. "Yeah...he stretched...just like a rubber band."

"Yeah, isn't it cool!" Luffy shouted cheerfully, not noticing the pale faces and the trembles of fear. The kids looked at other again before they ran like they had seen a ghost.

"Monster!" one kid screamed.

"No, he's more than a monster! He's a demon!" the other kid shouted.

Luffy attempted to run after them. "Guys wait...I..."

"Stay away from us!" the oldest of the kids yelled fiercely as he stopped running. He stared at Luffy with wide, frightened eyes. It took everything he had to just look at Luffy. "You were already a monster, but now...you're just a freak! Not even human! Stay away from us! There's no place for a thing like you!"

Luffy was frozen in place as if he had been punched in the gut.

The Strawhats glared at the boy who had spoken the harsh words.

"I...I..." Luffy stuttered.

"Go away and leave us alone!" the boy yelled as he ran off with his friends.

Luffy stood alone in the street, looking completely devastated. He looked like he was going to cry right there in the street.

"Those little shits," Sanji growled in anger. What he wouldn't give to chase after those little punks and show them what a monster could really do.

"How could they do that?" Nami asked as her own anger built up. Yeah, Luffy's ability could be scary at first, but no one should be spoken to like that. Like they were something less than human.

"This is a common occurrence to those who eats a Devil Fruit in the Blues and even in parts of the Grand Line," Robin said in a cold voice. "Luffy was already an outcast, but now, with his ability, he has been forever isolated from his peers."

"But Luffy did nothing to deserve that!" Usopp yelled as angry tears welled up in his eyes.

Robin shook her head. "It does not matter. In some places, Devil Fruit users are seen as monsters and freaks. Even here, in the New World, Devil Fruit users frightened people. Look what happened to Toby and what he was willing to do to be accepted."

Chopper was close to tears.

"It doesn't matter. Those kids would have never accepted Luffy with or without a Devil Fruit," Zoro said harshly. "None of them were worthy of his friendship."

"Luffy, are you okay?" a soft voice asked.

The Strawhats saw Makino kneeling down to Luffy's eye level. There were also several other adults surrounding Luffy.

"I saw everything," one of the adults said with a barely contained rage. "Those kids are terrible. I'm going to tell their parents about this."

"How could they speak to Luffy so badly?" another person said in anger.

"Makino..." Luffy muttered as he attempted to wipe his eyes. He didn't really notice the other people.

Makino suddenly embraced Luffy in a tight hug. "It's okay Luffy. Those kids don't know what they're talking about."

Luffy finally lost it and cried onto Makino's shoulder. "Why...why do they hate me? I...I..I didn't mean to hurt them and I thought...my new ability would impress them..."

"I know," Makino said kindly as he rubbed his back. "Some people just can't accept those who are different."

Luffy was silent for a moment. "Am...Am I monster, Makino?"

Makino pulled Luffy away from her and stared harshly at him. "Luffy, don't ever believe such words. It's not what you are that makes you a monster. It's your heart."

Luffy attempted to keep himself from crying.

"Yeah, and besides, even if you were a monster, you're our monster! Just like Garp!" one of the people yelled.

"So cheer up, it's not like you to be sad," a young woman said in a gentle voice.

Everyone nodded in agreement as Luffy looked teary eyed at them.

"Hey, Luffy, how about you come over to my house for dinner?" a man suggested with a wide smile. "My family is having fish and we can fix you some meat on the side."

"You can spend the night at my house if you want. I won't tell Garp," a woman said with smile.

Luffy gave a small sniff as he took in their kind words.

Makino pushed the bangs from Luffy's face. "Why don't you come to the Party Bar and I'll treat you? I'll make your favorite."

Luffy said nothing for a moment before he silently nodded.

Makino took his hand and led him away from the crowd. "By the way, Luffy, I don't think your new powers are scary at all. I think they're cute, actually."

Luffy looked slightly annoyed, losing some of his sadness. "My powers aren't cute. They're cool."

Makino chuckled. "If you say so, Luffy."

As the two walked away, the memory dissipated into the mist.

"Makino is such a sweet woman," Chopper whispered.

"Yeah, she is," Usopp said somberly, still saddened by what he had seen.

"It wasn't just Miss Makino, but the entire town," Brook said as tears ran down his face. "Everyone surrounded Luffy and attempted to cheer him up. To show him that he wasn't alone."

"Even so, how did Luffy keep being cheerful through all of this?" Nami asked, mostly to herself.

"From what I have seen, it was mixture of his grandfather, Shanks, Makino, and certain people within the village that kept him from feeling completely isolated. It just seems to be the children in the village who will not accept him," Brook said.

The Strawhats nodded in agreement with the musician as the new scene appeared and they were once again inside the Party Bar.

"We're in this place again?" Zoro asked, annoyed. "Can't Luffy's memory take us somewhere else?" If he couldn't drink, then he didn't want to be in a bar.

Luffy was sitting in his favorite bar stool looking quite down. He was playing lazily with an empty glass while Makino watched him.

"They've been gone for a while now," Makino said as she absently cleaned a glass. "Do you feel lonely, Luffy?"

Luffy gritted his teeth in anger. "No, I haven't forgiven them for the bandits incident." He tipped his glassed over and began to roll it around the counter. "I overestimated him. I thought he was a tough pirate. What a disappointment."

"He's still sore about that?" Usopp asked in surprise.

"Really, I thought people who could laugh it off after being bullied are pretty brave," Makino said.

"Once again, Makino speaks the truth," Nami said with a nod.

"That's because you don't understand," Luffy complained in annoyance. "There are times when a man should fight back."

"And over spilled sake isn't one of them," Zoro said, barely hiding his disappointment in Luffy. Even if Luffy was just a kid here, he expected better from him. He was thankful that this side of personality dissipated by the time he met him.

Makino chuckled and smiled. "Oh, I guess I don't know anything then."

Luffy snorted as he continued to play with his empty glass. The boy looked miserable. Despite him being angry at Shanks, it was obvious that he missed the pirates greatly.

Undoubtedly, Luffy felt even more alone now given that his new ability had made his social life even worse among his peers. While he was feared before, he was now downright despised. He wasn't just a monster to them now. He was demon with the power of the devil.

It took everything Chopper had not to run and hug his captain.

"Excuse me," an all too familiar gruff voice said.

Luffy turned around and froze in fear for a moment when he saw the mountain bandits.

"Great, that shit head is back," Sanji growled in annoyance.

"Well, looks like the pirates aren't here today. It sure is quiet," Higuma said with a smirk on his face.

Makino smiled kindly at them as the bandit took their seats.

"What are you waiting for? We're customers," Higuma said before he slammed his sword onto the table. "Bring us some sake!"

Sanji sneered. "Don't talk to a lady like that, you uncouth pile of shit."

Makino quickly rushed to attend to the bandits while Luffy watched them carefully. He hated being in the same room as those dirty baboons, but he didn't want to leave Makino by herself.

Within the span of a few minutes, all the bandits were served their liquor and the room quickly became loud as the bandits got more intoxicated. Makino tended to Luffy again to keep his mind off the bandits.

"Did you see the looks on those pirates' faces!" one of the bandits suddenly yelled, catching Luffy's attention.

The other bandits started to laugh.

"That fool got dowsed in sake and didn't even do anything!" another bandit yelled in amusement. "How pathetic."

"Pirates are a bunch of cowards. I wanted to kill that little bastard," Higuma laughed cruelly as he drunk his sake. "They're all talk and no action."

Luffy felt his anger rise as he listened to the bandits badmouth Shanks.

Makino recognized the look on Luffy's face all too well. By the time she tried to act to stop him, it was too late.

Luffy stood up on his stool and faced the bandit. "SHUT UP!"

The entire bar went quiet as the bandits looked at Luffy.

"Stop making fun of Shanks you dumb baboons!" Luffy yelled.

"Didn't know Luffy could name call," Usopp said, remembering how much he sucked at insulting Zoro.

"Wasn't Luffy saying pretty much the same thing about Shanks just a few minutes ago?" Franky asked, somewhat amused.

"Well, you insulting someone you respect is different from a stranger doing the same thing," Robin observed.

Franky nodded in understanding. Although he mocked and teased Iceberg all the time, he would break someone's jaw if a stranger did the same.

"Should Luffy really be mouthing off to those bandits?" Chopper asked worriedly.

"Most likely not," Zoro answered. Luffy's mouth was quickly getting him into trouble. Luffy, as this little kid, stood no chance against these kinds of thugs, natural strength or not.

Higuma slowly stood up from his chair and walked slowly over towards Luffy. "What did you call me, kid?"

Luffy looked him straight in the eye with no trace of fear. "I called you a dumb baboon."

Everyone could see the vain popping out on Higuma's head. "I thought as much." Before Luffy could react, Higuma grabbed him firmly by his throat. Luffy gasped for air as the bandit tightened his grip. "You have a big mouth kid. And I hate big mouthed people."

Luffy attempted to speak, but he couldn't get enough air into his lungs to form words.

"Let Luffy go! He didn't mean what he said!" Makino yelled as she attempted to help Luffy. Higuma rewarded her with a backhand to her cheek, knocking her down.

"ThAT BASTARD!" Sanji roared in rage as he attempted to kick Higuma in the head. "How dare he hit a lady!" All his kicks, however, passed right through the bandit.

"Sanji, this is a memory," Robin gently reminded him. "We cannot affect anything we see here."

Sanji stopped his futile attack. "Dammit!"

"Anyway, I think you need a lesson in manners, kid," Higuma said with an evil grin as he carried Luffy outside. His bandit cronies followed shortly behind him. They all had bloodlust in their eyes.

They carried Luffy until they were in the middle of the village. Once there, Higuma unceremoniously dropped Luffy to the ground.

"Now apologize, kid, and I just might forgive you," Higuma said with a smirk.

Luffy turned around and glared defiantly at the bandit. "No, you should apologize! Apologize for making fun of Shanks!"

"Are you still running that mouth?" Higuma sneered. With warning, Higuma kicked Luffy in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

This act was like blood in the water for the other bandits and they all began to brutally beat Luffy. At least, they attempted to. All their attacks bounced off of Luffy's body.

"Those cowards! Ganging up on a little kid like that!" Usopp yelled in outrage.

"If he was not a rubberman, they would have broken his bones by now," Robin remarked off-handily.

Chopper screamed at the thought.

Higuma was the first person to notice that their attacks were not working. "What an interesting body." He kicked Luffy in the head. The kick made Luffy's head snapped back, but it did no visible damage. "Yep, seems like kicking and punching won't do any harm to it."

Luffy quickly stood up and attempted to attack the bandit. Higuma stopped the boy by picking him up by his cheek, dangling Luffy in the air.

"Dammit, you better apologize to me!" Luffy yelled as he attempted to punch Higuma in the face.

Higuma easily avoided the reckless punch by holding his arm out, putting himself beyond Luffy's reach. Luffy was still too inexperience with his ability to realize that he could stretch his arm using a snap motion.

"Oh, a rubberman. Who would have thought that such a thing existed in the world?" Higuma mused as he lifted Luffy up further and slammed him into the ground using his cheek.

"Dammit," Luffy cursed as he picked himself off the ground. "You'll be sorry for this!"

"A different type of human," Higuma continued musing as he rubbed his chin. "If I sell him to a circus, I could get a lot of money."

Nami inwardly cringed at the thought of someone being sold.

Franky also growled at the thought of their captain being sold by this jackass.

Luffy growled at Higuma as he picked up a wooden stick from the ground and rushed the bandit, attempting to break his kneecaps.

Higuma casually put his foot up, stopping Luffy in mid-step. "What a strong brat!" He kicked Luffy in the face, knocking him down again. To make sure Luffy couldn't get back up, Higuma stepped on Luffy's face, grinding him into the dirt.

"This fight is brutal," Chopper said as he winced at seeing Luffy being beaten this badly by a simple thug.

It was rare to see Luffy outmatched in any battle outside one of the world's superpowers. Even if Luffy was just a kid in this memory, it was hard seeing him as anything but that strong man that had saved his life countless times.

"Can't say he didn't have this coming to an extent," Zoro said coldly.

"Zoro," Nami hissed.

"It was Luffy's own mouth that caused this problem. He allowed petty words to provoke him into a needless fight that he couldn't win," Zoro said.

"Even if you're right, he's still a kid!" Nami exclaimed. "I mean, what were you like at his age?"

Zoro chose not to answer. Whether he liked it or not, he was very similar to Luffy in this way when he was younger. The biggest difference was that he had Kuina to beat some humility into him.

"We were just having a good time," Higuma said casually. "Did we say something that pissed you off?"

"Yes you did! Apologize now, dammit!" Luffy screamed as he attempted to push Higuma's foot off his head.

Higuma responded by putting more pressure on Luffy's head.

"Move your damn foot, you damn bandit!" Luffy continued to yell.

"Man, Luffy was a foul mouthed little boy," Franky said in slight amusement.

"Let the child go!" someone yelled.

Luffy looked up to see Woop Slap running into the square. The entire area was surrounded by people watching the beating. Makino was right beside him with a look of concern on her face. Woop Slap looked at Luffy for a moment before he fell to his knees before Higuma, stunning Luffy.

"Please, I don't know what Luffy has done and I don't want to argue with you, but I'm willing to pay! So please, let the child go!" Woop Slap begged.

"Mayor..." Luffy whispered.

Higuma smirked at Woop Slap. "As one would expect, it's the elders who know the proper way to deal with this situation." He then sneered at Woop Slap. "But it's too late. You can't save this little brat now. Because he really makes me angry."

He crushed Luffy into the ground harder, making Luffy grunt in pain.

"When a weakling like him insults me, it makes me so angry!" Higuma growled.

"It's your own fault, you dumb baboon!" Luffy yelled.

"Huh, and I thought Luffy could be foul tempered before," Sanji said as he watched the scene. Either Luffy didn't know he was about to be killed or he didn't care.

Higuma finally lost his patience with Luffy and took out his sword. "Fine, I won't sell you. I'll kill you instead."

Brook growled as he reached for his sword. "You dishonorable man! What kind of person kills a defenseless child!?"

Sanji also growled in frustration. "No matter how upset we get over this, we can't change anything."

Robin nodded. "This is only memory."

Woop Slap grasped in horror. "Please, don't!"

"Luffy!" Makino screamed, she was closed to tears.

There were several protests that rose from the crowd, but they could do nothing to stop the bandits.

"I'd wondered why no one welcomed us at the port," a familiar voice said. Everyone turned to see that Shanks had suddenly appeared. "Hey, you guys are the bandits from the other day." He glanced down at Luffy and smiled in amusement. "Luffy, what's wrong? Aren't your punches as strong as a pistol?"

Luffy growled at Shanks. He looked more embarrassed than angry. "...Shut up!"

Chopper sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. Shanks' here."

Zoro smirked. "Looks like the real show is about to begin."

Higuma sneered at Shanks. "Pirate, why are you still here? Are you going to clean up the whole town this time?"

Shanks ignored the sly remark and began to walk towards the bandit.

"I suggest you leave right now," Higuma warned. "If you get any closer, I might have to open fire, coward."

Shanks kept walking until one of the bandits pointed a gun at his head.

"You heard him! You were told not to get any closer," one of the bandits said. He laughed at Shanks as he cocked his pistol. "Do you want to be shot?"

The other bandits joined in the laughter.

"Now that you have drawn your pistol, are you willing to use it?" Shanks asked in a calm voice.

The questioned caught Usopp by surprise. Those were the same words Luffy used to intimidate him when they first met. Zoro and Nami also got the joke and snickered a little, confusing their other crewmates.

The bandit looked equally unnerved by Shanks' words. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm saying that guns are not for threats, they're for action," Shanks explained calmly.

Before the bandit could contemplate those words he was shot point blank by Lucky Roo in the head, while he continued to eat a piece of meat, no less.

Sanji blinked several times. "Where the hell did he come from?"

Even Zoro looked surprised. "No idea. He wasn't there a moment ago."

"What speed. I didn't detect him at all," Brook said in awe.

Everyone else in the memory was stunned into silence, including Luffy.

"N...now you've done it, bastard!" a bandit yelled, enraged.

"That was dirty!" another bandit roared as Shanks' entire crew lined up behind him.

All the Red-Hair Pirates looked visibly pissed and glared at each of the bandits. They looked nothing like the crew who got drunk and threw parties all the time while singing. For the Strawhats, it looked like them when one of their members had been hurt.

"Dirty? Don't make us laugh," Yasopp scoffed coldly. It was a tone that Usopp had never heard from his father. He really seemed like a pirate.

"Do you think we're saints or something?" Benn asked nonchalantly.

"The people standing before you are pirates," Shanks said proudly.

"Shut up, this is none of your business!" a bandit screamed.

"Listen well, bandits, you can throw food, spill sake on me, or even spit on me, I can laugh it off," Shanks said calmly before he glared intently at the bandits. It reminded all the Strawhats of Luffy when he was especially pissed off. "But if you hurt a friend of mine, you'll pay for it regardless of your reasons."

Luffy's face was filled with several emotions as he stared at his idol.

Higuma laughed at Shanks. "We're going to pay!?" He returned Shanks' glare with one of his own. "Lousy pirates! Killed them all, men!"

The bandits gave a loud battle cry as they ran towards the Red-Hair Pirates.

Benn casually walked towards the charging bandit. "Let me deal with this. I can take them all myself."

Benn took out his gun and, without even firing a single shot, he beat all the bandits with using only the butt end of it. The 'fight' lasted less than five seconds.

"Don't overestimate yourselves, bandits," Benn said coldly as he pointed his gun at Higuma and put his foot on one of the unconscious bandits. "If you want to fight us, you need to bring a battleship or something bigger."

Zoro chuckled. "I doubt even a battleship would do much."

Luffy and the other villagers were left awestruck by the display of strength.

Higuma completely lost his previous composure and began to sweat bullets. Only now did he realize the true strength of the pirates.

Zoro watched the man shiver with more than a little satisfaction. As he thought, this bandit was just a dog with no teeth. A coward who bullied people weaker than himself.

"Wa...Wait a minute! This little brat challenged us!" Higuma yelled, attempting to justify his actions.

"It doesn't matter," Shanks said coldly. "Besides, isn't there a reward on your head?"

Higuma backed away from Shanks. His face turned to panic as he suddenly tossed a smoke bomb onto the ground. The smoke quickly covered everything, making it impossible to see.

"A smoke bomb!?" Sanji exclaimed in surprise.

"He was more prepared than I thought," Robin mused.

While the smoke blinded everyone, Higuma quickly grabbed Luffy by his shirt. "You're coming with me, brat!"

"Dammit, let me go!" Luffy yelled in protest as he was dragged out of town by the bandit.

"That's bastard taking Luffy!" Franky yelled.

"Who knows what that guy is going to do to him!" Usopp yelled in panic.

Before the Strawhats could follow after them, the scene quickly changed and they were now standing on the sea.

"What the hell!?" Usopp exclaimed in shock. "How are we on water!?"

Chopper screamed in fright and immediately jumped onto Zoro's head, blinding the swordsman.

"Since we are not part of the memory, it appears we can break the laws of physics," Robin observed as she tapped her foot on the water. It was as solid as the ground.

"Look over there!" Brook yelled as he pointed to something in the distance.

Several feet away from them was a boat rocking in the water. The Strawhats quickly recognized the figure as Higuma. In his hand was Luffy, struggling in the man's grip.

"How the hell did he find a boat so fast?" Sanji asked.

"What I want to know is why would a bandit go on the water of all things?" Franky asked. "Doesn't he know the danger?"

Zoro finally managed to pry Chopper off his face. "Dammit Chopper, are you trying to kill me!?"

Higuma's laugher quickly got the Strawhats attention. "Looks like I got away. Who would think a bandit would escape on a boat?"

"Probably those who think you have some sense," Franky answered.

"Well, I only used you as a hostage, but now you're worthless to me," Higuma said ruthless as his cocky grin returned. "I've killed fifty-six people before you, you know?"

"Go to hell!" Luffy yelled as he attempted to punch Higuma one last time. The bandit continued to laugh at him as his punch missed. "You said that they were cowards! But you didn't even have the guts to fight them!"

Higuma laughed at Luffy as he threw the boy into the water.

Luffy hit the water with a splash, but he quickly re-emerged and started to splash around like a dying fish.

"Huh, how is Luffy staying afloat?" Chopper asked. "He should be completely paralyzed."

"I think...could it be that since he has only eaten his Devil Fruit recently that it has not fully integrated into his body?" Robin asked herself.

"Or, it could be pure primal fear keeping him going," Brook said as he looked at the current events in dismay.

He could see the pure terror on Luffy's face. It looked like it took everything the boy had to keep himself from drowning. Higuma's sadistic laugh echoing through the air did nothing to calm Brook as he gripped his cane. He dearly wanted to cut that man apart.

Just as those dark thoughts passed through Brook's head, a giant shadow appeared behind Higuma. The mountain bandit stopped laughing as the shadow emerged and turned around. He was staring right in the face of a giant eel sea king.

"Wh…where the hell did that come from!?" Higuma yelled in complete terror.

Franky couldn't help but smile. "That's why you shouldn't go out to sea, stupid bandit."

Higuma couldn't do anything but screamed as he was swallowed whole by the sea king.

Before the Strawhats could be happy about the poetic justice, the sea king quickly took notice of Luffy, who was still splashing helpless in the water.

Luffy was near tears as he fought to move out of the way, but it took everything he had just to keep his head above water.

The sea king went back into the water, but everyone knew it was coming back for the kill.

"Som...Someone...somebody...help me!" Luffy screamed in panic.

None of the Strawhats had ever heard that desperate tone in Luffy's voice before.

Just as he screamed for help, the sea king came out of the water, ready to eat Luffy whole. The Strawhats could actually see into the sea king's mouth and Luffy closed his eyes, waiting for death to come.

The Strawhats saw the sea king's jaw close and blood came pouring into the water.

"What..." Sanji asked in shock. Did Luffy just get eating?

"Look!" Nami yelled as she pointed to the water.

The Strawhats saw a figure in the water holding Luffy as the sea king passed by them.

"Shanks!" most of the Strawhats yelled.

The sea king turned around, seeing it had missed its prey. The sea king, however, suddenly became frozen in fear as Shanks glared at it.

"Get lost," Shanks hissed.

The sea king shivered for a moment before it submerged into the water again. This time, it didn't come back.

"Was that Haki?" Chopper asked. It was just like Luffy on Fishman Island when he got that sea monster to submit to him without throwing a single punch.

Zoro nodded, not really surprise. "That was definitely the Conquering King Haki. The same one Luffy has. So, Shanks has it as well."

"Guess it shouldn't be too surprising," Sanji said, relieved that Luffy was saved. Even if it was a foregone conclusion, that was too close for comfort.

They heard Luffy beginning to sob uncontrollably in the distance. Blood was still dripped into the water, but it wasn't Luffy's

"Makino told me what happened. Thank you for sticking up for us, Luffy," Shanks said in a gentle voice.

Luffy's sobs became even worse.

"Come on, don't cry now," Shanks continued to comfort Luffy.

"But Shanks...your...YOUR ARM!" Luffy screamed.

For the first time, all the Strawhats could see the damage. Shanks' entire left arm up to his shoulder was bitten off. Most of the crew was reminded of Rayleigh when he talked about Shanks returning to the Grand Line missing an arm. Now, they knew why.

For Sanji, however, it was reminded him of his own father figure giving up his leg to save his life. It seemed Luffy understood him more than he had given him credit for.

"It's nothing, it's just an arm," Shanks assured with a smile, not sorry at all for the loss. "I'm just glad you're alright."

Luffy continued to cry into Shanks' chest as they floated in the water.

"That...that is badass," Franky said, nearing tears himself. "He loses his entire arm and shrugs it off like it was nothing."

"He doesn't even look like he's in pain," Usopp mumbled in awe. His father truly followed a great man.

Zoro nodded in agreement. His respect for the red-haired pirate was beyond measure now. This man was truly worthy of being Luffy's idol.

The scene changed and the Strawhats were back on dry land. They were standing in the harbor near the town.

"You're really leaving this time?" Luffy asked Shanks.

Shanks had his black cape back on, but this time the cape was used to cover his armless left side. "Yeah, we've been here long enough. It's about time we moved on." He glanced down at Luffy. "Are you upset?"

"Yeah," Luffy answered honestly. There was a note of sadness in his voice as he gave a wide smile, "But I won't force you to take me with you. I'll become a pirate myself."

Shanks, being the mature adult that he was, stuck his tongue out at Luffy. "I wouldn't have taken you even if you had begged. You don't have what it takes to become a pirate."

Nami sighed. "He just had to get that last dig in."

This earned a low growl from Luffy. "Yes I do! One day, I'll find myself a crew that is as strong as yours! And then, I'll find the world's biggest treasure and become the Pirate King!"

The Strawhats looked at Luffy in mild surprise. They didn't expect to hear Luffy's dream in the form of a childish outburst. Really, it didn't sound that spectacular at all given the way Luffy said it. It came out like a child threatening to run away from home.

"Oh, you're going to surpass us?" Shanks asked in good humor. His face suddenly became serious. "In that case..." He reached for his strawhat and with a simple gesture; he gently placed the hat on Luffy's head, stunning the boy. "I'll leave this hat to you. It means more to me than anything else in the world, so you better take care of it."

Luffy just stood there dumbfounded as he felt the weight of Shanks' hat on his head. This hat was Shanks' treasure. He let no one touch it, not even his own crew. But he... Luffy felt tears beginning to burn his eyes as the full implication of what Shanks did hit him.

Shanks leaned down to whisper something else into his ear. "I want you to return this hat to me, in good condition," he said softly. "And only after you've become a great pirate. That's our promise, Luffy."

Luffy could only nod before Shanks pulled away from him and walked towards his ship. Luffy couldn't turn his eyes away, even when Makino came to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Pull up the anchor and set sail!" someone from Shanks' ship yelled.

As the sails came up, Shanks' ship slowly began to disappear into the distance. Luffy didn't move from his spot until they were completely out of sight. The whole time, he held the precious strawhat in his hands.


	6. Ace and Sabo

Soon, the scene of the port faded from the Strawhats and they now stood in what appeared to be a thick forest. The sounds of wildlife surrounded the small pirate crew, but they paid little attention to it.

"So, that's how Luffy got his strawhat," Franky said, near tears. "That was so beautiful. A true vow between men. Dammit, these memories are trying to make me cry."

"I never would have guessed that hat was just as important to Shanks," Nami mused. "For him to part with such a precious treasure, he must have had unwavering faith in Luffy." No wonder Luffy fought so hard to keep his precious hat safe.

"I can't wait to meet Shanks for real!" Chopper exclaimed excitedly.

Usopp nodded eagerly. "Me too! I mean, I always knew Shanks was awesome, but after this, there's no comparison. No wonder dad sails by his side! He's a true pirate!"

"But first, we need to save our captain. Otherwise, the only thing we'll return to Shanks is his hat," Zoro said as he looked around the forest.

Truth of the matter, he was becoming more uncomfortable seeing so many of Luffy's private memories. He did want to learn more about Luffy, but not like this. Still, they needed all this information to help Luffy. He didn't trust that ball of light, but it was all they had to go on at the moment.

Zoro's thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of someone yelling.

"Like I said, grandpa...I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

The Strawhats turned around to see Garp walking down the forest with Luffy in tow. Unlike the last time they saw this similar scene, Garp was actually carrying Luffy by his cheek. Being now made of rubber, Luffy bounced and dangled helplessly in his grandfather's grip. He was obviously in pain by the way his eyes winced.

Garp lifted Luffy to his eye level and began to yell at him. "What do you mean, Pirate King!?"

Without even waiting for an answer, he continued to carry Luffy deeper into the forest.

"L...Let me go, dammit!" Luffy screamed in anguish.

"Well, Garp is as abusive as ever," Sanji said dryly. Really, did Garp have to use his Haki to subdue Luffy?

Garp was making some of the stuff he had survived under that shitty geezer look tame. The fact that Garp didn't seem to know how much he was hurting Luffy made things even more bizarre.

"Not only did you eat that Devil Fruit, but now you're spouting this nonsense as well," Garp growled in annoyance. As he was saying this, Luffy was repeatedly hitting his grandfather's knee, trying desperately to free himself. "Luffy, both you and Ace are destined to be great marines!"

"You know, Luffy may never have even been encouraged to become a pirate if his grandfather was around more," Franky observed.

"I think that is the irony here," Robin chuckled.

"At the very least, Shanks wouldn't have been able to live in Garp's home village for over a year," Nami said dryly.

"Dammit..." Luffy moaned. "I'm made of rubber, so why does this hurt!? Please let go, grandpa!"

"Leaving you in the peaceful Foosha Village was a mistake," Garp said, paying no attention to Luffy. "Of all things, Pirate King!?"

"Yeah, leaving a little boy by himself in a village to fend for himself while his guardian is gone for a year or more clearly wasn't tough enough," Nami said in a deadpan voice.

Her feelings for Garp were becoming colder. She could tell that Garp truly loved his grandson and only wanted what was best for him. At the same time, however, his abusiveness towards Luffy was getting too much to bear. There were ways to encourage a child without scarring them for life.

"You imbecile!" Garp continued to rant, not noticing that Luffy had latched onto a tree. "Becoming friends with that damn Red Hair Shanks is completely unacceptable!"

Garp kept walking, causing Luffy's arms and cheek to stretch beyond their limits. After Garp had walked a couple more feet, the tree that Luffy had grabbed started to uproot. Within seconds, the tree was completely pulled from the ground and Luffy snapped back towards his grandfather.

Garp didn't know what hit him when the tree came slamming into his back. Despite being caught off-guard, Garp managed to easily stay on his feet. Instead, it was the tree that broke in half like it was a fragile toothpick.

"I'm going to become as strong as Shanks!" Luffy proclaimed proudly. Taking no noticed of the damage he had done.

"He uprooted an entire tree like it was nothing!" Usopp exclaimed in shock.

"Well, he did break a kid's leg and gave another one a concussion when he was barely four," Robin observed. "Luffy has a lot of natural strength. He only appeared weak while fighting the bandits because he is unskilled and cannot control his power."

"Still, Luffy's grandfather got hit by a tree and hardly felt it," Chopper said in awe.

Nami nodded. "Luffy's entire family is a group of monsters."

Garp and Luffy continued their trek through the forest. This time, Garp allowed Luffy to walk on his own. Luffy couldn't run away anyway since he had no clue where he was.

After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at a large and somewhat ramshackle house that was settled near the edge of the forest. Laundry could be seen swinging in the wind and the entire area had a homely feel to it.

Zoro looked around the area in mild interest. "Who lives here? A hermit?"

"Hm, the roof needs to be replace," Franky noted when saw that the roof was in disrepair. He had to fight the urge not to fix it.

Garp banged loudly on the wooden door while Luffy looked around in curiosity at his new surroundings.

"What is this place?" Luffy asked before he started to run around.

The door suddenly flew open and a large woman with bright orange hair came charging out. She looked more than a little pissed.

"So annoying! Who's the reckless daredevil..." she started to rant.

"It's me," Garp said calmly.

The woman suddenly lost all her previous anger when she saw Garp. She jumped away in terror as all the color drained from her face. "Ga..Garp!"

In that same moment, two other people came running out of the house. One was a short man with a turban and the other was a man that had a headpiece that made him look like a chicken. Overall, they were a strange bunch.

"You seem to be doing well," Garp said casually.

"You've got to be kidding me," the woman said, still in a state of shock. "Seriously, I wish you'd just leave us alone. That Ace is already ten years old, you know!"

"Oh, so Ace lives here," Sanji said as he recalled Ace's story. "Then, that woman must be Dadan, Luffy and Ace's adoptive mother."

"So that's Dadan," Franky said as he tilted his head. "That's one ugly woman."

"Well, she's definitely not what I would expect Luffy's mother to look like," Usopp said. "I thought she was a man for a second."

Sanji snorted. "Ugly or not, there's no mistaken a woman for a man."

While this was happening, Luffy was running around the area, playing.

"Is he?" Garp asked with pride in his voice. "Has it really been that long? How's he doing?"

"Looks like he doesn't visit Ace that often either if he doesn't even know how old he is," Sanji noted dryly.

"It's nothing to laugh at!" the man with the turban exclaimed. "If he gets any wilder, we won't be able to control him at all. Just take him with you!"

"Wilder, Ace?" Chopper asked in confusion.

Nami frowned. "That certainly doesn't sound like Ace. He was always calm, except when Luffy's in trouble."

"Anyway," Garp started to say, not taking any notice of the man's words.

"Don't change the subject!" the turban wearing man yelled in annoyance.

Luffy ran past the group of adults, squealing the entire time in delight. He was enjoying the freedom of the open area. For most of the Strawhats, the scene was rather cute.

"Sheesh, that kid's so distracting!" Dadan exclaimed in annoyance as Luffy ran past her for the fifth time.

Without even looking, Garp grabbed Luffy by his shirt and lifted him up. "Take care of him too," he ordered like he was asking someone to deliver a letter for him. Dadan was dumbfounded to hear this and could only stare blankly at Garp.

"Luffy really takes after his grandpa. Both of them are blunt and inconsiderate to others," Nami said in a dry voice.

The other Strawhats nodded in agreement.

"Now, come on, Luffy. Say hello," Garp encouraged.

Luffy, for his part, looked unhappy about being picked up like a stray dog. Nonetheless, he lifted up one of his hands in greeting. "Yo."

"Who's that kid?" the man with the chicken headgear asked.

"He's my grandson," Garp answered nonchalantly.

Dadan's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head.

"WHAT!?" all the bandits screamed in shock and disbelief.

"We have to take another one!?" the man in the turban screamed.

"Garp...I mean...Garp's grandson...!?" Dadan babbled in shock.

"They act like they got settled with a demon spawn," Usopp muttered.

"Can you really blame them? Luffy is a handful as a teenager. I'm certain he's much worse as a child," Nami said. She shivered at the thought. Luffy was one of those kids that made you never want to have another child.

Zoro sighed. "So true."

"Not happening!" Dadan screamed defiantly.

Garp crossed his arms and glared at each of them. "Well, you have to make a decision." He dropped Luffy back to the ground, allowing him to run off. "Do you want to spend your life behind bars, or will you raise him?"

Dadan could only glare at Garp.

"I've turned a blind eye so far, but you've committed as many crimes as there are stars in the sky," Garp said before he began to laugh in good natural.

"Blackmailing a bunch of bandits to raise his grandson," Zoro muttered in disbelief. He found this eerily similar to how Luffy recruited him.

"Yeah, Garp is really keeping it classy," Sanji said in a deadpan voice. The more he watched Garp, the more he realized how sane Luffy was by comparison.

"Even though Ace-san told us this story, it's completely different seeing it all play out," Brook said. He wasn't sure if he should pity Luffy or Dadan.

Luffy was standing some distance away, picking his nose out of boredom. He had already gotten tired with running around.

"Well, true, I don't want to go to prison," the chicken bandit said honestly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"But sometimes prison actually seems tempting," the bandit with the turban muttered. "Our hands are full with just Ace."

"And now you want us to take your grandson too..." Dadan said in frustration.

"How bad can Ace be?" Chopper asked. The disdain in their voices about Ace unnerved the young reindeer.

"I'm sure that kid's just as much of a monster, isn't he?" Dadan questioned, although she already knew the answer.

"Can't argue that," Nami said with a shrugged.

Although, she didn't like Dadan referring to Luffy as a monster. It wasn't the word itself that put her off, since she called Luffy a monster all the time, but the tone. Dadan used the word monster the same way those kids back in Foosha did.

Luffy looked over Dadan's house and winked his nose. "What a crappy looking mountain hut!"

This made some within the crew snicker.

"You want to die, brat!?" Dadan yelled angrily at the boy.

Luffy stopped listening again when he noticed a butterfly flutter past him. He immediately began to chase it.

"He's not listening!" Dadan yelled in distress, causing most of the Strawhats to laugh. Some things about Luffy would never change. He still had the attention span of a goldfish.

As Luffy chased after the butterfly, he felt something wet and slimy hit him on the cheek, stopping him in his tracks.

Luffy slowly wiped his cheek and cringed at what he saw. "It's spit! Nasty!" He fanatically look around for the source of the spit. "Who did that!?" After searching for a moment, he saw a figure sitting on a large rock.

The Strawhats followed Luffy's line of sight and they saw the figure as well.

"Hey, you!" Luffy yelled as he approached the stranger. "Apologize, that's gross!"

Garp took noticed of the commotion and walked towards his grandson. "Oh, Ace!"

"You're back, Ace!?" the chicken bandit exclaimed.

"That's Ace?" Chopper asked as he got a good look at the figure. Almost immediately, the young doctor felt his fur stand on end.

The boy looked like a miniature version of Luffy's brother, but he looked a lot meaner and colder. He had a constant frown on his face and he held a metal pipe covered in dried blood and dirt. The most unnerving thing about him, however, were his eyes. They were filled with a deep seeded anger and hate, making him look much older than he was. He looked almost tortured in a way.

"He...he looks so cold," Usopp whispered. He looked nothing like the man they met back in Alabaster and in Luffy's Dream World. He really looked like a monster.

"What happened to him?" Brook asked. Seeing such icy dead eyes on a young child wasn't natural.

Robin frowned when she looked over Ace. For some reason, it was like she was looking into a mirror of herself from a couple years ago.

Luffy paid no attention to any of this. "Hey, apologize!"

Ace just continued to glare at him.

"Luffy, this is Ace," Garp said when he got close to Luffy, taking no notice of the tension between the two boys. "He's three years older than you. Starting today, you'll be living with these people."

"You just decided that by yourself!?" Dadan screamed in the background.

"Yep, exactly like his granddad," Nami mumbled as she sweat-dropped.

Luffy growled at Ace, who continued to scowl coldly at him.

The trance was broken for a moment when Garp firmly slapped Luffy on the head, causing him to wince in pain as his hat fell off. "Try to get along!"

"You think this settles this!" Dadan yelled.

Garp turned around and gave Dadan a sadistic glare. "What?"

Dadan and the other bandits immediately backed down. "We'll take care of them."

"That ended without incident," Zoro mused.

Usopp sighed. "Just like with Luffy, there's no point in saying 'no'."

"Then my business here is done," Garp said as he turned to leave. "I'll come to visit when I have the time." He gave a casual wave as he disappeared into the forest.

"He just dumps his grandchild with a bunch of bandits and leaves?" Nami asked in disbelief. Really, what was wrong with that man?

Franky shook his head. "And he wonders why Luffy wants to be a pirate."

Luffy didn't seem to care that his grandfather left as he went back to glaring angrily at Ace, who continued to look down his nose at the younger boy.

Zoro watched his captain carefully. He wanted to see what Luffy would do.

After a few seconds, Ace gracefully jumped down from the rock he was sitting on and walked towards the house. The entire time, he completely ignored Luffy.

"Hey, apologize!" Luffy yelled again when Ace walked past him. Luffy growled in annoyance as he slammed his strawhat back onto his head. He looked ready to fight Ace. "Wait!" he yelled before suddenly stopping.

The Strawhats watched in curiosity as Luffy's face became blank, as if he was remembering something important. Within seconds, all the anger had vanished from Luffy's face as he wiped the remaining spit from his cheek. Without another word, he made his way towards the house.

Zoro gave a small smirk from Luffy's change of attitude.

When Luffy got inside there was no one around. The place looked completely abandon.

"Where did he go?" Luffy asked out loud. He walked further inside the hut.

Before, he could get too far, a knife was suddenly at his throat and someone was holding him.

"Who are you?" a voice hissed harshly.

"Let go of me!" Luffy yelled in fear.

"If you don't want to die, give us all of your money," the voice demanded.

"Wow, Luffy been with these bandits for less than five minutes and he's already being mug," Usopp said in a dry tone.

Nami sighed and shook her head. "I guess we should have expected as much. They are bandits, after all." This was going to be a long memory.

"I don't have money," Luffy said.

"Which makes sense since he is just a little kid, morons," Sanji said.

"Then call your parents and make them bring money!" another voice ordered.

"I only got grandpa," Luffy answered.

"Then call your grandpa here!" someone ordered. "What's your grandpa's name?"

"Garp," the bandit with the turban said in a deadpan voice as he walked into the room.

This caused the bandit who had grabbed Luffy to go pale. "Garp!"

"He's going to live with us now," the bandit in the turban said with the same deadpan voice.

Everyone began to panic and yell when they heard the news.

"Why did you take him!?" one bandit yelled in disbelief.

"Boss has no backbone at all!" another bandit screamed.

"Shut up!" Dadan yelled as she slammed a plate stacked high with meat on the floor. "It's time for dinner!"

That was all that needed to be said before the bandits dropped Luffy and charged the plate like a pack of hungry wolves.

"I want some too!" Luffy exclaimed as drool dripped out of his mouth. He attempted to run to the plate, but was tackled several times by other bandits running into the room.

The bandits themselves stole food from one another and threatened each other with knives and other sharp objects. It made the meals that the Strawhats had look civil in comparison.

"Damn, no wonder Luffy guards his food like a starving dog," Franky said as he watched Luffy get knocked around and pushed away from the plate of meat.

"Really, these people are out of control," Usopp sighed as Luffy was knocked clean across the room.

Sanji wasn't happy with what he was seeing. This was no way to have a dinner. There should always be enough food for everyone.

Luffy made one final dive for the last piece of meat, but his efforts fell short when a large white dog came out of nowhere and took it. The dog seemed to laugh at the boy before it walked away with its prize.

"The dog said 'too slow'," Chopper translated for his crew. He felt so sorry for Luffy.

"You don't need to be an animal to understand that, bro," Franky humored.

In the end, Luffy was forced to eat a single cup of white rice, which he swallowed in one mouthful.

"Another bowl!" Luffy yelled as he held his cup out towards Dadan. "Pops, I want another bowl!"

"I'm a woman!" Dadan yelled angrily. "And don't you realize where you have been left!?"

"No," Luffy answered honestly.

Dadan got a sadistic look on her face. "I'll tell you. This is the hideout of the mountain bandits who rule Mount Corvo, the Dadan Family."

"Mountain bandits," Luffy repeated before he got a scowl on his face. "I hate those guys."

"Can't blame him," Usopp said under his breath.

"Shut up, you damn brat!" Dadan yelled. "It's already a pain in the ass to raise you! If you don't want to be with us, fine! Just go somewhere and starve like an animal!"

This caused Luffy to cringe.

Chopper gasped in horror. "She wouldn't really starve him, would she!?"

"Who would threatened to deprived food from a child?" Brook asked in disgust.

Sanji narrowed his eyes in anger. Starving a person was bad enough, but a young child? What a shitty woman.

"This is his adoptive mother?" Nami asked, barely hiding her disgust. How could Ace, or rather, Luffy's version of Ace, speak of this woman so fondly? She refused to acknowledge this woman as any kind of mother.

Robin also looked less than pleased with how Dadan was treating Luffy. Dadan reminded her too much of her aunt.

"I'm still hungry..." Luffy whined pitifully. He looked over to see Ace eating several pieces of meat. "I want some meat."

Dadan grinned at Luffy and held out her own piece of meat right in Luffy's face. The boy smiled happily and opened his mouth to bite down on it. Just before he closed his mouth, however, Dadan ruthlessly pulled the meat away from the boy.

Luffy opened his eyes in disappointment, while Dadan grinned at him and took a huge bite out of her meat.

This caused Sanji to growl in anger. If Dadan had been a man, memory or not, he would have kicked her in the face by now.

"I'll have you know, this is all buffalo meat that Ace brought us," Dadan said as she chewed on her meat. "He shares it with us so he gets to sit at our table. The life of a mountain bandit is harsh. Starting tomorrow, we'll work you half to death. Cleaning, laundry, shoe polishing, weapon polishing! Thieving, looting, swindling, and killing!"

"Is this woman purposely being an asshole?" Franky asked.

"She can't be serious with half that stuff," Usopp said.

"I doubt Luffy will listen to them regardless," Nami said neutrally, although Dadan was making herself even more unlikable to her.

"And listen, you're not going to say a single word to Garp about the stuff we make you do," Dadan added darkly. "One bowl of rice and one glass of water a day. That's all I'm giving you. Anything else, you will have to hunt for."

"That isn't enough for a grown person to survive on, let alone a growing boy!" Chopper exclaimed in anger.

"Alright," Luffy said with not a hint of hesitation, shocking Dadan so much that she fell to the floor.

"You're fine with that!? You should be crying by now!" Dadan yelled in disbelief.

"Grandpa threw me in the jungle once," Luffy said as he recalled the memory. "Earthworms, frogs, snakes, mushrooms. If this is a forest, then there's plenty of stuff to eat."

Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook cringed at Luffy's food choices.

"That would make my stomach turn...if I had one," Brook laughed.

"Luffy will have to eat a lot of worms to fill his stomach," Zoro remarked off-handily.

"Besides, I'm going to be a pirate someday," Luffy said. "So, I have to deal with at least this much."

Franky rubbed his chin. "He got a point when he puts it that way."

"Not while I'm the cook," Sanji said with some heat. As long as he was on the crew, no one ever had to worry about a shortage of food. He would starve himself before tha happened.

Once Ace had finished his meal, he got up from his spot on the floor and walked towards the door.

Luffy watched him leave. "Where's he going?" He got up to follow him.

"And where are you going!?" Dadan yelled.

Luffy didn't answer as he followed Ace. "Hey!"

Ace responded by slamming the door in Luffy's face. Luffy was hurt by the gesture, but his eyes hardened in determination as he opened the door. By the time he got outside, Ace was on top of a hill, walking deeper into the forest.

"Hey, wait up!" Luffy called again. Ace chose to ignore him. "Hey!"

This time Ace turned to look at the younger boy.

Luffy stopped running as he attempted to catch his breath. "Hey, I'm Luffy! I'm not angry anymore that you spit on me! It's nothing to get worked up about! Let's be friends!"

Zoro smirked proudly at his captain. The Luffy from the last memory would have attacked Ace. Now, he was slowly becoming the man he knew.

Ace just stared at Luffy, looking unimpressed.

"Are you going somewhere?" Luffy asked.

Ace responded to Luffy's question by kicking a tree next to him. With only two kicks, he brought the entire tree down with little effort. The tree itself was quite tall, reaching at least ten feet into the air.

"He's strong!" Franky exclaimed in amazement.

"At that age he could bring down a tree of that size so effortlessly?" Brook asked in awe.

Sanji's eyes were also widened. He couldn't kick that hard until he was a preteen.

With the tree down, it started to roll down the hill, right at Luffy.

Luffy screamed in panic when he saw the tree heading towards him. He ran as fast as he could as the tree gained speed. He kept running until he ran into a dead end. With nowhere to go, the tree hit Luffy and slammed him into a giant rock.

"Did Ace just try to kill Luffy?" Usopp asked in disbelief.

"I guess this is what Ace meant when he said that he did not take Luffy following him well," Robin mused.

"Talk about understatement," Franky muttered.

"If he was not rubber, all of his bones would have been crushed to powder," Robin observed nonchalantly.

"I guess we should be thankful that he ate that fruit," Sanji said.

Luffy slowly crawled his way out of the tree trunk and rubbed his sore head. He had some cuts on his body, but looked overall unharmed.

Once he had regained his bearings, he once again went after Ace. He was able to follow the older boy's trail to an old bridge hidden in the forest. Ace was about a third of the way across the bridge by the time Luffy reached it.

Luffy carefully stepped onto the unstable wooden planks, causing the entire bridge to creak. The sudden movement got Ace's attention and he looked behind him. He looked very surprised to see Luffy alive.

Ace grunted under his breath and slowly walk towards Luffy.

Luffy giggled happily, thinking that Ace had finally accepted him.

Ace, however, gripped his pipe tighter and charged forward. Luffy didn't have the chance to think before Ace knocked him off the bridge.

Ace's face was filled with unrelenting anger as he watched Luffy fall into the ravine below.

Almost all the Strawhats were shocked by Ace's actions. Crushing Luffy with a tree was one thing, since they all knew it wouldn't harm him, but throwing him to his death was something else since he could drown in the river below.

The dispassionate way Ace committed the act also unnerved them. He treated the whole thing like he was brushing off a fly instead of committing murder of another person.

"I...I can't believe he did that..." Usopp stuttered.

This couldn't be the same loving brother that they had gotten to know in both real life and in Luffy's Dream World. This couldn't be the same man who sacrificed his existence with living with his brothers in a dream in order to free Luffy.

"So much anger," Zoro whispered. "What happened to him to twist him into this?" The mask that Ace wore reminded him of Kuina.

Robin also recognized the pain filled mask Ace wore. It was the same one she had worn for over twenty years.

"Something has hurt this child severely," Brook said sadly. "I have seen plenty of men with that expression on their faces. I can't imagine what kind of life Ace must have lived up until this point."

The scene morphed and the Strawhats were standing in front Dadan's house again. It was dark now and, going by the moon, it appeared to be late into the night.

The Strawhats suddenly heard a dog barking and they could see a figure moving in the darkness. It took the small pirate crew a moment to realize that it was Luffy. He looked terrible. His clothes were badly torn and he was littered with cuts and scrapes across his entire body. He was also shaking from exhaustion and looked only a few steps away from passing out.

"LUFFY!" Chopper exclaimed in horror as he ran towards his captain. He immediately tried to treat Luffy, but he past right through the rubber boy. Chopper cussed under his breath, forgetting that he couldn't interact with a memory.

"What happened to him?" Nami asked, taken aback by the boy's state.

"Looks like wild animals got to him," Zoro answered.

When Luffy got close to the house, someone began to open the door.

"Be quiet!" the bandit with the turban yelled at the dog. He screamed in shock when he saw Luffy. "Boss, Boss Dadan!"

"Who is it?" the chicken head bandit asked. He also screamed in shock when he caught sight of Luffy.

"Who's there?" Dadan slurred. She had obviously been drinking heavily given the flush in her cheeks. Her eyes jumped out of her head in surprise. "It's you!"

"Luffy came back!" the bandit with the turban yelled in disbelief.

Dadan walked towards Luffy and grabbed both of his cheeks, not quite believing he was real. "This kid...he's alive!"

"It's been a week at least," the chicken head bandit said.

"A week!?" Nami exclaimed in disbelief. "Luffy was left alone in this forest for week and no one went looking for him!?"

Zoro shrugged. "They probably thought he ran away and got eating by animals."

"You're getting as bad as Robin!" Usopp yelled at the swordsman.

Dadan started to viciously pull Luffy's cheeks. "Where the hell did you go!?"

"I was chased by wolves at the bottom of the valley," Luffy answered softly.

"Looks like more than wolves got him," Franky said as he looked over the injuries.

"It looks like he's also suffering from exhaustion and malnutrition," Chopper noted in concern. "He needs to be treated immediately before those woulds become infected."

"The bottom of the valley? Why would you go down there?" the turban-wearing bandit asked.

Luffy didn't say anything.

This annoyed Dadan even more.

"Well, in any case, good thing you're safe," the turban bandit said.

"The hell it is!" Dadan yelled angrily. "This just means that troublemaking brat has returned!"

She grabbed Luffy by the remains of his shirt and dragged him upstairs. She opened the door to a large and mostly empty room and threw him inside. Ace was there and he was in one of the corners, asleep.

"Go to sleep now!" Dadan ordered harshly. "We're putting you to work tomorrow!"

She slammed the door behind her. Luffy, being too exhausted to care, immediately fell asleep.

"What!? They didn't even treat his wounds! Those kinds of cuts can get infected, especially if they're wolves' bites!" Chopper yelled as steam seemed to billow from his ears.

"Easy, Chopper," Usopp said as he held the reindeer back.

"How can they be so cruel?" Chopper said in a more calm voice, but he was still angry. "They didn't even give him a bed or covers. They didn't even care if he was alive or dead. They just didn't care."

None the Strawhats said anything. They all felt the same way.

The memory changed again and Luffy was once again calling for Ace as he left the house. Asking to be friends.

Ace ignored him, as per usual, as he walked into the forest. The Strawhats were soon treated to a montage of Luffy attempting to follow Ace. 'Attempting' being the key word.

From countless scenes they watched, Luffy was nearly eaten by alligators, giant snakes, and tigers, buried alive in a rockslide caused by Ace, attacked by vultures, drowned only to be saved by two of Dadan's bandits, nearly stung to death by bees, and being thrown from cliff faces by Ace.

Throughout the montage, the Strawhats were horrified by many of the things they saw. In each incident, Luffy could have been killed. It was only through luck and his Devil Fruit that he survived half of what he was put through. The fact that Luffy was always covered in bruises and cut through each incidence didn't help. It got to the point where Luffy always had bandages on like it was a fashion style.

Chopper had to keep himself from screaming at seeing Luffy dragging himself to Dadan's house half-dead and the bandits really doing nothing to treat his wounds except for bandaging the cuts.

Sanji was also pissed that no one was feeding Luffy properly. Dadan had kept her promise and had only been giving him rice, forcing Luffy to forage for the rest. Since almost all the animals in the forest were stronger than Luffy, he had to hunt smaller creatures that didn't curb his hunger. It drove Sanji insane to see Luffy go to bed so hungry that he couldn't sleep properly and had to constantly hear his stomach rumble.

For Robin, it almost moved her to tears each time Luffy went to bed alone. He attempted to sleep next to Ace, but he always kicked him away and ignored him, making Luffy sleep in one of the corners by himself.

Throughout it all, however, Luffy remained relatively cheerful, always chasing after Ace, hoping that one day the older boy would accept him. Luffy's cheerful demeanor only really broke apart at night when he was huddled alone in the corner. Although he tried to hide it by covering his head in his covers, all the Strawhats heard Luffy's sobbing some nights.

After watching countless montages - three months by Robin's calculations - the day came when Luffy became strong and fast enough to finally keep up with Ace. He had even learned how to avoid all of Ace's traps and stay far away enough from the older boy so he wouldn't sense him.

Luffy panted in exhaustion when he finally reached an opening within the forest. He ran in excitement towards the opening and was surprised by what he saw.

Covered in what looked like a white mist stood mountains of garbage. It was a completely different world from the one Luffy had gotten used to while living in the forest.

"Wow, what is this place?" Luffy asked in awe.

"Where did all this trash come from?" Brook asked as he took in the same sight. He never seen anything quite like it.

"This looks like a shipwright's paradise," Franky said in awe. Images of all the battleships he could build came racing through his mind.

"Gray Terminal," Robin whispered.

Nami looked towards the older woman. "You know what this place is?"

Robin nodded. "I have read about this place in books. This is place is called Gray Terminal. It is a junkyard that exists outside of the city of Goa, the biggest city within the Goa Kingdom."

What she did not tell her crew was that she had been studying the Goa Kingdom for years. It was her way of getting to know Dragon and his motives better since he was born in this kingdom.

"Goa…I remembering hearing about that place," Nami said as she put her hand on her chin. "They say it is the most beautiful kingdom in all of East Blue. The streets are completely clean and there is no garbage at all in the entire city."

"Looks like they just dump all their garbage out here," Zoro stated.

"That is exactly what they do," Robin said with a slight nod.

"So, instead of properly disposing of their trash, they just dump it all outside," Usopp said before shaking his head. "What kind of sense does that make?"

"Out of sight, out of mind I would guess," Nami said with a shrug.

"It can't be that out of sight. Those trash mountains should be visible from the city," Franky noted. "Not to mention the smell."

"It's also not hygienic to just leave all this garbage sitting around. That could breed all type of diseases," Chopper said.

"Luffy's moving again," Usopp pointed out as little Luffy made his way down the cliff.

The Strawhats quickly followed him and they were soon walking through the junkyard. They were surprised to see all types of people living in the garbage. They even built houses out of the scrap found in the dump.

Most of the people looked terrible with their torn clothes, missing teeth, and haggard appearances. To Franky, they looked like the homeless people back in Water 7.

"It's like its own little city out here," Brook said in awe as he watched people fish for material. "Why would they live out here instead of inside the city?"

"Maybe they can't afford to," Franky guessed. "If this city is as beautiful as Robin and Nami say, it could be too expensive for normal people to live in."

"To go from rich to poor with no middle is a little strange," Brook said, taking in Franky's words.

"Ace!" Luffy called as he climbed on several mountains of trash to get a better look around. He fell through several of the trash-mountains, but was no worse for wear.

In the short time that Luffy had been exploring Grey Terminal, the young boy had witnessed two stabbings, several robberies, and at least one murder.

"What the heck is wrong with this mountain?" Usopp asked after seeing his fifth robbery. "First we had that forest with all those freaking strong monsters, now we have this place filled with thugs and murderers."

"It is hard to believe that we are on the same island as Luffy's home village," Brook said. "The difference is striking."

Zoro nodded in agreement. It would seem he had been too quick to assume that Luffy's home island was just as peaceful as his. This place rivaled some of the dangers they found on the Grand Line. If Luffy could survive here for several years, no wonder he became so strong without any formal training. Garp was right in that this place would toughen Luffy up.

Luffy kept wandering for what felt like hours before he saw the familiar red shirt that Ace had been wearing that day. Smiling happily, Luffy followed Ace back into the woods. For a moment, he lost track of Ace again. He frowned sadly as he looked for the older boy.

"Whoa, you got a lot! Way more than I did!" someone exclaimed in surprise.

The voice sounded somewhat familiar to the Strawhats.

"That's a lot of money," the voice continued. "How did you get it?"

"I robbed some thugs near the main gate," another voice answered.

The Strawhats knew it was Ace. This was the first time they had heard him talk since this memory began.

"Damn, you won again," the first voice said in good humor.

Luffy kept walking until the voices became louder and clearer. He was soon standing next to a large tree that wasn't too far away from Gray Terminal.

"It doesn't matter if you win or lose. It's been five years since we started put money in our pirate savings," Ace said proudly. There was a short pause. "We worked hard for it."

"Yeah, we did," the first voice said. "We're going to leave the East Blue and go somewhere these people have only dreamed of. It's exciting just thinking about it!"

"Now put it away," Ace suddenly said. "We can't let anyone see it."

"I wonder how much we need to get a pirate ship?" the first voice asked.

"Don't know. Ten or one-hundred million maybe?" Ace answered. "A long way to go."

Luffy got excited at the mention of a pirate ship. "Pirate ship!? You guys are going to be pirates!? I'm going to be one too!"

No one answered from the tree. Then, quicker than most of the Strawhats thought possible, Ace and another boy came climbing down the tree. Once they were down, they both charged Luffy, who remained blissfully unaware of the danger.

Before Luffy knew what had happened, both Ace and the other boy knocked him upside the head.

"That boy," Brook said slowly. "Isn't that Sabo?"

Nami nodded. It was definitely Sabo.

He looked almost the same as Luffy's version of him except he was smaller, chubbier, and was missing several teeth. His clothes were also badly torn and he looked like he hadn't had a proper wash in a while. He looked like a stereotypical street rat.

"I thought Sabo was a noble. Why does he look so ragtag?" Brook asked.

Nami rubbed her chin. "That's a good question."

"Given the story that Ace told us, Sabo was an outcast among the other nobles," Zoro said. "It's not hard to guess that he probably ran away from home and is living in that trash heap."

Usopp frowned. "Were the nobles that terrible that it would make a child chose living in a trash yard over them?"

While Luffy was stunned, Ace and Sabo proceeded to tie him to a nearby tree with several length of rope that they seemed to pull out of nowhere.

"Ace, I didn't know you traveled this far every day," Luffy said cheerfully, seemingly unconcern with his situation.

"Shut up," Ace said harshly.

"Is this the Luffy that you were talking about?" Sabo asked.

"Oh, you told him about me!?" Luffy asked, becoming even happier.

"I told him how annoying you are," Ace said bluntly.

"He also told me that you're empty-headed," Sabo added.

Luffy began to laugh. "Oh yeah?"

"You don't realize that we're dissing you, do you?" Sabo asked, although he already knew the answer.

Ace sighed. "He finally got here, even though I didn't take any walkable routes."

Luffy looked at Sabo. "Are you friends with Ace? Be my friend too, buddy!"

"Shut up, you can't call me buddy!" Sabo snapped.

"Hm, Sabo is also meaner," Franky noted.

"Well, it isn't like he exactly knows Luffy," Sanji said. "I can only imagine what Ace told him."

"Still, Sabo was extremely polite in Luffy's dream, even more so than Ace," Nami said.

"Perhaps, but the Sabo in Luffy's dream is not the same Sabo here. That Sabo was Luffy's version of his brother," Robin stated. "People tend to remember their loved ones with rose-tinted glasses. Especially after they had pass away."

"Then what's your name?" Luffy asked, still smiling happily.

"Sa…" Sabo started to say. "I'm not telling you!"

This caused some of the Strawhats to chuckle

"This is why I told you to live here with me," Sabo said in frustration to Ace. "The daily round trip, training on a mountain road, turned out to be a bad idea. What should we do?"

There was a long pause between the two boys.

"He found our secret. He's going to tell somebody if nothing's done," Ace said darkly.

The Strawhats knew where Ace's line of thinking was taking him, even if they didn't already know the story.

"We have to kill him," Ace concluded coldly.

Sabo nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's do it."

Luffy gasped in shock. "WHAT!?" he screamed in horror.

Both Sabo and Ace were taken aback by the reaction. Apparently, they didn't think being told you were going to be murdered warrant crying, screaming, and begging for mercy.

"Don't kill me! Help me! I don't want to die!" Luffy screamed and cried in panic as he desperately pulled on his ropes.

"Shut up, you fool!" Sabo yelled as he attempted to quiet the frantic boy by covering his mouth.

"Sabo, kill him already!" Ace yelled. He too was closed to panicking from all the noise Luffy was making.

Sabo turned towards Ace in surprise. "What? You do it!"

"I've never killed anyone before!" Ace yelled in a near panic.

"Me neither, and I don't know how!" Sabo screamed back.

"Well, that's surprising," Usopp said, recalling all the times Ace nearly killed Luffy. "It certainly wasn't from a lack of trying on his part."

Zoro snorted. "So, after all that barking, the kid has never taken blood before."

"Zoro, he's only ten years old," Nami scowled.

"A ten years old who thought nothing of knocking a kid off a bridge or burying him alive in a landslide," Zoro said coldly.

Nami couldn't think of anything to counter that.

"At least we know they have not completely lost their innocence," Robin said. At their age, she was not as lucky.

"Don't throw me into the water!" Luffy suddenly screamed, causing several of the Strawhats to face-palm.

"Okay, let's head for the river!" Ace yelled.

"Why did he tell us that?" Sabo asked.

"He's stupid," Ace answered.

Several of the Strawhats nodded in agreement.

"Help me!" Luffy continued to scream at the top of his lungs.

"Shut up!" Ace and Sabo yelled.

Luffy was beyond listening to them. "I don't wanna die!"

"I hear voices in the forest!" a loud voice said, causing all the boys to freeze in place. "A kid's voice."

Sabo and Ace panicked when they heard the voice.

"Someone's coming," Sabo said in horror.

"Set him free for now," Ace ordered. "We have to move from here or they're going to find our treasure."

Sabo nodded in agreement and quickly cut the ropes around Luffy. The three boys then quickly hid themselves behind some nearby brushes. It didn't come a moment too soon as several people came walking up the road.

"Everyone knows those kids around here, Ace and Sabo," a man with long purplish silver hair said. He was a huge guy who towered over the other three men walking with him. He also carried a sword that was larger than most people. "Are you sure that it was Ace who took the money?"

All the pirates, save for the brute with the sword, were injured. One of them even had a cast on.

"Yes, sorry," a man with spiky blond hair said. "We shouldn't have let our guard down."

"Ace beat those guys up that badly?" Brook asked, deeply impressed.

"The big brother of a monster is indeed a super monster," Usopp said softly.

"How outrageous that kid is! He can't just steal our money!" the huge man said in anger. "If Captain Bluejam finds out about this, he's going to kill us all."

"Captain, so they're pirates?" Nami questioned.

"Dammit," Ace cussed when he saw the men. "I didn't know that those thugs were working for Bluejam."

"You mean that you stole money from them?" Sabo asked in disbelief.

"I shouldn't have taken that money," Ace whispered with regret.

"He has a real sword," Sabo whispered fearfully. "That's Porchemy who works under Bluejam. He's crazy, did you know that? He strips off your scalp alive after you lose a fight with him."

This caused both Usopp and Chopper to shake in horror.

"That's sick!" Usopp yelled. "Why are these kind of guys allowed to walk freely around a kingdom?"

"I sense something very wrong with this kingdom," Zoro said as he narrowed his eye.

Even Ace looked unnerved. "Let's just let them pass for now."

Sabo suddenly gasped. "Oh, where is he?"

It took the Strawhats a moment to figure out whom they were talking about.

"Huh, where did Luffy-san..." Before Brook could finish the question, he saw the answer.

In the space of what must have been a second, Luffy was being held in Porchemy's hand.

"How did he get caught!?" Ace and Sabo yelled among themselves.

Several of the Strawhats face-palmed.

"That must be talent," Sanji muttered before given a soft sigh.

"Moron," Nami mumbled.

"Let me go!" Luffy screamed. "What do you want from me!? Let me go, you bastard." He attempted to break free, but Porchemy held Luffy easily in his hand.

"Who's this little shit?" Porchemy asked as he brought Luffy closer to his face.

"Help me, Ace!" Luffy yelled repeatedly.

This got Porchemy's attention.

"That fool," Ace whispered. "He's calling my name."

"Did you just call for Ace?" Porchemy asked, bring Luffy even closer.

Luffy glared at him. "So what?"

"Do you know Ace?" Porchemy continued to question.

"I'm his friend," Luffy answered without hesitation. He paused for a moment. "But he did just try to kill me."

"I think Luffy's definition of friendship is a little screwed up," Franky noted.

"Kind of reminds me of how most of us joined," Zoro said.

"I don't know if you know about this, but I heard that Ace stole some money from us and ran today," Porchemy said calmly. "You don't know where it is, do you?"

Luffy was silent for a moment.

"Oh no, they're going to take all our money away," Sabo said as he glanced towards their hiding place.

"I hope that fool doesn't tell them," Ace whispered.

"So, what do you say?" Porchemy asked.

"I...I don't know," Luffy said softly.

It was obvious with anyone with eyes or a pulse that he was lying. Luffy was sweating bullets and he wasn't looking Porchemy in the face. His mouth jutted out to the side of his face, pouting, in an unnatural way. To make it even worse, he actually began to whistle. Really, the only thing missing was the word 'liar' tattooed across his forehead.

"Amazing," Usopp whispered. "He was an even worse liar when he was younger."

Despite the situation, Chopper and Brook snickered uncontrollably. The rest of the Strawhats, save for Robin who was just smiling, sweat-dropped from the sight.

Even the pirates were stunned by how obvious Luffy was being.

Once Porchemy regained his bearings, he lifted his sword to his shoulders. He grinned viciously at Luffy. He gave a low chuckle that carried over to the rest of his men. The look of sadistic joy on all of their faces made them look less than human.

All the humor among the Strawhats quickly disappeared. They knew what was coming next and they could do nothing to change it.

"Alright, it can't be helped that you don't know," Porchemy said calmly. He was grinning at Luffy in pure dark amusement. "Don't worry, I'll help you bring back the memory."

Both Sabo and Ace gasped in horror. They knew that what was going to happen to Luffy was going to be anything but pleasant.

"What are you doing!?" Luffy screamed as he was being carried away. "Let me go! Where are you taking me!?"

Porchemy merely grinned the entire time.


	7. Brothers

The Strawhats were transported to another part of the memory once the pirates took Luffy. They stood in an old looking shack that was falling apart. The floor was nothing but mounds of dirt and the roof looked ready to collapse in on itself.

Zoro narrowed his eye when he saw Luffy tied to a wooden post near one of the walls, struggling and yelling to be let free. He knew this had to happen, that he couldn't stop this event from happening, but it didn't make it any easier. He felt himself consciously reaching for his swords. If only he could cut that bastard up.

"Is this when..." Usopp began to ask.

"Let me go!" Luffy continued to yell as he pulled on his ropes. "I'm not going to tell you anything!"

The Strawhats heard heavy footfalls and turned to see Porchemy walking towards Luffy with a giant mallet in one hand. It looked like Usopp's old four-ton hammer.

Without a word, Porchemy lifted the mallet over his head and slammed it into Luffy's with all of his strength, smashing the rubber boy into the dirt floor.

The other pirates in the room gasped when they felt the shock.

Not surprisingly to the Strawhats, the hammer bounced off of Luffy and flew several inches off the ground, stunning the other three pirates, except Porchemy. The scene was almost humorous and the Strawhats may have laughed if they didn't know how this story went.

"I told you that my body turned to rubber after I ate the Gum Gum Fruit," Luffy said in annoyance. This caused Porchemy's men to cry in fear.

"Shut up," Porchemy grunted towards his panicking men, shutting them up. He then turned his attention back towards Luffy. "Devil Fruit, huh? Looks like you have the real one." He grinned at the young boy. "Get me a pair of gloves."

"Y...yes sir!" one of the pirates yelled as he ran out of the shack.

"Tie him to the rafters," Porchemy ordered his other men.

"Yes, sir!" the remaining pirates yelled.

Luffy was untied from the wooden post, but he was quickly retied again before he could think about escaping. They used a long rope to hoist him off the ground.

The other pirate returned not long after they began to pull Luffy up and he gave Porchemy a pair of brown gloves. He started to causally put them on.

"Listen, you little shit," Porchemy said as he tightened his gloves. "The money that your friend Ace stole is very important to our pirate crew." He brought his hands up so Luffy could fully see the gloves. It was just the way Ace had described them. The gloves had several sharp spikes on the knuckle area.

Chopper cringed at the sight of the gloves, wanting to look away but found that he couldn't. Usopp was already near tears from what was about to happen.

Porchemy grabbed Luffy's head. "And you know where it is." He pulled Luffy closer. "So, I need you to tell us."

Luffy glared defiantly at him. "No!"

Porchemy kept a neutral face before he pushed Luffy away from him. When Luffy began to swing back towards him, Porchemy punched Luffy as hard as he could in the face. Blood sprayed across the shack as the spikes penetrated Luffy's rubber skin, leaving deep gashes on his face.

Nami gave an audible gasp as her hands flew to her mouth. It was even worse than she had thought.

"It worked!" one of the pirates exclaimed in surprise.

When Porchemy lifted his glove again, a thick layer of blood was now on his right hand. "You don't want to make a pirate mad!"

Luffy just hung there. He wasn't crying yet, but tears could be seen building up in his closed eyes. He was also sniffing uncontrollably.

"Our captain, Bluejam, is very brutal," Porchemy went on.

Luffy's sobs got louder as blood dripped from several open wounds. It was only a few more seconds before Luffy started to cry and struggle in his binds. "It hurt! I'm scared! Help me!"

Porchemy took no pity on the child and ruthlessly punched him again, sending more blood onto the earthen floor.

"Damn him," Sanji cursed as he bit down on his cigarette. He hated not being able to do anything to help his captain.

"Guys, go look for Ace and Sabo!" Porchemy ordered, turning away from Luffy for a moment. "We don't have time to stand around!"

"Ye...yes sir!" the pirates stuttered before dashing out of the shack.

Porchemy turned his attention back towards Luffy. He lifted up his left hand and punched the boy again, causing Luffy to cry louder.

"Talk, you little shit!" Porchemy screamed as he hit Luffy again.

The entire time this was happening, the Strawhats could only watched in horror.

Chopper, Usopp, and Nami couldn't take the cruelty they were seeing and forced their heads away, although Luffy's screams and pleas for help continued to echo in their ears.

Robin put her head down and narrowed her eyes in disgust. She had seen many similar acts of torture performed by pirates. There was a time not long ago that she could look at something like this without even blinking. Now, things were different. Not only was one of her saviors suffering, but a child as well.

Franky gritted his teeth and shook in pure rage. This vicious and sadistic act reminded him too much of when that bastard Spandam beat Robin when they were held prisoner in Enies Lobby. He would have broken that bastard in two right then for torturing a helpless woman.

This, however, was much worse. He didn't really know Robin back then, so seeing her tortured didn't affect him on such a personal level. Memory or not, he wanted this scene to end.

Zoro, Sanji, and Brook were the only Strawhats who were able to look at the torture without turning or lowering their heads. They all felt it was their duty to watch. To them, it made them feel like that they were sharing in their captain's pain and helping him carry this burden even though Luffy couldn't feel them. Besides, if Luffy could take this when he was only seven years old, they could at least watch at their age.

The Strawhats weren't sure how long the scene went on, but Luffy eventually stopped screaming. It wasn't because it hurt any less, given the ever-flowing tears coming from their captain's eyes. Luffy had stopped screaming and pleading for help because he no longer had the strength. No matter how much he cried and yelled for help, no one came to save him. He was alone.

The Strawhats dimly noticed that the sun was beginning to set and rays of golden sunlight filtered into the shack. The three pirates from before had returned during this time period to tell Porchemy that they had failed to find Sabo and Ace.

This sent Porchemy into a berserk rage and he began to beat Luffy even more ferociously. He didn't even ask where the money was during that time. He was just beating Luffy out of anger and frustration.

"How long will this go on?" Chopper moaned. The silence that followed every punch was just as bad as hearing Luffy screaming.

"If the memory has not changed or darkened, that means Luffy was conscious through all of this," Robin said softly.

Nami shook her head with tears in her eyes. "He's...he's just a kid. No one with a heart should be able to do this to anyone."

"Who said this bastard has a heart?" Zoro asked coldly as he continued to look at the scene. Luffy looked dreadful. Blood was dripping from every inch of his body and he was quivering in pain. His eyes remained closed as he sobbed pitifully.

Despite how hard it was to see his captain like this, Zoro couldn't help feeling proud. Through everything he had been subjected to, Luffy refused to sell out Ace. The same boy who had mistreated, ignored, and abused him for several months. Luffy had no reason to help Ace, but he held his secret. Even as a child, Luffy was more of a man than most people.

Porchemy stopped, breathing hard in both exhaustion and anger. "Spit it out already!" he roared, before going back to punching Luffy.

"Porchemy, it's no use doing this anymore," one of the pirates said.

Porchemy stopped the torture and turned to look at his underling.

"He doesn't even have the energy to scream anymore. I bet he won't say anything and to be honest, I can't stand watching it," the pirate said as he paused for a moment. "It's too cruel. Show some mercy!"

The pirate's plea caught the Strawhats off-guard. It would seem even among the most ruthless pirates, there were some standards.

Porchemy, however, responded to the man by kicking him in the face, sending him sliding across the dirt floor.

"Look for Ace and Sabo if you have time to speak up for the kid!" Porchemy yelled in fury. "We're the ones in danger of death! Can't you see, we're already too late to give the money to Captain Bluejam."

The pirate cringed at the realization.

Porchemy turned back towards Luffy and went back to punching him. This went on for several minutes before Porchemy stopped.

"Answer me!" Porchemy screamed.

Luffy sobbed for a moment. "I won't say," he said in a clear voice.

Despite all the pain Luffy had suffered, his voice was filled with the same defiance he had shown before the torture had begun.

This really pissed Porchemy off and he hit Luffy viciously several more times. "You little shit! Stop trying to keep secrets like a grown up!" He stopped and took several deeps breaths. "Say it!"

Luffy stayed silent for a couple of seconds. "I won't say!" he said in even stronger voice. "I won't say! I won't say!" he repeated like a mantra. While he was yelling this, tears freely fell from his closed eyes.

The sight broke all the Strawhats' hearts. At the same time, it made them respect their captain even more, if such a thing was possible.

Porchemy stood completely still as his rage built up even more. Suddenly, he dropped both of his hands. "Fine, enough," he muttered as he took off his gloves and threw them to the ground.

Without a word, Porchemy walked towards the back of the shack to retrieve his sword and slowly walked back towards Luffy.

Luffy slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes. Porchemy's rage covered face filled his vision. "Then die." He brought the sword up and prepared to cut Luffy in half.

Before Porchemy could do the deed, one of the walls to the shack suddenly blew open. Porchemy turned to see Ace and Sabo charging in.

"Stop!" they both yelled.

A sigh of relief could be heard from most of the Strawhats. Finally, the terrible scene was over. At the same time, however, they were angry that it took Ace and Sabo so long to rescue Luffy.

Yeah, they saw Luffy as an annoying brat who they contemplated killing, but they practically left him to die. Even if he did talk, did Ace and Sabo honestly expect the pirates to let Luffy live?

Before one of the pirates could move, Ace jumped towards him and slammed his pipe into the man's head.

"Move it!" Ace screamed.

"That's him, Porchemy!" a pirate yelled.

"He's the one who stole the money!" the other pirated shouted.

"What!?" Porchemy exclaimed in surprise.

"A...Ace!" Luffy sobbed.

Ace jumped into the air again and attempted to hit Porchemy with his pipe.

Porchemy easily caught the young boy by his neck.

"Showing up on your own makes this easier," Porchemy said with a huge grin on his face. "I didn't know what to do. Your pal was so tip-lipped."

"Ace!" Luffy cried in fear.

"Let me go!" Ace growled as Porchemy started to choke him.

Sabo jumped forward and blind-sided Porchemy, hitting him on the back of the head. This forced Porchemy to lose his grip on Ace and drop him to the floor.

Ace coughed several times to get air back into his lungs.

"Ace...Sabo..." Luffy called worriedly.

"That hurt pretty bad, you know," Porchemy growled as he turned towards Sabo. "You know what happens when you make fun of grown-up, don't you?"

"Your opponent is right here!" Ace yelled as he stood up. "Sabo, help Luffy!"

"Ace!" Luffy yelled.

Sabo nodded. "Be careful. He's got a sword."

Ace ran in again, this time more prepared. Porchemy attempted slash Ace with his sword, but Ace gracefully dodged each strike. During the scuffle with the ruthless pirate, Ace did flips and acrobatics that rivaled most of Luffy's stunts when he was a teenager.

"Wow, look at him go!" Usopp cheered.

"He's so strong," Chopper added in equal awe. "And he's only ten."

"He isn't too bad with that pipe," Zoro said as Ace brought his pipe down and nearly knocked the sword out of Porchemy's hand, much to the pirate's surprise. He hated to admit it, but Ace was an overall better fighter than him during the same age.

Sabo, meanwhile, had to deal with the remains of Porchemy's men. He evaded each of their sloppy blows and managed to steal one of their knives before they even knew what had happened.

"My knife!" the pirate exclaimed in disbelief.

With one graceful motion, Sabo jumped and cut Luffy free from his binds. He quickly caught the younger boy before he could hit the ground.

Porchemy stopped fighting Ace when he saw that Luffy was free.

"Let's get out of here, Ace!" Sabo yelled as he carried Luffy to the hole they had created. He stopped, however, when he realized that Ace wasn't following him.

"You go on ahead!" Ace ordered.

"You idiot, come on!" Sabo yelled in frustration.

"Once I have chosen an opponent, I won't run!" Ace declared.

Zoro raised an eyebrow.

"What, you brat!" Porchemy yelled.

"Don't, he's on a completely different level than the other thugs in town!" Sabo yelled.

"Don't you get it!? Playtime is over!" Porchemy growled. "You stole our money! You will obediently return it to us, you insolent brat!"

Ace snorted at him. "We're going make better use of it."

Porchemy growled even louder. "What was that?"

Sabo looked at Luffy for second. "You...wait here a moment." He dumped Luffy on the ground and ran to join Ace. "You're too reckless! Why are you always doing this!?"

"I never back down," Ace answered coldly.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Porchemy yelled as he raised his sword. Ace attempted to block it, but the sword managed to slash off a piece of Ace's pipe. The pirate began to grin. "If I lose to a pair of kids, I'll quit being a pirate!"

"Then we'll make you quit!" Ace and Sabo yelled as they both charged.

The fight went on for several minutes and Luffy could only watch as Sabo and Ace fought like demons against Porchemy. Against one of them, Porchemy had the advantage, but against both of their power, the man had no chance for victory. Nonetheless, the ruthless pirate did manage to land several hits with his sword on Sabo and Ace, but nothing serious.

As fast as the battle had started, it was over. Porchemy lay face down on the earthen floor, defeated. He wouldn't be moving for a while with the head strike Ace had landed on him. The remaining pirates bolted in terror the moment their leader was defeated. As they ran, they screamed something about demon children.

Luffy couldn't help but think how cool they both were. When he got stronger, he wanted to be like them.

The memory faded and the Strawhats were back in the forest. It was now night and the crickets could be heard in the distance.

"Impressive, those two managed to take out a group of pirates with relative ease," Sanji said. "I wasn't even half that good at their age."

"That's not saying much," Zoro muttered.

"What was that, moss head!?" Sanji yelled as he raised his foot.

Before a full fight could break out, a loud cry got their attention.

"Hey, isn't that Luffy crying?" Franky asked.

The Strawhats moved to the source of the sound and they saw Luffy crying his eyes out while he was sitting on tree root. It wasn't the anguish cries that Luffy had given before. The crying he was doing now sounded whinier. It was the crying a kid did when they were hurt, but the injury wasn't all that serious.

Luffy was bandaged up from his ordeal and he was already starting to heal in several places. Sabo and Ace stood near Luffy and they were also bandaged up.

"That's a real bad habit, Ace," Sabo complained. "Refusing to run when you're up against real pirates. Why are you so eager to die?"

Ace completely ignored Sabo's question as he attempted to repair his broken pipe.

Sabo sighed in defeat. "After this, Bluejam will never forgive us. They'll just be after us from now on."

The entire time, Luffy continued to cry. "That was so scary! I thought I was going to die!"

"You know, Luffy seemed to act more...human when he was a child," Usopp said in thought.

Nami looked towards the sniper. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, when something scary happens Luffy actually gets scared," Usopp explained. "Luffy usually laughs off danger and even death, but here he cries when hurt, runs or even freezes when scared...he just acts more like a normal human."

"Well, he is a child," Brook said. "As much as we know Luffy for his feats of courage, he is just a little boy here."

"It's still strange to look at," Usopp said as he looked at Luffy cry. "He just looks so fragile here."

Ace jumped from the log he was sitting on and glared at Luffy. "You're so annoying! Shut up! How much longer are you going to cry!? I really hate weaklings and crybabies!"

Nami glared at Ace. "After being tortured for several hours, I think he has the right to cry." She was still a little tick at them for waiting so long to save Luffy.

As soon as Ace finished yelling, Luffy immediately stopped crying, much to Ace and Sabo's surprise.

"Thank you..." Luffy stuttered as he attempted to control his tears. "For...for saving me..!" Tears started to fell from his eyes like waterfalls.

Ace got annoyed again when he saw this. "Why you..."

Sabo stepped in front of him. "Come on now. He's just thanking us."

"Talk about someone who can't a 'thank you'," Franky humored.

Ace looked at Luffy for a moment before he began to shake in anger. "Why didn't you tell them!? Those guys would kill women and children without a second thought!"

Luffy said nothing for a moment. "If I told them...I could never be your friend..." he said softly.

The tone of Luffy's voice was like nothing any of the Strawhat had heard from their captain. It sounded… broken.

"That's better than dying," Ace said. "Why do you want to be my friend so much anyway?"

Luffy was again silent for a couple of seconds. "Because..." he said nothing more after that.

"After all the stuff I put you through, why did you still follow me here?" Ace continued to ask.

Luffy tightened his fists and it sounded like he was going to cry again. "Because...because there isn't anyone else! I can't go back to the village and I hate those mountain bandits! If I didn't chase after you, I'd be all alone!" Luffy shouted before his voice cracked from emotion. "Being alone is much worse than getting hurt."

All the Strawhats were left speechless. They had heard those words. Ace told them just as much in Luffy's dream, but to hear it from his own mouth…to hear the pain in his voice and remembering what they saw in the other memories, it all made painful sense.

Even Ace was moved by Luffy's words. "What about your parents?"

Luffy shook his head. "Just grandpa. Nobody else."

Ace said nothing for a moment. "It isn't so bad when I'm here?"

"Right," Luffy answered.

"And it would be bad if I wasn't here," Ace continued to question.

"Right," Luffy said.

Ace bowed his head and said nothing for almost a full minute. "You want me to live?"

Robin flinched when she heard the question.

The Strawhats were left stunned by the question. Why would a young child ask something like that?

Luffy was confused for a moment. "Of course I do!"

"I see," Ace whispered. He turned his back on Luffy. "But still, I hate spoiled kids like you."

Luffy jumped down from the tree's root he was sitting on. "I'm not spoiled! I'm strong!"

"Strong?" Ace scowled. "How are you strong!? You're supposed to be a man, but you keep crying all the time."

"Have you ever been punched with spiked gloves!?" Luffy yelled angrily. "I'm only seven! I won't cry when I become ten years old like you! I'll be much stronger!"

"I didn't cry at seven either, you idiot!" Ace yelled back. "Don't compare yourself to me!"

"I'm going to be stronger than anyone else!" Luffy yelled as he attempted to lean into Ace. "I promised Shanks that I'd be a great pirate!"

"A pirate, you?" Ace laughed.

"That's right!" Luffy proclaimed.

"As if," Ace teased.

"I'm going to be one!" Luffy yelled.

Soon they were both glaring in each other's face.

"How cute, they are having their first fight," Robin said in amusement. "They are becoming brothers already." This made some of the Strawhats chuckle. It felt good to see that the mood lightened after seeing such a harsh memory.

"Okay, that's enough," Sabo said calmly as he broke up the fight. "Oh, by the way, I got a problem here."

"A problem?" Luffy asked.

"Because of what happened today, Bluejam's crew will be trying to find and kill all three of us, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Ace said casually.

"I've been living in this forest, but it's close to their base, the Pirate Cove," Sabo said. "What do you think would happen if I fell asleep somewhere and they attacked me?"

"You'd die," Ace said bluntly.

Luffy nodded. "You'll definitely die."

"They will most likely torture him and then kill him," Robin said, scaring Usopp and Chopper.

"Pretty much," Zoro said in a dry tone.

"Indeed," Sabo said sadly, before he began to smile. "So, I got to ask you something."

The memory suddenly shifted and the Strawhats were back at Dadan's house. Dadan looked less than pleased when she saw Sabo.

"Why's there suddenly a third kid here!?" Dadan yelled in annoyance. "Who are you?"

"Who, me?" Sabo asked as he rubbed his eyes. He had obviously been asleep until just a moment ago. Once he had wiped the sleep from his eyes, he smiled at the mountain bandit. "I'm Sabo. Hello, you're Dadan, right?"

"Sabo, I've heard that name before," Dadan said as she walked up to the boy.

"Really? That makes it easier for me then," Sabo said pleasantly. "Let's try to get along starting today," he said as he held out his hand.

"Get along…? Don't tell me you think you're staying here?" Dadan questioned in irritation.

Sabo just laughed.

"If you're the same Sabo I've heard about, then you're supposed to be one hell of a little brat," Dadan said.

"Really, and I've heard you were an old hag," Sabo said, never losing his pleasant tone.

Franky nearly doubled over in laughter.

"You really shouldn't say things like that!" Dadan yelled. "I don't want to deal with any more unruly kids!"

"But you're a nice old hag who can't turn down any requests from other people too, right?" Sabo said, making Dadan grit her teeth. "I've heard that you're an old hag who's a man among men."

By this point, most of the Strawhats were laughing hard. Usopp had to support himself by leaning on Franky and even Zoro and Robin had to suppress their smiles.

"A man among men...I'm a woman!" Dadan yelled.

Sabo kept smiling and laughing.

Dadan growled at him for a moment longer before sighing in defeat. "Ace, Luffy, Sabo, since you're under my care, you better hurry and get to work!"

Luffy smiled happily, glad to hear that Sabo would be able to stay with them.

"She really is a push-over," Franky chuckled.

The memory changed and the Strawhats were standing by a small waterfall. Ace and Sabo were sitting peacefully by the river, eating a huge fish that they had obviously caught and cooked. Luffy was not eating with them. Instead, he knelt some distance away from them, drooling over their food like a hungry dog.

The incident with Porchemy must have been recent since all of them were still covered in bandages.

"What, after all that, they're still not feeding him?" Usopp asked in disgust.

"Luffy, you're a Devil Fruit user?" Sabo suddenly asked.

"Yup!" Luffy answered brightly, still staring at the fish.

"That explains why you can't swim," Sabo said with a frown as he turned towards Luffy. "Here, have some too." He threw Luffy the fin of the fish in his direction and Luffy happily took it.

"Thanks!" Luffy yelled gratefully.

"Luffy just met Sabo and he's already treated him better than Ace," Brook said.

"That isn't saying much, unfortunately," Nami said as she remembered all of Ace's murder attempts.

"Although, I'm surprise Sabo isn't freakout at all about Luffy having an ability," Usopp said. He remembered being left speechless when he first saw Luffy's powers.

"Given that he is a noble from big kingdom, he would have knowledge about Devil Fruits. So, it is no real surprise why Sabo is not shock," Robin said.

"You're too soft, Sabo!" Ace scowled.

Sabo shrugged. "It's no big deal." He got up and looked at Luffy with interest. At that moment, Sabo looked like the little kid that he was. "What fruit did you eat?"

Luffy smiled; glad to find someone around his own age who appreciated his abilities. "The Gum Gum Fruit!" he exclaimed as he ate the entire fin whole.

"Gum Gum? You're made of rubber!?" Sabo asked in surprise.

"Yeah, that's right," Luffy said cheerfully.

"So, you exchanged being able to swim to become a rubberman?" Ace asked cheekily. "That's stupid."

"It's not stupid!" Luffy yelled. "I've got a bunch of unbeatable techniques!"

"Oh, is that right?" Ace teased as he lay on the ground and turned away from the two boys. "A guy who can't even catch a fish shouldn't talk like that."

Luffy walked over to Ace, ready to beat the older boy up. He was held back, however, by Sabo who was pulling his cheek, stretching it to its limits.

"You really are made of rubber," Sabo said in utter fascination. "That's cool!"

"Stop playing with my body!" Luffy exclaimed, obviously hating anyone manipulating his body.

Sabo granted Luffy's wish and let go. The recoil hit Luffy and caused his to tumble forward.

"Strange, Luffy usually doesn't care when his body is pulled," Usopp noted.

"Yeah, he even makes it into a game," Chopper said.

"He is most likely not comfortable having people touch him like that since he has only recently gained his ability," Robin said.

"Still, rubber can stretch, expand, and shrink. It might be pretty useful in a fight," Sabo said, barely containing his excitement.

Luffy was holding his cheek in pain and looked like he was nearly in tears.

"Obviously his body can't stand to be stretched too far if that hurt him," Sanji said.

"I think we all just take for granted how adaptive Luffy is with his Devil Fruit that we forget that he wouldn't be used to it at this age," Nami said.

Luffy suddenly jumped to his feet. "I know, right? Oh hey, I thought of a new technique yesterday! It's called Gum Gum Balloon! It can deflect anything!"

"Really, show me!" Sabo exclaimed in excitement.

"Alright, but this is a special show!" Luffy shouted as he turned towards Ace, who was pretending to be asleep. "I won't show you, Ace. So, don't look!" He then turned back to Sabo. "Here I go! Gum Gum Balloon!"

He sucked air into his lungs and turned himself into a human rubber balloon. It was the same as the Strawhats remembered it, except Luffy had to hold his hands to his mouth to keep the air in. He also looked uncomfortable, since he was unused to expanding his body that much.

Sabo's face fell slightly and it was easy to tell that he wasn't too impressed by the technique.

"I wonder what Sabo had seen in his life. I freaked out the first time I saw Luffy do that," Nami said.

"Well, Luffy also deflected a cannonball at the time too," Zoro said. "Compared to other Devil Fruits, Luffy's abilities are not that flashy or impressive looking on their own."

"Still, seeing someone turn into a balloon isn't a common sight," Chopper said.

Ace chose that moment to stand up and walked towards Luffy. The older boy then kicked Luffy in the backside, sending him flying into the air like a giant rubber beach ball.

"Some exercise will help me digest my food!" Ace yelled almost sadistically.

"What are you doing?" Luffy asked through his clamped mouth.

"Sabo, kick him back!" Ace yelled at his friend.

Sabo didn't seem too happy to play kickball using Luffy, but he did what Ace said and kicked Luffy on his side, knocking him back in the air.

"Cut it out!" Luffy screamed through his clamped mouth. He obviously hated being played with in this manner.

"This is kind of mean," Usopp said as he watched the almost cruel horseplay.

"I wonder if it was this kind of play that desensitized Luffy to having his body manipulated by others," Robin wondered out loud.

"This is supposed to be an invincible technique that can deflect anything!?" Ace mocked as he jumped in the air.

"Stop already!" Luffy begged through his pinched mouth.

"Why doesn't he just deflate?" Franky asked.

"I think he is afraid to," Robin said.

"Or, he's too stupid to realized that," Sanji said dryly.

"Try to deflect my kicks!" Ace dared as he kicked Luffy hard in the stomach, spiking him downwards into the water.

He bounced off the rocks and landed butt first into the river. He floated for a moment, since he was filled with air, but Luffy quickly panicked. In his panic, he began to release the air from his body and sink. That wasn't the end of his bad luck. The water suddenly rose and a giant alligator came out of the river and had Luffy in its mouth.

Luffy barely had time to scream as the alligator ate him whole, ending the memory.

All that Strawhats stood in silence as they took in the scene they just saw.

"Well...that was an unexpected ending," Sanji mumbled.

"With friends like those," Usopp muttered.

"Seriously, it's hard to believe that these are the same two people Luffy admires so much," Nami said. "I mean, Ace was practically a bully and Sabo wasn't much better, going along with whatever Ace wanted."

"Well, obviously something changed," Zoro said. "Luffy isn't one to give out respect easily. Especially to the point where he's willing to abandon everything to live within a dream world."

All the Strawhats nodded in agreement.

The next memory appeared in a wave of mist and the Strawhats were now standing in an opened field within the forest.

"Where are we now?" Usopp asked as he looked around.

"Looks like a training ground," Zoro observed. On one of the far sides, Sabo was standing next to a chalkboard. It reminded him of the field he used to use when he trained as a kid.

They heard a loud battle cry and the Strawhats turned to see Luffy charging Ace while he swung his arm around wildly.

"Here I go!" Luffy yelled. "Gum Gum Pistol!" He shot his arm out to hit Ace. His arm wobbled like stringy candy before it fell to the ground, short of hitting anyone. When it hit the ground, however, it bounced back up and hit Luffy in the face, causing him to reel backwards in pain.

The sight made most of the Strawhats snickered.

Ace was annoyed by these turns of events. "What do you think...you're trying to do!?" he yelled as he hit Luffy in the face with a flying kick.

"One point!" Sabo exclaimed as Luffy went sliding across the ground. He scribbled the number on the chalkboard.

Luffy was too dazed to care.

"Wow, he actually hit himself. With his own ability no less," Sanji said with a smirk on his face.

Franky laughed loudly. "That was pathetic."

Zoro sighed. "He has a long way to go." He couldn't talk. There was a time he could barely used two swords.

"I have heard that some Devil Fruits are harder to master than other," Robin stated in thought. "Being able to control the projection of his rubber body must be difficult. Especially given his age."

At that moment, Sabo and Ace began to spar. They were about evenly matched with both of them landing several good hits on one another. The match was decided, however, when Ace evaded Sabo's right hook and he managed to successfully uppercut Sabo into the air.

"It's really something to see the real Sabo," Nami said. "I mean, we only got to meet him as a projection in Luffy's mind."

"I still find it hard to believe that Sabo is so even with Ace," Usopp said.

"Sabo is so cool," Chopper said with stars in his eyes.

"Sabo, you're fighting me now!" Luffy shouted.

Sabo took up the challenge and ran towards Luffy. The younger boy didn't bother to move.

"Shouldn't you be dodging?" Sabo asked as he got closer to Luffy. "I won't hold back on you!"

Luffy laughed cockily. "Gum Gum Shield!" He stretched his fingers to act as a shield.

"Hm, I haven't seen that technique since Arlong Park," Sanji said.

"You only stretched your fingers," Sabo muttered. He stopped short of reaching Luffy and grabbed his stretched fingers, surprising Luffy. "This is cool!"

"Stop it!" Luffy exclaimed.

Sabo let go and the fingers snapped back and hit Luffy in the face, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Ace sighed. "I hate to ask this, but are your abilities good for anything at all?"

"Dammit, it won't work!" Luffy shouted in frustration. "And I was so close, too!" He started to breathe hard as he attempted to calm down. "One more!"

"No, one-hundred fights per day," Ace said firmly. "You can try again tomorrow."

Sabo went to update the board. "Luffy lost fifty times to Ace and me. I have twenty-four wins and twenty-six loses to Ace." He gritted his teeth in frustration. "I lost by two points, dammit!"

"You two, I'll beat the crap out of you after I turn ten!" Luffy yelled.

"We'll be thirteen by then," Ace pointed out dryly. "Let's go and get supplies and dinner."

Luffy grumbled something under his breath as he followed Ace and Sabo to the watering hole. His mood picked up when he saw several alligators bathing in the sun near the water.

Ace also smiled. "Right, so you want to go for some alligators?"

"Alligators meat sure is tasty," Luffy said as he licked his lips.

"Luffy, don't get eaten this time," Sabo warned. "Last time, you only survived because of your inflated body."

"After Ace kicked him into the water," Nami muttered dryly.

"Just watch us. You can't swim, so you'll only get in our way," Ace said.

Instead of listening to Ace, Luffy jumped into the watering hole. "Alligator meat!"

"I told you to watch!" Ace yelled as he jumped after him.

Sabo sighed and jumped shortly behind them.

After a fairly long fight, the three boys were successful in killing their alligator, earning a small celebration.

"They seem to be getting along much better," Chopper said before he smiled. "Luffy's even picking up some weight, so that must mean he's eating better."

"I think it is because Ace and Sabo are helping Luffy to hunt," Robin observed.

"There is always safety in numbers," Brook said. "Especially since Luffy can't control his powers all that well."

Nami shook her head. "I still can't believe he hit himself."

The scene changed again and they were now standing in Gray Terminal.

"So, where's Luffy now?" Usopp asked as he looked around. He couldn't find his boy captain anywhere.

As the Strawhats searched for Luffy, Robin saw a strange looking man walk past her. He was tall man, about as tall as Brook, dragging a small wagon behind him.

He had a strange body posture. He seemed to swing back and forward like he was not completely stable. Robin looked down at his feet and realized that they were much too small for someone of the man's size. She also recognized the shoes as belonging to Sabo.

Robin began to chuckle to herself.

"What's so funny, Robin-san?" Brook asked.

"I think we should follow that man inside," Robin said as he pointed to the figure for the rest of her crew.

"Why?" Nami asked in confusion.

"Just a hunch," Robin said with a smile.

The other Strawhats didn't bother to question her further as they followed the strange figure into the city of Goa.

They followed the man down several blocks, passing by several rough looking people.

"This city looks pretty rough," Franky said as he glanced around. "I thought this city was supposed to be considered beautiful."

"It is, at least that's what I've read," Nami said, also surprise by the sights.

"From what I remember, Goa is divided into several sections," Robin said. "The Great Gate, Edge Town, Town Center, High Town, and the Royal Palace. Each of these sections represents the class of the civilians. The nobles of this city live within High Town, which is considered the most beautiful place in all of the East Blue."

"So, this city is divided by class?" Zoro questioned.

Robin nodded. "That is correct. I believe we are currently in Edge Town. The roughest part of the city."

"Sounds like my kind of place," Franky said with a huge grin.

"I didn't think such a divided system existed in East Blue," Nami mused.

"Hey you, just leave that package of yours right here!" someone yelled.

The man that the Strawhats had been following stopped when several thugs surrounded him.

The man said nothing.

"Hey, say something," one of the thugs ordered.

"Shut up, you pathetic hoodlum," the man said in an annoyed voice. The voice sounded like Ace.

"What!?" the thug exclaimed.

A metal pipe came out from under the hood and hit the thug on his side.

"If you're going to rob someone, then you should choose your victims more carefully!" the man exclaimed as he removed his robe. When the hood was removed, Ace, Luffy, and Sabo were stacked up on each other like a totem pole. They each held a pipe in their hands.

"It was them the entire time!?" Chopper exclaimed in shock.

"Knew something wasn't right about that guy," Zoro said dryly.

The thugs gasped in surprise.

"It's those kids!" one of them yelled in horror.

"Let's go!" Ace yelled as Luffy and Sabo broke formation.

The fight didn't last long. Almost all the would-be robbers went down with one hit. Even Luffy had an easy time dealing with them.

Franky began to laugh. "Luffy was beating thugs up even when he was a kid."

"I ask again, what is wrong with this island?" Usopp muttered. Seriously, was he the only one who had a semi-normal childhood?

Once the thugs were dealt with, the three boys quickly got back into their disguise. This time, Luffy was the one on the bottom.

The Strawhats continued to follow the disguise boys as they sold their alligator skin for a nice profit, although Nami claimed they had gotten ripped off and they should have gotten more.

From there, they kept walking until they reached the nicer part of the city. Everything was much clearer to the point where the buildings almost shined in the sunlight. Even the regular people dressed better and looked healthier.

As the boys walked down the road, they got weird glances from the pedestrians. It was obvious that the disguised trio were out of place in this area of the city.

"I'm glad we got so much money for the alligator skin," Sabo said. "Now we got even more for our pirate funds."

"I'm hungry," Luffy complained as he continued to support his friends.

"How surprising," Sanji said in a deadpan voice.

"Hang in there a little longer," Ace encouraged. "You'll get to eat some delicious ramen in just a minute."

"Ramen, what's that?" Sabo asked. "Is it good?"

"Anything will do. I just really want some food," Luffy moaned.

They eventually reached what appeared to be a very fancy restaurant. The building was several stories high and looked more like a hotel.

"Hm, this place doesn't look too bad," Sanji said. "Too bad I can't taste the food here."

"My stomach rumbles at the thought of food!" Brook exclaimed before he paused. "But wait...I have no stomach!" He laughed.

Nami sighed. "Knew we would due for a skull joke."

"This is the place," Ace said with as Luffy walked them in.

"Welcome!" the host greeted with a deep bow as the trio walked through the door. He then panic when he saw what had just walked in. "W...wait a minute! This restaurant doesn't serve your kind!"

Chopper tilted his head in confusion. "What does that mean?"

"It means they don't serve bums from the street," Zoro translated. He had been kicked out of more than a few restaurants because of some dress code or other vague standards that he didn't meet. It was such a pain in the ass.

"What a shitty reason not to serve someone food," Sanji growled. He hated restaurants like these.

One of the boys took out a fancy looking pendant that had a flower symbol engraved onto it.

"I would like a private room," Sabo said with authority.

The host's eyes widened. "Th…that crest is..." He began to bow humbly. "Such an honor. A noble coming to our humble restaurant!"

"Oh, now he's kissing their asses," Franky said in annoyance.

"We will prepare the room for you immediately!" the host went on as he ran to prepare the room.

"That's a handy thing you got there," Ace said.

"Well...I picked it up in town earlier," Sabo muttered nervously.

It took a few minutes, but the room was ready and the boys were given a VIP room at the top of the restaurant. It didn't take long after that for the boys to have their dishes of ramen served.

"Here are you, three orders of ramen," the waitress said meekly. "Sorry to keep you waiting." She started to leave the room. "Take your time and enjoy." She closed the door behind them.

"So, this is ramen!" Sabo exclaimed in excitement as he got off from under the robe.

"It looks tasty!" Luffy yelled, drooling.

Ace smiled happily. "Well, try to eat some."

Neither one of them had to be told twice before they were digging into the ramen.

"Delicious!" Luffy shouted happily.

Sabo practically inhaled his entire bowl. "You're right, this is delicious!"

It only took the boys a few minutes to finish off their bowls.

"I want another one!" Luffy shouted, causing both Ace and Sabo to quickly cover his mouth.

Sabo pulled away from Luffy and cleared his voice. "I would like another serving. Three orders of ramen!"

This continued for almost an hour with the boys devouring bowls of ramen to their hearts' content.

"And I thought Luffy could pack away food," Nami said. Sabo and Ace were easily matching Luffy plate by plate.

"Well, children tend to eat more in general," Chopper stated.

The boys were on their twenty-sixth bowl of ramen when Luffy got careless and stretched his arm to get the tray from the waitress. None of them noticed anything wrong until the waitress came back with her manager.

"Mr. Customer, I was just told that..." the manager yelled, startling the boys who weren't in their cloak.

"Damn, we're busted!" Ace yelled with ramen still hanging from his mouth.

"Run!" Sabo shouted.

Luffy stuffed an entire bowl of ramen into his mouth as he followed his friends.

The three troublemakers made their exit by jumping out of the window.

"They're running without paying!" the manager yelled. "Somebody catch them!"

Zoro began to laugh. "Luffy just pulled a dine-and-dash. He's a real delinquent now!"

Nami rubbed her forehead. "Ace is a terrible influence."

"Actually, if we did that more often, we would save money on Luffy's food bill," Franky said in thought.

Robin nodded. "That is true. We are pirates, so we do not have to pay for our meals."

"We're not those kinds of pirates," Nami muttered.

"That ramen was delicious!" Sabo shouted as he descended.

"I told you so," Ace said smugly.

The kids broke their fall by landing on a shop's umbrella on the way down. Once they were back on the street, they made a mad dash out of the city.

"Don't let them escape!" a police officer yelled. "Somebody catch those children!"

"Damn, it's those three again!" someone yelled.

"They've done this before I see," Usopp said dryly.

During their run, they passed a man wearing a fancy purple suit and with a top hat to match.

"Sabo!?" the man called. "Isn't it Sabo? Wait!"

Sabo turned around and his face paled when he saw the man.

"You're still alive!?" the man exclaimed. "Please, come home!"

"Hey Sabo, that man's calling you," Ace said as he stopped running.

"Who's he?" Luffy asked.

Sabo gritted his teeth. "He must think I'm someone else. Let's go!" He ran ahead of them. Ace and Luffy followed shortly behind him.

"Please wait!" the man shouted.

This time, none of them turned to stop.

The memory suddenly changed and the Strawhats were now by a cliff face overlooking the sea.

"These scene changes are impossible to get used to," Usopp said.

"What, I'm not hiding anything!" Sabo exclaimed.

The Strawhats saw Luffy and Ace confronting Sabo.

"Really?" Luffy asked, not quite believing him.

"Of course he is," Ace said as he glared at his friend. "Spit it out! Do you think it's right to keep secrets from each other!?"

Sabo cringed at the tone of Ace's voice. He turned his head away, unable to face his friends. "Like I said, it's nothing."

Ace and Luffy both grabbed him and proceeded to choke him.

"Tell us already, or I'll beat you up!" Ace shouted.

Sabo was starting to turn a nice shade of blue before he finally gave up. "I'll...I'll tell you!"

They both let him go, giving Sabo time to collect air again.

"I..." Sabo started slowly. "I'm the son of noble."

There was a long pause between the two boys. After a moment, both of them shoved their pinkies up their noses and pick at them with an air of indifferent.

"So?" Luffy and Ace asked together in the same bored tone.

"You wanted to know!" Sabo yelled in annoyance.

"Are you sure Luffy-san and Ace-san are not related?" Brook asked.

Chopper nodded. "They do act so much alike at times."

"I wonder..." Nami muttered as she rubbed her forehead. To think, they thought for sure Ace was too polite to be Luffy's brother.

"The truth is, both my parents are alive," Sabo stated in a sad voice. "I'm not an orphan, and I didn't grow up in Gray Terminal either. The man who called out to me today was my father."

Ace gasped in surprise.

"I lied to you," Sabo whispered in shame. "I'm sorry."

"He apologized, so it's fine, right? I forgive him," Luffy said, using his simple logic.

"To tell the truth, I'm shocked," Ace said honestly. He turned to look towards the sea. "If you were a noble, why would you want to go to that place?"

Sabo was silent for a moment. "The reason why I ran away from home…."

He began to tell Luffy and Ace stories about how his parents treated him like property and how he was forced to study for ungodly hours to become a 'proper' noble so he could marry a princess and increase his family's rank.

One of the incidents that stood out in Sabo's mind was when he was bullied by a noble from the royal family when coming home. The boy had attacked Sabo with a knife when he refused to carry the boy home. When Sabo attempted to explain to his mother what had happened, she slapped him and begged for forgiveness to the other boy's family.

"All they wanted was an heir to protect their status and fortune," Sabo said bitterly. "Not me..."

Most of the Strawhats were in tears listening to Sabo's plight. Robin and Chopper were especially moved by Sabo's story. They both understood the pain of being unloved by ones' own relatives.

Nami was also near tears, but it was for a different reason from Robin and Chopper. She used to dream of living with a rich family during the harder days when her mother was alive. Sabo was living the life she once wanted and it was anything but a happy one. She supposed it showed that money truly couldn't buy a happy family.

"If I couldn't marry a royal girl, I'd be trash to them," Sabo went on, becoming more sour and angry as he spoke. "For that reason, they made me study with a tutor every single day. My parents would always fight because I wasn't good enough for them. I was nothing but a bother in that house."

Chopper was actively crying now and Robin leaned down to comfort the young reindeer.

"I feel bad for you two, but even with parents, I'm still alone," Sabo said, his voice cracked a little.

The entire atmosphere felt cold to the Strawhats. To see that these three boys who had barely begun to live all shared in the experience of loneliness seemed unfair. It also hurt since their pain mirrored the Strawhats' own experience. It was as dream Ace had said. Luffy, Ace, and Sabo were all outcasts in the world.

"The nobles despise the Gray Terminal, but I would rather stay there than live a life that has been planned decades in advance in that suffocating High Town," Sabo said.

"I see," Ace said softly as his eyes became downcast. This was one of the first times that the Strawhats had seen Ace express emotions besides anger, annoyance, and cockiness.

Sabo suddenly stood up. "Ace, Luffy, the three of us will set out to sea someday! We'll go out of this country and be free! I want to see the wide world and write a book about what I saw! If I have to study in preparation for the voyage, then that's no problem! Let's become stronger and become pirates!"

Luffy started to grin widely. Ace also smiled and laughed.

The heavy mood from before had completely disappeared. It was replace by an air of excitement and wonder that only kids could emit.

Ace walked towards the cliff and stared into the open sea. "I'd become one even if you didn't tell me to. I will become a pirate, defeat everyone in my way, and become known across the world! That will be proof that I lived!" He looked up into the sky with a huge cocky smile on his face. "I don't care if the world doesn't accept me, no matter how much they hate me, I'll become a great pirate and stand above everyone else! I won't run from anyone, or lose to anyone. I'll make sure the world knows my name, even if it's through fear!"

"Really, alright!" Luffy exclaimed as he ran towards the cliff. He took a deep breath and shouted his dream for the heavens to hear.

Both Ace and Sabo looked at him in surprise.

"And here I was wondering what you would say..." Ace muttered as he shook his head.

Sabo burst into laughter. "You sure are an interesting guy, Luffy! I can't wait to see what the future has in store for you!"

The Strawhats couldn't help but to look at Ace and Sabo with sadness. It was tough hearing their dreams and desires for the future when they knew their fates. It was also hard to hear about their own captain's future given the fate he would suffer if they failed to save him in time.

"But wait, becoming pirates is one thing, but all three of us want to be captains, don't we," Sabo said in concern.

"An obstacle I hadn't considered," Ace said in worry. "Sabo, I just assumed you would be my navigator or something."

"You guys can be on my ship," Luffy said happily.

"No thanks!" Both Ace and Sabo snapped.

Luffy gasped in shock. "Why not!? Come on, join me!"

"That's never going to happen!" Ace yelled.

"Yeah, no way," Sabo said in a dismissive tone.

"What!?" Luffy yelled furiously. "Well, okay then." He pouted as he crossed his arms.

"What the hell?" Ace snickered when he saw Luffy's face.

Sabo also began to laugh. "You really are an interesting guy, Luffy!"

"You know, that actually explains Luffy's Dream World better," Zoro said.

"I guess it was long lost dream for him to sail with his brothers as one crew," Brook said sadly.

The scene changed and the Strawhats were in another part of the forest. They were, however, not too far from the cliff they were just standing at.

"Well, we can decide our future later," Ace said as he approached a tree trunk with a bottle of sake. On the tree trunk were three sake cups.

The Strawhats stared at the scene in shock. They knew what they were about to witness.

"Maybe we'll end up on three different ships," Ace said as he sat the sake bottle on the tree trunk.

"Did you steal that liquor from Dadan?" Luffy asked.

Ace grinned in response and started to pour the sake into each of the cups. "Did you know, that when men drink together, they become brothers?"

Luffy's eyes widened in awe. "Brothers, really?"

There was a huge grin on Sabo's face.

"Maybe we'll not be pirates on the same ship, but we are united by our bond of brotherhood," Ace said as he gave a soft smile, making him look more like the Ace the Strawhats knew. "No matter what we do or where we are, no one will ever break that bond!"

Each of the boys picked up a cup.

Before Ace sipped the sake he looked at both of his friends. "From now on, we are brothers!"

They all slammed their cups together before drinking the sake, sealing their eternal bond of brotherhood, no longer pariahs in the world.

"Yeah!" they all shouted.


	8. Unfound Freedom

In a flash of light, the Strawhats stood inside Dadan's house. The group of bandits were doing their usual business of getting drunk and celebrating their latest robbery. The Strawhats, however, had too much on their minds to really notice their surroundings.

"That sake ceremony, that was so beautiful," Brook said as tears flowed out of his empty eye sockets.

Chopper was also sniffing. "The bond of brotherhood is so beautiful."

Nami shook her head. "I don't know if I can see too much more. Knowing what is going to happen to them..."

Sanji went to comfort Nami. "I understand, Nami-san, but if we are to help Luffy, these are scenes that we must see."

"To get a better understanding of the tragedy," Robin finished solemnly.

"We're home!" several boyish voices suddenly yelled.

The Strawhats turned to see Ace, Luffy, and Sabo walking through the door. They were covered in dirt and grime, showing that they had been on another hunting trip.

"Don't come home, annoying brats!" Dadan yelled. Before she could yell at them any further, Sabo threw a dead deer in her face.

"That's for dinner," Sabo said cheerfully.

"Cook it now," Ace casually ordered.

"It's mealtime!" Luffy exclaimed in excitement.

"What a bunch of rude things," Sanji muttered.

Nami sighed. "Boys will be boys."

In less than an hour, the deer was cooked and Dadan slammed the stack of meat on the floor. Just like on the first day Luffy arrived with the bandits, it was a feeding frenzy. People shoved, threatened, and knocked each other over for every piece of meat.

Unlike last time, Luffy was able to get several of pieces of meat for himself. He had to eat fast, however, since the other bandits and his own brothers would reach onto his plate and steal his food. Ace went as far as to knock meat right out of Luffy's hands while he still chewing on it.

"What a bunch of barbarians," Sanji scowled as he watched the chaotic scene.

"Sad to see that Luffy's eating habits are actually civil," Usopp said as he watched Ace knock out a bandit who attempted to reach for a piece of meat.

"Even Sabo is violent," Franky said as Sabo used his pipe to clobber one of the bandits in the head.

After about an hour had passed, the meal slowed down to a more normal level.

"Meals should be good on a ship," Sabo suddenly said with a huge smile. "I'm going to get the best cook first thing when I go out to sea."

"I knew Sabo was the smart one of the group," Sanji said with a smile.

Zoro side-eyed Sanji. "He said the best cook, not a crappy cook."

"Say that again, moss head!" Sanji growled.

"I'm going to become a pirate before you do, so just forget about it," Ace said smugly.

Just as Ace said that, a large shadow began to loom behind him.

"That's not fair, I'm going to be a pirate first!" Luffy yelled as he grabbed Ace.

Dadan paled when she saw the figure behind Ace, Luffy, and Sabo. The other bandits also cringed in horror and started to spit out their sake.

Ace and Luffy took notice of their reaction and stopped talking. A grunt got their attention and the two brothers turned blue in fear. They slowly turned around to see a very pissed off vice-admiral behind them.

The Strawhats were more than a little unnerved when they saw Garp's eyes practically glow as he glared at his grandsons.

"You're still saying crap like that!?" Garp roared. He still, strangely enough, had his characteristic grin on his face.

Luffy and Ace both looked like they were going to have hearts attacks as they stared at their grandfather.

The Strawhats had never seen Ace scared before. His normally calm and cold composure completely shattered in the presence of the older man.

"Wow, even Ace is scared of Luffy's grandpa!" Chopper yelled in shock.

"Can't either of you understand that you must become marine solders!?" Garp continued to roar as he raised his fists.

He slammed both of his fists into Ace and Luffy's skulls. They both fell to the floor with large bumps forming on the top of their heads.

"Dadan!" Garp yelled.

"Yes, Garp..." Dadan started to say as she stood up. She was also hit upside the head and joined Luffy and Ace on the floor. "Why should I get hit too?" she moaned.

Sanji winced when he saw that. Even if Dadan could be a pain in the ass, she was still a lady.

"No mercy even for a woman," Usopp whispered.

"You're not educating the brat well!" Garp yelled, still on a rampage.

"She's a mountain bandit, you know?" Nami muttered as she sweat dropped.

"He's Garp?" Sabo whispered as all the color drained from his face. He looked like he wanted to jump through an open window. "He's Ace and Luffy's grandfather?"

"Squirt, you mentioned about going out to sea too," Garp growled as he glared at Sabo.

The boy was too frozen in fear to answer.

"This scene is kind of uncomfortable to watch," Usopp said.

It was unreal to see these boys who were all monsters in their own right wither in fear of one man. Even facing a group of pirates that had just tortured a kid didn't provoke this kind of reaction out of Ace and Sabo.

"He's not a squirt, he's Sabo!" Luffy yelled, jumping to Sabo's defence. The bump on top of his head was still growing. "We exchanged a cup of sake and pledged to become pirates!"

"He has such a big mouth," Ace muttered in pain as he attempted to pick himself off the floor.

Garp cracked his knuckles. It was the same thing Luffy did just before an ass kicking ensued. The Strawhats began to fear the worst for the brothers.

"Oh, you mean now there are three fools who want me to give them a real workout," Garp said as he finished cracking his knuckles. The grin on his face was purely satanic.

The brothers stared at Garp for a moment before they screamed in terror and bolted for the door, nearly running over each other.

"You can't get away!" Garp yelled as he gave chase.

The three brothers didn't stop as they ran screaming through the forest. Garp, despite his size, was fast and easily caught up with the brothers.

"Take this!" Garp yelled as he punched at Luffy.

He missed only by a fraction, but the punch was so powerful that the shockwave knocked Luffy over. Garp then attempted to punch Ace and knocked down an entire tree when he missed.

"Is he trying to kill them?" Franky asked in horror as Garp sent Sabo spinning through the air.

"Luffy-san's grandfather is truly terrifying," Brook whispered as he winced in pain with every hit the boys took.

Chopper covered his mouth as he mentally took note of all the injuries the boys took.

"He doesn't even know Sabo and he's beating him up just as brutally as his own grand kids," Nami said. "He could have killed him."

The 'training' went on for almost an hour and several trees were destroyed during the scuffle. Luffy, Ace, and Sabo were left a bloody mess on the forest's floor and they barely looked conscious.

"That's it for today," Garp said cheerfully as he walked away. "I'm going to be harsher tomorrow! You can't drop dead yet!"

"Even harsher!" Chopper exclaimed. "They really would die!"

"Yeah, I definitely see where Luffy got his will to live," Sanji muttered.

Zoro said nothing, but the sweat on his face said everything.

Once the boys regained consciousness and the ability to walk, it was decided not to return to Dadan's house. The thought of Garp killing them again in the morning wasn't appealing to any of them.

They decided to camp out for the night, but even that didn't end well since it started to rain some time during the night. The brothers were forced to huddle together under a tree to stay warm and dry. A scene that touched the Strawhats.

Once the rain had stopped and morning had come, it was decided by Sabo that they needed to build a hideout for themselves, to hide themselves from Garp, to which Ace and Luffy excitedly agreed.

In the span of a few weeks, using the material found around Gray Terminal, the brothers had created a large tree house in the middle of the forest between Gray Terminal and Dadan's house. They made the base official by flying a pirate flag. The flag symbol had a crossbones design with the letters ASL written across it. The letters were written in each of the boys' favorite colors.

At least, that was the plan. Both Ace and Luffy loved the color red and they wanted it as their color. After much back-and-forth arguing, the two boys eventually fought for the right to use the color. Luffy, of course, lost so the letter 'A' was painted red with Luffy taking his second favorite color, yellow.

"That's a pretty neat base they made," Franky said, deeply impressed.

Even if the tree house was a little on the crude side, it was still amazing that just three kids built it using junk from a trash heap. One of them of them being Luffy who was lousy with craftwork.

"It looks like something I built as a kid," Usopp mused as he remembered his own childhood.

Robin carefully looked over the pirate flag. The crossbones with the 'S' looked like one of the pirate symbols on Luffy's flag in his Dream World. It made sense, but did that also mean that Sabo died before becoming a real pirate?

"Funny, Luffy's childhood was anything but normal, but in other ways it seemed no different from any other normal person," Nami said. She laughed when she saw the brothers play pirate. It was also interesting since Sabo was the only one who knew the proper commands to run a ship.

"Kids are kids, regardless of background," Sanji said as he watched the boys play.

It occurred to Sanji at that moment that they were all acting like children for once. Sabo and Ace especially acted more like miniature adults. It was undoubtedly because of their home life and personal issues, but it was still fairly sad that they had to grow up so fast. Maybe this was why this scene was so precious. It was a rare moment of childhood innocence.

The Strawhats were soon treated to a montage of Luffy, Ace, and Sabo growing up on the mountain. They saw Makino and Woop Slap visit Luffy from Foosha and give the boys new clothes for them to wear. They chuckled along with Luffy and Sabo when they saw Ace blushing at Makino.

They watched the boys train to become stronger and Luffy continually failing at using his powers properly, although he did gradually improve. He hit himself less at the very least.

The Strawhats also watched the brothers run around Goa, causing trouble with their dine-and-dashes, stealing food from the venders, and beating up the local thugs for their money. Some of the Strawhats found it strange and kind of disturbing to see Luffy mugging people and committing acts of robbery. It was just not something Luffy did. He was a bit too honest to be a good thief and he never cared for beating up people weaker than him. Granted, it was all under Ace and Sabo's direction, who had no such issue, but it was surreal to look at.

The seasons changed, and the Strawhats watched the brothers hunt and train in snow. They were even guided for a time under an old pirate who fought and lost to Gold Roger. It was also how Luffy learned of Ace's origins from Sabo.

Luffy, naturally, thought Ace being the Pirate King's son was awesome. Ace strongly disagreed. He disagreed so much that he refused to talk to Luffy for two weeks once he brought up the subject. Sabo tried to play peacekeeper, but nothing got through to Ace and Luffy was forced to hang out with Sabo during that period.

"I wonder why Ace hates his father so much?" Chopper asked as he watched the scene.

"Yeah, I mean his father was dead by the time he was born," Usopp said as he scratched his head. "I see no reason for him to hate him, especially that strongly."

"Maybe he heard some not so good stories about his father," Sanji suggested.

"It's possible. You don't become the Pirate King by being a completely nice person," Zoro said.

Robin lowered her head. She had an idea why Ace disliked Roger. It would also explain why Ace was so angry before he met Luffy.

Sometime during their training with the old pirate, which was just them helping the old man build a ship, Luffy made a bet with his brothers. Still wanting to form a pirate crew with Ace and Sabo, he betted that anyone who could defeat the 'Great Tiger' would become the captain.

The Great Tiger, who Luffy had named, was what Ace called a Goa Beast, animals that were unusually powerful even by Mount Corvo's standards. The tiger itself was ten times bigger than any normal tiger and could easily eat one of the boys for a light snack. Even as reckless as Ace tended to be, he stood as far away as possible from any Goa Beast. Luffy himself had a grudge against the tiger for always stealing his kills.

Despite how dangerous (and stupid, as Nami put it) the bet was, both Ace and Sabo took it and spent the entire winter training to fight the beast. The snow was only beginning to melt when the boys felt strong enough to beat the tiger and went out hunting for it. The old pirate came with them to make sure the tiger wouldn't kill them, but he generally stood in the background as the boys hunted.

After a few hours of hunting, they found the giant tiger.

Ace went first and was able to hit the tiger with his steel pipe upside the head, causing it to flinch. It was nowhere near enough, however, and Ace was easily knocked aside by the tiger's tail.

Sabo was next and managed to wrap a rope around the giant beast. This proved to be a mistake and the tiger pulled Sabo towards him and hit the blond-haired boy with its paws.

"After, what, three months of training, they still can't do a thing against that tiger," Franky said as he watched the boys be pushed aside like they were dolls.

"What a powerful beast. I can see why not even Ace goes near that creature," Usopp said. "What was Luffy thinking making such a crazy bet?"

"Well, whoever does beat that tiger would be worthy of being called captain," Zoro stated nonchalantly.

"I'm beginning to see why that lion on Buggy's crew didn't faze Luffy. That lion was a pussy cat compared to this tiger and there is a mountain full of these beasts," Nami said.

Luffy was the last to go and he threw a quick Pistol at the tiger. Amazingly, the punch actually hit the tiger. It was too bad, however, that the punch deflected off the beast like it was nothing and Luffy was about to be mauled by the tiger. Luffy was too frozen in fear to move and he fell backwards.

"Not good! Luffy!" Ace screamed from the background.

"Run away!" Sabo also yelled.

Luffy still couldn't get his body to move as the tiger was almost on top of him. He would have undoubtedly been killed if Ace and Sabo had not combined their strength and stopped the tiger's claws.

"Ace, Sabo!" Luffy yelled as he stared in amazement at his brothers' strength.

"We can't hold him for long, he's too strong," Sabo muttered as the tiger attempted to crush them.

"Dammit...we're not done yet!" Ace yelled in determination. "There's no way I'll lose!" He glanced at Sabo and Luffy. "You two! Lend me a hand!"

"Hm, looks like Ace's up to something," Sanji observed.

The two brothers released the tiger and made a run for it. Luffy ran with Ace while Sabo went into the opposite direction.

"We're not fast enough. But Luffy, if we use your ability, we might be able to win," Ace told his younger brother. He turned his head in Sabo's direction. "Sabo, I'm counting on you!"

"Right!" Sabo yelled as he began to distract the tiger as Luffy and Ace ran towards the forest.

"Luffy!" Ace yelled once they were in the forest.

"Right!" Luffy exclaimed as he grabbed two parallel trees and stretched his arms.

"Pull back as far as you can!" Ace ordered before he turned back to face his other brother. "Sabo, over here!"

Sabo began to lure the tiger towards Ace and Luffy, but the beast was quickly gaining. "No...it's hopeless! I'll be eaten!"

"Don't give up, Sabo! Lure him as close as you can!" Ace yelled in encouragement.

Poor Sabo was running for dear life as the tiger was nearly on top of him.

Ace ran towards Luffy and leaned back on him. "You ready, Luffy?"

"Yeah!" Luffy exclaimed, ready to launch their counter attack.

Sabo ran into the forest just as the tiger started to pounce on him.

"Gum Gum..." Luffy started to yell as he let his body snap back and sent Ace flying.

"Rocket!" Ace screamed as he nailed the tiger in the neck, crushing its windpipe.

"So, that was his plan," Robin muttered with a small smile. "Very clever on Ace's part."

"Wait, so Luffy's Rocket was originally a combo attack?" Usopp asked in surprise.

"I didn't think anyone would willingly let Luffy rocket them," Chopper said in equal wonder. "Even Zoro screams in terror."

Zoro gave Chopper a nasty glare, even though the young reindeer was right. Being thrown by Luffy was not a pleasant experience.

Nami put her hand on her chin. "Does Luffy think of Ace whenever he does that technique?" It was a somber thing to consider.

With the Great Tiger defeated there was much celebration among the three brothers. That was until Luffy and Sabo realized that since Ace had landed the killing blow, he had officially won the bet.

"And...I guess that makes Ace the captain," Sabo said somberly.

"I trained so hard too!" Luffy exclaimed near tears.

"Just give it up, Luffy," Sabo said as he comforted his little brother.

"Sheesh...don't worry about it," Ace said as he rubbed his hair. "I won't become the captain."

This surprised both Luffy and Sabo.

"Why not?" Luffy asked. He sounded like Ace had rejected him.

"It's not like I defeated the Great Tiger on my own," Ace said. He sounded like he was trying to be humble, but utterly failed at it.

"Ace..." Sabo said with a smile.

"Well, whatever," Ace said with a blush. "Someday, you two will be begging me to be your captain, anyway."

Sabo looked at Luffy and smiled. "You're going to beg for that?"

"Never!" Luffy exclaimed, causing Ace to scream in rage.

"Look how close they've become," Brook mused. "It's hard to believe given how things were just a couple of months ago."

"Even if Ace is still a little jerk," Franky said with a chuckle.

"Well, he did humble himself a little," Chopper said. "The Ace from the start of the memory would have never admitted to needing anyone's help."

Sanji nodded. "True. Although, you have to give him credit for coming up with such a plan within such a short time-span."

As the seasons continued to change, the snow completely melted and the spring rain came. After several days of heavy thunderstorms, the boy's tree house had taken quite a beating.

"I just noticed, they seem to live in that tree house," Nami said. "Do they ever go back to Dadan's?"

Zoro shrugged. "Most likely not. It isn't like those bandits have been looking for them anyway."

Nami nodded in agreement. She couldn't help being disappointed in Dadan. Even if she was a bandit, this was the person that Luffy had all but called his mother. Nothing so far has shown that Dadan gave a damn about Luffy or Ace. Even Luffy must understand the concept of a mother.

"Amazing, we made it through the storm!" Luffy exclaimed as they made their way through the forest.

"Our base is wrecked, though," Sabo sighed.

"Alright, let's gather some new wood!" Ace yelled as they made their way to Gray Terminal.

"I want a telescope!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed.

"Dumbass, you think something like that is going to fall out of the sky?" Ace teased.

"In that case, I'd rather find a cannon," Sabo said.

"If a cannon falls out of the sky, that would be awesome!" Luffy yelled.

Ace and Sabo both laughed in agreement.

Once they reached Gray Terminal, the three brothers began to forage for wood and other supplies they may need in the coming weeks.

"It's no use, Ace," Luffy moaned in defeat. "I can't find a telescope."

"Luffy, why are you looking for a telescope?" Ace asked in annoyance. "Go find usable wood instead!"

Luffy muttered something under his breath and went back to foraging.

After a few minutes, Ace and Luffy went to find Sabo, who went looking ahead in the terminal.

"I never would have guessed that one of the infamous three troublemakers was a noble," a gruff voice could be heard over one of the junk hills.

"Bluejam, how do you know that!?" they heard Sabo yelled.

Ace paled when he heard that name. "Bluejam!" He dropped the supplies that he was carrying and ran towards the source of the voices. Luffy was not far behind him.

"Bluejam, that's the name of the pirate that Porchemy guy was working for," Brook muttered in worry.

Sanji nodded. "Yeah, not too many people have a stupid name like that."

"Hey, don't hurt him now," they heard Bluejam say.

They heard the sounds of fighting in the distance, causing Ace and Luffy to run even faster. By the time they reached the sounds of the fighting, they saw Sabo surrounded by a group of pirates. He was holding his own, but he was badly outnumbered.

Thinking fast, Ace grabbed a nearby barrel and rolled it down the hill to get the pirate's attention. While they were distracted, Luffy and Ace charged in and took out one of the pirates before they could get on guard.

"Ace, Luffy!" Sabo exclaimed in relief.

"You're alright, Sabo?" Ace asked with a cocky grin on his face.

Sabo smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Ace turned to face the pirates. "If all three of us work together, these guys aren't scary at all!"

"That's right!" Luffy exclaimed. "We even beat the Great Tiger of Mount Corvo!"

The pirates growled at them. "You little brats!"

"To finish this fight quickly, we just have to go for the captain!" Ace yelled as he pointed his pipe at Bluejam.

"Yeah!" Luffy yelled before they charged forward.

Several of the pirates attempted to intercept them, but Ace and Sabo were easily able to knock them out of the way. Even Luffy took out his fair share of pirates trying to attack them. This was mostly because he didn't bother to use his Devil Fruit abilities to attack since he still sucked at them. He instead relied on his pipe to deflect and block blows before he moved in to attack.

"They have all gotten much better," Zoro noted as he watched the fight with interest.

"Scary how kids can beat up grown men so easily," Usopp said.

With their path cleared, the brothers ran to confront Bluejam. The pirate captain didn't even flinch when he saw the kids charging towards him. Instead, he calmly pulled his gun out and shot a single bullet at Ace's feet, stopping him in his tracks.

"What!?" Ace exclaimed in shock as all the brother scattered.

Ace and Sabo took cover behind a broken wooden mast while Luffy attempted to hide himself behind a piece of wooden board.

"Huh, why's Luffy hiding?" Chopper asked in confusion.

"I do not think he knows that bullets cannot affect him," Robin surmised in mild amusement.

"Makes sense. It isn't like anyone has successfully shot him yet," Zoro said.

Usopp put his hand on his chin. "Now that you mention it, how did Luffy learn that bullets wouldn't hurt him?"

"Luffy would have to be shot at one point, right?" Chopper asked, not liking his current line of thinking. Bulletproof or not, it was not pleasant thinking about a little kid being shot.

The Strawhats left that question in the air. They didn't care for the mental image either.

"Alright kids, stay where you are," Bluejam said cockily.

"We're not scared of that gun!" Ace yelled defiantly, although Ace only peeked his head around his hiding place.

The pirates used this moment to sneak behind Ace and Sabo. Within seconds, the pirates had grabbed the two boys, while another pirate pinned Luffy to the ground.

"Let me go, you bastard!" Sabo yelled as he thrashed in the pirate's grip. He stopped struggling, however, when several uniformed solders approached them.

The soldiers were all wearing gas masks and carrying rifles as they marched towards the pirates. Among the group was Sabo's father.

"Looks like we came just at the right time," Sabo's father said dispassionately as he looked over the scene.

"Father..." Sabo whispered in dismay.

"Master, he doesn't have a single scratch on him," Bluejam informed.

Nami's eyes narrowed as she watched the memory. "Tho...those pirates are working with the nobles?"

Franky snorted as he remembered the mess at Sabaody. "Can't say I'm surprised. Some people with money are worse than pirates."

Bluejam turned towards his henchman and nodded.

The pirate holding Sabo began to approach the soldiers.

"Sabo!" Ace yelled in horror.

"I see, it must be because of these two," Sabo's father said as he looked between Luffy and Ace with disdain. "They led Sabo down a path of evil."

"Path of evil, really?" Zoro snorted. "He sounds like a marine."

Nami narrowed her eyes. "No. He sounds like a World Noble."

"Give Sabo back!" Luffy demanded as he struggled to get free.

"What do you mean give him back?" Sabo's father asked in irritation. "Sabo is my child! It is the responsibility of every child to live according to the will of their parents who gave them life!" He pointed at Luffy. "You have some nerve, lying to Sabo and convincing him to run away from home! Just a measly pair of kids liked you!"

"What a piece of work," Franky growled. That man deserved a good punch in the face.

"What kind of mind-set is that?" Nami asked in disgust. "No child is bound to the will of their parent."

Sanji chewed on his cigarette. "No wonder the nobles of this city are screwed up."

"Are you attempting to steal my fortune?" Sabo's father asked.

"What was that, bastard!?" Ace yelled angrily.

The pirate holding Ace responded to the outburst by slamming his face into the ground, causing blood to hit Sabo's father's cheek.

The noble man winced in revulsion. "Hey now, pirate, be careful how you handle these children!" He wiped the blood away with a white cloth. "You got some of this inferior filth's blood on my face!"

Zoro began to growl as he reached for his sword. What he wouldn't give to cut that man up. It was just as Nami said. He was very much like those bastard World Nobles.

"How can Sabo's dad be so mean?" Chopper asked in horror and disgust.

"There are some things about human nature that you are better off not understanding," Robin answered, barely hiding her own anger.

Sabo had had enough of this and managed to slide himself out of his captive's grip and ran towards his father.

"Please stop, they didn't deceive me!" Sabo yelled in a desperate voice. "It was my choice to leave home!"

Sabo's father glared at his son. "Just be quiet!"

Two soldiers quickly grabbed Sabo and pulled him away from the pirates.

"I trust that you pirates will take care of the others?" Sabo's father asked.

"Of course we will, master," Bluejam assured. "After all, we've received payment. Rest assured, I will finish these two so they never bother your child again."

This made Ace growl in anger.

Luffy could only bury his fists into the ground.

Chopper paled. "They...They're not really going to kill them, are they?"

Usopp gritted his teeth. "That's what it sounds like."

Brook growled. "What...what kind of man would order children to be murdered? To think, Sabo and that man share the same blood."

"Ace wasn't lying when he said Sabo was an outcast from the other nobles. Sabo actually has a heart," Sanji said, glaring hatefully at the nobleman.

"Wait, Bluejam!" Sabo cried. He turned back towards his father. "Father, it's alright. I understand!"

"What do you understand?" Sabo's father questioned.

Sabo was near tears as the words formed in his mouth.

All the Strawhats knew the look on Sabo's face. They had seen it too many times in their lives not to recognize it on sight. It was a look of resignation. The look of someone who has been defeated and there was no other choice but to give up and accept ones' fate.

Ace too knew that look and his eyes widened in horror. "Don't do it, Sabo!"

Sabo couldn't bear to look at Ace. "I'll do whatever you ask," he said in a broken voice. "I'll live just as you tell me to, so...don't hurt these two. That's all I ask. Please...they are my irreplaceable brothers."

Luffy gasped when he heard those words.

Most of the Strawhats were in tears as they watched Sabo sacrifice his happiness, his life, his dream, and freedom all for the sake of his brothers. What Sabo was doing was far worse than death in their eyes. Even Robin could not hide her emotions as she was reminded of her own sacrifice for her crew.

"Sabo..." Ace whispered.

"In that case, come back home now!" Sabo's father ordered. "Stop with this ridiculous pirate game, right now!"

Sabo said nothing as he turned to leave with the soldiers.

"Sabo, don't go!" Ace screamed desperately.

"Be quiet!" the pirate holding Ace yelled as he slammed the boy back into the ground.

"Sabo, just run!" Ace continued to scream. "We'll be fine! We were going to our freedom together, remember!?"

"Sabo, don't go!" Luffy begged, close to tears.

"Are you going to let it end like this!?" Ace yelled.

He still got no answer from Sabo.

"Sabo!" Ace yelled again.

Sabo started to sob, but refused to face his brothers. He was then lured away by the soldiers and his father.

"Sabo!" Luffy screamed despair as he struggled to free himself.

As Sabo was pushed along something fell out of his coat. When the object hit the ground, all the Strawhats could see that a beat up looking telescope had fallen out. Almost as soon as it hit the ground, one of the soldiers stepped on it, bending it in half.

"Sabo!" Ace gave one last frantic scream.

Sabo, however, refused to turn back as he was led into Goa.

"This...is this what happened to Sabo?" Usopp asked slowly. He was in tears now.

Nami said nothing for a moment. "Luffy said in his dream that Sabo was dead."

"Don't you think what has happened to him is just as bad as death?" Zoro asked coldly. He was shaking in anger at what he had witnessed. Was this the last image Luffy had of his brother? Him being led to what amounted to as hell?

Brook shook his head. "Even though Sabo is just a boy, he's a true man. Only a man could sacrifice everything for the sake of another. To be that selfless at such a tender age, I could only imagine the kind of adult he would become."

"That is if the nobles do not corrupt him," Robin said softly.

Sanji gritted his teeth. "Shitty nobles."

"Captain, what do we with these kids?" one of the pirates asked, bring the Strawhats back to the scene.

"Bring them back to my base," Bluejam ordered.

The scene ended there and everything went dark. After a few seconds, a new memory appeared. The Strawhats were standing in a shack that was very similar to the one that Porchemy used.

"You bastards, untie us!" Luffy screamed.

The Strawhats saw Luffy sitting on the dirt floor tied up along with Ace. Pirates surrounded both of them.

"Why did you bring us here!?" Ace demanded.

"Those nobles have it made, huh?" Bluejam asked instead of answering Ace. He was leaning back in a large chair and had a thoughtful expression on his face. "You kids think so too, right?"

Both Luffy and Ace glared at the pirate captain.

"They look down on all of us and think we're trash, while they live their proud, carefree lives. Wouldn't you say he's better off living as a noble?" Bluejam asked.

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Ace yelled.

"Pirates are much better, of course!" Luffy added. "Sabo says so too!"

Bluejam took a swig of his liquor. "I feel sorry for you two." He looked towards one of his men. "Untie them."

The pirate went up to the boys and cut the rope off them.

"Why do you think a child of a noble would leave High Town and go to Gray Terminal?" Bluejam asked. "All nobles are the same, whether they be kids or adults. There's no doubt he thought we were all fools. In his heart, he was looking down on you as well."

"Don't be ridiculous! Sabo isn't that kind of guy!" Ace yelled angrily.

"That's right, we're brothers!" Luffy yelled.

Bluejam looked amused by the comment. "Is that so, please forgive me. But you guys can't go near that kid again. If you're planning to do that, I've got no choice but to kill you right here. If you think he's your brother, then it's better for him too if you left him alone."

"For some reason, Bluejam reminds me of Kuro," Usopp suddenly said.

"They do both seem to be motivated by the lure of higher living, which is unusual for a pirate," Nami observed.

"Bluejam seems to be an odd kind of pirate," Robin noted. "It is not normal for a pirate to be grounded in one place for so long. Even Red-Hair ventured out of the village when he used Foosha as his base."

"That's true. Hell, he even works for the nobles like some kind of lap dog," Zoro said.

Sanji folded his arms. "Bluejam acts more like a bandit than a pirate."

Ace gasped, taken aback by Bluejam's words.

"But Sabo hates High Town!" Luffy yelled.

"Just forget all about that," Bluejam said dismissively. "That's what kindness is. You'll understand when you're grown up." He paused for a moment. "We've had our differences in the past, what with that Porchemy's incident, but what's past is past. Or rather, I like strong guys like you. So, I've got a suggestion for you. It's not a half bad deal."

Luffy and Ace looked at him curiously.

"I'm short on men. Will you help me with a job?" Bluejam asked bluntly.

This caught the brothers by surprise.

"Is he serious?" Usopp asked. "He thought nothing of killing them earlier."

"Most pirates do value strength above all else. Including personal issues and grudges," Robin said in thought.

"Oh, it's a simple job. There's nothing dangerous about it," Bluejam said with a smile. "I got a map of Gray Terminal here. You've got to carry some goods to the spot marked with an X. That's all. Are you up for it?"

"Well, that doesn't sound suspicious," Sanji said in a dry tone.

"I wonder if they are carrying drugs?" Robin asked out loud.

"Wouldn't surprise me," Franky said.

Luffy looked like he was ready to shout no.

"Alright," Ace said, catching Luffy by surprise. "How much will you pay us?"

Bluejam chuckled.

The scene faded.

"Why the hell would Ace work with that guy?" Usopp asked as the scene shifted. "He's got shady practically written on his forehead. Not to mention, he's the captain of that guy who tortured Luffy."

"What I want to know is why that pirate hired them to begin with," Franky said. "There're plenty of people in that Gray Terminal who would do such a simple job for pay."

Zoro nodded. "He's up to something."

"What about Sabo?" Chopper asked. "They can't be planning to just leave him in that city. I mean, Luffy has always come for us when we were in trouble."

None of the Strawhats had the chance to answer before the new scene appeared. Luffy and Ace were walking with several square crates in their hands. They were surrounded by several pirates who were also carrying crates.

"Ace, I don't like it when Sabo's not around," Luffy said.

"Deal with it," Ace said harshly. "I want to go get Sabo too, but I don't know what would really make Sabo happy."

Luffy frowned, not liking this at all.

"Don't tell me he actually believed that pirate," Nami said, upset by Ace's refusal to save Sabo.

"Bluejam did make a strong point," Robin said. "From the outside looking in, Sabo has the perfect life. He has money, security, and many other things offered by the nobles. From Ace's point-of-view, Sabo has everything."

"But Sabo said himself how miserable his life was with his parents!" Usopp yelled.

"Not everything is so black and white," Sanji said. "To Ace, maybe he thinks the benefits of being a noble outweighs any negatives."

"Let's see how things go. He's strong," Ace said. "If he isn't happy, he's sure to come back to us. We have to keep collecting the pirate fund in case that time comes."

"He has a point," Zoro said.

"Why do I feel that things won't work out that way," Brook whispered mostly to himself.

The scene ended there and the Strawhats were transported to what looked like a shoreline during the late afternoon. They were standing by a pirate's ship with a red skull as its figurehead.

"Not a shabby ship," Franky said as he looked over the pirate ship. "Although, it looks kind of run down. It could use a touch up or two. It looks like she hasn't been at sea for a while."

Robin carefully looked over the ship. "It would seem our theory about Bluejam was right."

Nami looked across to see what Robin was referring to. The grass from the shoreline was growing on the sides of the ship. "The Bluejam Pirates have been here a long time. I would guess a couple of years by the growth here."

"So, Bluejam is a pirate who has left the sea," Sanji stated.

Nami nodded. "That would explain why I've never heard of him. I've kept track of all active pirates in East Blue after Arlong came to my village."

"So that you would know which ones were worth robbing," Zoro surmised.

"Huh? Burn down Gray Terminal!?" Ace suddenly yelled, before Nami could answer. "Why are you doing that!?"

The Strawhats turned to find Luffy and Ace standing in front of Bluejam.

"You fool, don't scream!" Bluejam scolded. "We can't let anyone else know about this!"

"This is serious! We gotta tell everyone!" Luffy yelled as he turned towards Ace. "He's a bad guy, just as I thought!"

"Funny, Luffy had more foresight than Ace on this," Sanji mused.

"Luffy-san is very good at reading people despite his trusting nature," Brook said.

"I told you not to scream," Bluejam said in annoyance. "Hold them down."

Two of the pirates restrained Ace and Luffy by grabbing their arms. They struggled to get free, but it was all in vain.

"I'm not the mastermind," Bluejam said honestly. "There was oil and explosives in the boxes that you guys carried yesterday and today."

Ace froze when he heard this.

"There will be a massive fire that no one can escape from," Bluejam continued to explain as he gave a wide grin.

Nami gasped in horror. "Hundreds of people will be killed!"

"Does this guy have any honor?" Brook asked in disgust.

Chopper was extremely upset. As a doctor, he knew how painful it was for people to burn to death.

"No..." Luffy whispered. He became extremely pale.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Ace yelled in rage and disbelief.

Bluejam laughed at them. "Even punk kids like you two are freaking out? But now you know about the plan." He walked slowly towards the two brothers. "We can't let that go."

Luffy and Ace could only growl in response.

"I want to ask you something before the fire," Bluejam said casually. "Do you have a treasure hidden somewhere?"

Ace gritted his teeth at the man.

Bluejam smiled, knowing the answering. "Care to tell me where."

Franky snored. "You pretty much told them that you were going to kill them and then you asked them for their money? What an idiot."

Ace continued to give the pirate captain a cold glare.

Bluejam shrugged. "Fine, don't tell me." He looked towards his men. "Tie them to the ship. They can burn with the rest of the garbage."

The memory ended at that point.

"That bastard..." Franky growled.

"Why the hell would that shit head burn people alive?" Sanji asked, barely controlling his own temper.

"He is a pirate," Nami said in disgust.

"There's more to it than that," Zoro stated. "He maybe a pirate, but he doesn't strike me as a man who would do something like this on a whim. Didn't he say he wasn't the mastermind?"

Sanji paused in thought. "Yeah, he did say that. So, he was hired to burn Gray Terminal, why?"

Robin lowered her head for in thought.

A new memory came forward and the Strawhats were now on Bluejam's ship. It was night now and the moon could be seen over the horizon. The wind was also quite strong given the way the trees moved in the breeze. It was also strangely peaceful, much like the calm before the storm.

"With this strong wind, the fire will spread faster," Robin noted with concern.

"How can you be so calm!?" Usopp yelled.

Without warning, a giant explosion caught the Strawhats' ears. They looked to see a rush of flame heading towards them. There were several more explosions heard in the distance, turning the entire sky red.

"Shit!" Sanji exclaimed as he moved out of the way of the incoming flames.

Zoro also jumped in surprise at the sudden fire. "Looks like the barn fire has officially started."

Robin walked up to the flames and gently touched it. Her hand passed right through it and there was no harm done. "Just as I thought. Just like how we can stand on water with no ill effect, the fire cannot burn us."

"That's still creepy," Usopp said as the flames began to completely engulf the ship. They could hear the wood starting to break.

"If we're here, does that mean Luffy and Ace are around here?" Nami asked in concern. She attempted to look for them, but could only see flames and smoke.

Zoro turned towards Robin. "Can you use your powers to find him?"

"It's hot! It's hot!" the Strawhats could hear Luffy screaming.

They rushed towards the sound of his voice and found Luffy laying on the ship's deck, crying and completely scared out of his mind as fire surrounded him.

Ace was kneeling on the deck and was holding what looked to be a broken piece of glass in his hand. By the torn ropes the Strawhats could see Ace had obviously used the glass to cut through them.

"Damn, I didn't want to be involved in this," Ace cursed as he regained his bearings.

"We can't get away!" Luffy continued to scream in a blind panic. "I don't wanna die!" He proceeded to bang his fists on the deck.

"I've never seen Luffy cry this much," Chopper said. His heart went out to the boy.

"Who can blame him?" Usopp asked. "He's on a burning ship for goodness sake! Geez, I'd cry too!"

Sanji side-eyed Usopp. "That really isn't saying much."

"I'll leave you behind if you don't stop complaining!" Ace screamed harshly at his brother.

Luffy immediate stopped crying. "It's not hot."

"Amazing how Ace can get Luffy to calm down like that," Brook said.

Ace grabbed Luffy by his arm and they both made their way off the ship. The Strawhats followed the two brothers as they made their way to the shore by jumping off the ship railings and Ace swimming with Luffy in tow. They were still far from safe, however. The fire had spread throughout the area, blinding the two boys with a thick layer of smoke.

Ace wiped his eyes as he led Luffy to Gray Terminal where the heart of the fire was. It wasn't an ideal route, but it was the only path Ace knew to get to the forest. He didn't want to risk taking an unknown route and getting lost in the flames. Hopefully, the fire hadn't spread into the mountains.

The entire time, Luffy was going back and forward about being hot and not being hot.

Somewhere in the middle of their run, Luffy stopped to catch his breath. "I can't breathe..." He quickly changed his mind again as he attempted to act brave. "Yes I can..." He took a deep breath and began to cough as the air burned his lungs. "The air is hot!" he gasped, but attempted to regain his composure. "No, it's not!"

"It's going to be alright," Ace comforted in an unusually gentle voice. It was obvious that he was scared too despite his best attempts to hide it. "I'm here with you!"

That seemed to be the encouragement Luffy needed and he started to calm down.

The two brothers began to run again. Everywhere they went, all they saw was fire. The junkyard, which had been their playground, was completely unrecognizable to them as smoke and fire altered the landscape.

They were also in danger from falling trash that would rain down on them from one of the many of the junk towers. If there was a picture of hell, this would be one of them.

Ace was eventually forced to stop running when a large pile of garbage nearly hit him.

Luffy looked around worriedly. "I wonder if those old men escaped safely."

"This is no time be concerned about other people!" Ace yelled as he searched for a safe path.

"He's thinking about others while he could possibly burn to death himself?" Brook asked in awe. Luffy was showing more and more through these memories why he respected him.

Zoro smirked. "Luffy is just that kind of person, even though he would deny it."

Ace started to cough violently and his body was shaking.

Chopper frowned when he saw the condition Ace and Luffy were in. "This is bad. They're both suffering from heat exhaustion and they're breathing in too much smoke. They're in danger of passing out."

"I'm surprised that they haven't yet, given all this smoke," Franky said. It was nearly impossible for him to see anything and he had enhanced eyesight.

"Because Luffy and Ace are low to the ground, they have been avoiding the worst of the smoke," Chopper stated. "Nonetheless, they need to leave the area quickly before the smoke does permanent damage to their lungs."

"Damn..." Ace cursed once he had stopped coughing. "I don't know where I am."

"Who said you could get away, you brats!?" the all too familiar voice of Bluejam yelled.

The two brothers turned around to see Bluejam and his crew walking through the flames like they were demons. There was something off in their eyes, and they each had a sadistic expressions on their faces. They were also grinning in an unusual way.

"Bluejam!" Luffy exclaimed in shock.

Ace growled when he saw them. "Why are you still here after setting the fire!? You were supposed to have escaped by now!"

"Seriously," Franky said. "He should have been the first one out given that he's the one who started this mess."

"Maybe he couldn't escape in time after setting the fire," Chopper suggested.

Nami shook her head. "I doubt he would be that stupid."

"Shut up, you little shit!" Bluejam shouted, completely losing his cool demeanor, but quickly began to grin again. "We're hopeless, you know. We have an unforeseen dilemma." He chuckled. "Human are strange creatures. When you hit rock bottom, you can't stop laughing."

His crew also begun to laugh as the crazed look on their eyes got worst.

"They are acting weird," Luffy whispered nervously.

"What...what's wrong with them?" Chopper asked as he glanced at each of the pirates. He had never seen humans look like that before. They looked almost demonic.

"They've gone insane," Sanji answered.

Ace quickly realized the danger they were both in. "Luffy, let's go!"

"Don't let them go!" Bluejam ordered.

The two brothers tried to run, but pirates surrounded them.

"We worked together, we're friends," Bluejam said mockingly. "We have to die together."

"This guy is nuts," Nami muttered, feeling frightened for Luffy and Ace.

"We don't want to die with you!" Ace snapped.

"You're so cold," Bluejam said as his grin became even wider. "Come to think of it, you haven't told me where you keep your treasure. I have to save it for you before the fire gets it. Tell me where it is!"

Ace stared at him in disbelief. "Your life in danger and all you care about is treasure?"

"Wow, he's worse than Nami," Usopp murmured. This earned a slap upside the head from the navigator.

"I'm not that greedy!" Nami yelled.

"Yeah, the witch usually puts her own life first," Zoro joked. Sanji kicked him over the comment.

"Don't talk about Nami-san like that!" Sanji yelled.

Bluejam laughed harder. "If you don't care, then tell me where it is."

Ace took a step back from the pirate. "You've gone mad."

"If you're not going to get it, it would be wasted," Bluejam said in a strangely calm voice. "If nothing is done, it's going to be reduced to charcoal like my ship. What a waste."

"You're the one who set your own ship on fire, idiot!" Franky yelled. He wanted to hit Bluejam for killing his ship in such a dispassionate way.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Luffy yelled defiantly. "That treasure is..."

"Alright, I'll tell," Ace interrupted Luffy, surprising the younger boy and the Strawhats.

"Ace, you and Sabo spent a lot of time..." Luffy began to say.

"Sabo would understand!" Ace yelled. He fell silent for a moment. "What matters the most now is your...what matters the most now is our lives."

The Strawhats, however, caught the slip.

Luffy was in tears as he took in Ace's words. "Ace..."

Despite all the chaos from the fire, it took Ace only a few minutes to draw up a crude map.

"We keep our treasure from the last six years in this tree," Ace said when he finished the map.

"I see," Bluejam said as he greedily took the map.

Luffy wanted to cry as he watched Bluejam take the makeshift map.

"Don't cry," Ace scowled before his voice softened. "It's alright. This is not the end."

Without warning, the pirates grabbed Luffy and Ace.

"What are you doing!?" Ace demanded as he struggled to free himself. "I told you where it is!"

"You're right, this isn't the end," Bluejam said before his smirk. "Which means you could be lying. You have to come with me."

"No way, then it would be too late to escape!" Ace screamed. "Why don't you go on your own!?"

Bluejam pointed his gun at Ace's head. "You don't want to mess with me now! I'm determined to make a comeback even if it means stealing from kids so I can take revenge on the nobles. And your brother is one of them."

"Revenge?" Nami asked in confusion.

"It sounds like the nobles were the ones behind the fire and hired Bluejam," Robin surmised. "From Bluejam's words, the nobles betrayed him, leaving him to die in the fire."

Zoro snorted. "Serves that bastard right. Anyone who would do such a shady act deserves to burn."

"For once, I agree with moss head," Sanji said. He still hated the nobles, but what they did to Bluejam could only be called karma.

"But why would they want to suddenly burn the trash heap?" Chopper asked in bewilderment. "There are better ways to clean things up without burning everyone."

"That is the main question. Burning Grey Terminal is the quickest way to destroy the garbage, but why would they suddenly want to?" Robin questioned. There was piece of the puzzle she was missing.

Luffy glared at the pirate captain as he spoke badly about his brother.

"They think they're so special and look down on others as if we're trash!" Bluejam ranted as his anger grew.

"Sabo isn't like that!" Ace yelled defiantly.

"He's the same as them, fool!" Bluejam screamed. "He was with you both just to feel superior!"

"That's not true!" Luffy screamed near tears.

"His parents are loaded, he doesn't have to worry about anything," Bluejam continued to fume. "It was just a pastime to him! He was looking down on you guys and laughing to himself holding his nose!"

"Stop talking badly about Sabo!" Ace screamed.

"Yeah, Sabo just wants to be free!" Luffy yelled. He bit deeply into the arm of his captive, forcing the pirate to release him as he screamed in anguish. When Luffy hit the ground he had his pipe out.

"You little shit!" the pirate screamed as he raised his sword.

Luffy attempted to block the sword with his pipe, but the pirate cut the metal pipe in half and the sword went right into Luffy's face.

"Luffy!" Ace screamed in horror.

Luffy fell to the ground and rolled around, screaming in agony. Blood freely flowed from the wound, nearly blinding the rubber boy. He had a deep gash that went from his forehead all the way down his face to his mouth.

"Luffy!" Nami exclaimed in shock.

Zoro winched when he saw the wound. That was how he lost his own eye.

"That strike could have taken his eye!" Chopper yelled as he looked over the injury. "If he was a normal human, that wound would've at least leaved behind a horrible scar."

"I'm going to kill you!" the pirate yelled as he raised his sword to do a downward thrust.

"He's no longer a threat! What's the point in killing him!?" Brook yelled angrily at the pirate.

"Let him go!" Ace yelled in a panic.

Bluejam and the other surrounding pirates laughed sadistically at the scene. Ace's pleas went unheard as the pirate thrust down.

"Don't you touch Luffy!" Ace screamed at the top of his lungs.

Without warning, an aura was blasted across the area. The pirates froze in place for a moment before they collapsed unceremoniously to the ground. Only Bluejam remained standing.

Zoro's eye widened in surprise. "Conquering Haki...at that age?"

"He's really a monster," Sanji said in awe, nearly dropped his cigarette. "I mean...Luffy didn't even awaken his Haki until he was seventeen!"

Usopp was also frozen in place. "I...I guess it's expected. He is the son of the Pirate King."

Bluejam was left speechless as he looked at his fallen men. Whatever remained of his sanity snapped at that very moment.

"Luffy, are you okay!?" Ace yelled as he checked on his brother.

Luffy was still sobbing and clutching his bleeding wound.

Bluejam used this opportunity to grab Ace by the back of his neck and pull him up.

"What did you do!?" Bluejam demanded. Without waiting for an answer, he slammed Ace into the ground.

Ace slowly began to pick himself up. "Dammit..."

Before he could get up, however, Bluejam stepped on Ace's chest and held him down.

"You creepy little brat!" Bluejam yelled as he pointed his gun at Ace's head. "Do you want to make a fool out of me too!?"

"It isn't too hard," Franky said dryly.

Luffy was finally able to roll himself over and watched in horror as Ace was about to be killed. "Ace!"

Bluejam grinned as he started to fire his gun. Just as he pulled the trigger, however, someone pushed the gun away from Ace's head. The bullet missed him by only a couple of inches.

Brook gasped. "That's..."

Holding back Bluejam's hand was Dadan.

"Dadan!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.

Dadan growled at the pirate. "Stop it, you cretin!" She took out a huge axe she had strapped to her back. "Let go of Ace."

She swung the axe at Bluejam's head, but he was able to block it at the last second with his sword. The force of the attack, however, sent Bluejam skirting back several feet.

Within moments, the rest of the mountain bandits arrived through the fire.

"What are you guys doing here?" Luffy asked as the turban-wearing bandit, whom the Strawhat now knew was named Dogra, leaned over him.

"We finally found you!" the chicken head bandit, who was named Magra, yelled in relief.

"These are pretty serious wounds, Luffy," Dogra said worriedly as he lifted Luffy up. "Are you alright?"

Luffy looked towards the bandit. "Dogra..."

Dogra looked around in distress for a moment. "Where's Sabo!"

"Sabo went home," Luffy said weakly. "He's not here."

The Strawhats watched the entire scene with interest.

"I didn't expect to see her here," Usopp said in surprise as the mountain bandits stood together against the lone pirate.

"You're the boss monkey from Mount Corvo!" Bluejam exclaimed in infuriation.

"I'm the mountain bandit, Dadan," she corrected as she gritted her teeth. "I don't know why, but I'm registered as their foster parent." She looked down at Ace who looked ready to rush Bluejam. She then glanced at Luffy who was being picked up by one of her bandits. "When someone tries to take my boys' life, I won't stand by and watch." She pointed her axe at Bluejam. "Even if I am not their real parent!"

At that moment, any hostility or ill feelings the Strawhats had towards Dadan vanished. She may have her asshole moments, but she truly cared for Luffy and Ace. Maybe Garp was wiser than any of them gave him credit for. She was indeed worthy of the title 'mother'.

Dadan grinned cockily at Bluejam. "I'll just let you go if you back away. If you don't, then I'll have to resort to violence!"

Bluejam gave her a blank stare for a moment before he grinned. "Try it!"

Dadan stepped forward. "Oh yeah? Alright then..." She glared at Bluejam for a moment longer before she turned towards her men. "Run!"

The bandit took off running on Dadan's order.

"I should have known," Nami muttered dryly.

The other Strawhats also sweat-dropped.

All the bandits, however, stopped running when they realized that Ace wasn't following them.

"What are you doing!?" Dogra yelled.

"Ace, hurry up!" Magra called.

Ace wouldn't move. "I...won't run!"

Sanji rubbed his forehead. "He's doing that again."

"What's he thinking!? He's surrounded by flames on all sides!" Usopp exclaimed. "Even if he does beat that pirate, he won't be able to escape!"

"What are you saying Ace!?" Dogra yelled. "Don't try to fight him! Bluejam is a real villain! He's not a guy that a kid like you can beat!"

Luffy struggled to free himself. "L...let me fight too!"

"No, Luffy!" the bandit holding Luffy yelled.

While this was happening, Dadan slowly walked towards Ace. "You all, take Luffy and go on ahead."

"Boss," one of the bandits gasped.

"I'll take responsibly for bringing Ace home," Dadan said with conviction in her voice. It was like nothing the Strawhats had heard from her before.

"Dadan is acting like a completely different person," Chopper said in awe.

"Struggle and hardship do bring out different sides of people," Robin said in a knowing voice.

"Boss," the bandits muttered, not wanting to leave their leader.

"Go!" Dadan ordered fiercely, leaving no room for argument.

"Yes, ma'am!" they yelled as they ran.

"Ace!" Luffy screamed as he was dragged away from his brother. He tried to fight, but he was too weak now. He could only watch as Ace and Dadan disappeared in the flames.

The bandits kept running through the fire and smoke until they were out of Gray Terminal. They didn't stop until they reached a large hill that overlooked the burning junkyard. There, they waited. They waited all night for Dadan and Ace to return, but there was nothing. Only the roar of the fire could be heard in the air.

Luffy could only cry as he watched Gray Terminal burn into the night.


	9. Departures

The scene from the burning Gray Terminal disappeared and the crew was once again inside Dadan's house.

"I'm beginning to wonder how Luffy kept himself sane," Usopp wondered out loud as he rubbed his head. "Between being forced to live with bandits, nearly being killed on a constant basis following Ace, tortured for hours by pirates and being nearly murdered, abused by his grandfather, having one of his brothers taken away, assisted in arson, nearly killed by pirates again, and escaping from a burning junkyard. How the heck does Luffy stay so cheerful?"

"It would be enough to break a normal person," Sanji admitted. Luffy could write an adventure book about his childhood.

"And it's not even over yet," Nami said sadly.

Ace..." Luffy moaned sadly

The Strawhats turned to see Luffy crawling against a wall.

He looked terrible. He was covered in bandages and one of his eyes was patched up. Luffy was also very weak given how he couldn't stand on his own and was being completely supported by the wall.

Still, despite his weakness, he kept moving slowly towards the door. When he was halfway across the room, he had to stop to catch his breath.

Chopper's eyes watered as he watched Luffy struggled. He wanted to help heal his captain, but there was nothing he could do. He hated that this wall all just a memory. He was the doctor, dammit. He was supposed to heal his friends, not watched them suffer.

"Easy, easy. Wait, Luffy," Magna said as he gently picked Luffy up. "You haven't recovered."

"I have to go look for Ace and Dadan," Luffy said desperately.

"You can't do that," Magna said firmly as he put Luffy back into his bed.

Luffy's bedside was covered with medical supplies and bandages. All the bandits surrounded him and they all had looks of anxiety on their faces.

"It's amazing how things changed around here," Nami said in awe as she looked at the scene. "Just a couple of months ago, they wouldn't have cared if Luffy had gotten hurt. They barely cared when he went missing for a week."

"Hardship can forge powerful relationships, even among enemies," Robin stated tenderly.

"You're seriously wounded," Magra said as he looked over Luffy's injures. "You have to rest nice and easy."

"There are a lot troops in Gray Terminal now taking care of the mess from the fire," Dogra added. "It's not just burnt junk they're taken care of, but survivors too. You're going to get killed if you go there"

"They're killing survivors!?" Usopp exclaimed in shock.

"I guess it wasn't enough to burn them alive," Sanji said he puffed out some smoke. Whoever ran Goa needed to have their ass kicked.

"Not surprising since they hired a pirate to burn that place to begin with," Zoro said neutrally.

"These bastards are just as bad as the government," Franky sneered.

Brook shook his head in disgust. How could anyone be so soulless was beyond him despite how many years he lived.

"But..." Luffy couldn't complete the sentence as sobs wracked his small body. The mountain bandits around him felt the boy's pain. "I wanna see Ace! I know Sabo's worried about us too!" He began to cry. His sobs could be heard all over the room.

The Strawhats also felt for their captain. Even though they knew that Ace was alright, it still hurt to see Luffy like this.

The scene changed again and this time it was midday in the house. Some time must have passed since Luffy's wounds were almost healed and he sulked in one of the corners. All the bandits also looked depressed as they lay around the house, waiting for their boss and Ace to return.

Without warning, one of the bandits came running into the house, nearly knocking the door off its hinges.

"Hey, hey guys!" the bandit screamed as he stopped at the door. He was breathing hard and sweating badly.

"What is it?" Magra asked in a near panic as he walked towards the fellow bandit.

The man looked up and his eyes were filled with tears. These tears, however, were tears of happiness. "They're back!"

That was all anyone had to hear before all the bandits and Luffy went running out the door. When they got outside, they saw Ace carrying a badly burnt Dadan. Ace was badly hurt and covered in wrappings, but they were alive.

Everyone cheered in joy as the bandits ran to help their leader.

"Ace...Boss..." Magra stuttered, barely controlling his emotions.

Luffy was so overjoyed to see Ace that he couldn't even speak. It wasn't until they were back inside the house that Luffy let his emotions out.

"Ace!" Luffy screamed as he hugged his brother tightly.

"Luffy..." Ace muttered as he attempted to pull Luffy away from him. "Did you think I was dead?"

Luffy moved away from Ace, knowing that his brother wouldn't be please for doubting his strength. "But..."

"What are you crying for?" Ace asked, cutting Luffy off. He slammed his fist into Luffy's head.

"Well, Ace is still acting like a jerk," Usopp murmured.

"Ace is not used to anyone being concerned over his safety," Robin said.

"Don't act like I'm dead when I'm not, you idiot!" Ace yelled.

"Now, now, let him be," Magra scolded lightly. "Luffy is just happy."

Ace gave a light sigh and went to put on some fresh clothes.

When everything begun to settle down, Ace started to explain what had happened after the bandits had left them in Gray Terminal to fight Bluejam. Luffy got bored with the story quickly and went outside to amuse himself.

During his exploration around the yard, he found two large beetles, much to his delight. He wasted no time putting the beetles together, trying to get them fight.

"Well, some things never change," Nami said in amusement as she watched Luffy play. It was good to see Luffy smiling after so much recent tragedies.

Usopp nodded. "I remember he went crazy in Jaya over those beetles. Not that I can blame him. Finding both an Atlas and Hercules beetle is extremely rare."

Luffy kept playing with his beetles until it was close to evening.

"Alright, who's going to win?" Luffy asked cheerfully as he got the beetles ready for another battle.

Small footsteps got his attention and he looked up to see Dogra walking towards the house. The small man looked pale and in shock for some reason.

"Dogra!" Luffy greeted happily, taking no notice of the bandit's shell-shocked state. "You went looking for Ace and Dadan, right? They've both came home!"

"Really, they have...that's great..." Dogra stuttered nervously. He forced a smile.

"What's wrong with him?" Brook asked.

Zoro narrowed his eye. "Something happened."

Dogra was led into the house by Luffy, but the joyous mood quickly shifted when everyone saw how anxious Dogra was.

"Dogra, is there something wrong?" Magra asked in concern. Dogra sat hard on the floor, unable to meet anyone's face.

"Hey, spill it out! What's wrong?" Dadan growled as she sat up in her bed.

Dogra bit his lips before he let out a sigh. "There...there's no easy way to say this."

"Just say it," Ace said impatiently.

Dogra lowered his head further. "It's Sabo..."

"What about Sabo?" Ace asked, becoming very uneasy.

The Strawhats suddenly felt a cold chill run passed them.

"Sabo...Sabo's dead!" Dogra said bluntly.

All the air was sucked out of the room as everyone took in what they had just heard.

"W..what! When...how did this happen!?" Ace demanded once he found his voice.

"He...he was out at sea," Dogra stuttered. He still seemed to be in shock. "His boat crossed paths with the noble's ship that was coming to visit the kingdom today."

"Noble's ship?" Dadan muttered softly in bewilderment. Her eyes suddenly widened in realization. "The Celestial Dragons. Today is the day they arrive in the kingdom," she said so softly that barely anyone could hear her.

The Strawhats, however, heard her clearly. They all remembered the cruelty of the Celestial Dragons.

"Those bastards," Franky growled as he shook in rage.

"They were the ones who killed Sabo?" Usopp asked as he took in the news.

Sanji gritted his teeth. "Do those bastards have any regard for life!?"

"Why...why would the Celestial Dragons come all the way here?" Nami stuttered. She was in complete shock.

Sanji took several deep breaths to try to calm himself. "An inspection, maybe. Although, I would have never guess those snobby bastards would sail all the way to this sea."

"That would explain the fire," Robin said as she attempted to control her emotions. As sad as it was to hear about Sabo, his death solved one mystery. "The nobles of this kingdom hired Bluejam to set the fire and burn the trash before the World Nobles arrived. By setting the fire they not only got rid of the junk quickly, but also the people living within the terminal."

"How horrible," Brook gasped. "They did all of that just to impress those World Nobles!?"

Nami narrowed her eyes in loathing. "It would seem that the World Nobles' poison spreads on everything, even when they're not physically present."

Franky sneered. "They really are a virus."

Zoro ignored his crew as he stared at his captain. The news hadn't fully sunk in yet on the young boy.

"Without any reason, they fired upon his ship," Dogra continued softly. "After only two shots, the ship was completely destroyed. There...there was nothing left of Sabo. Only his hat remained and even that was swiped away by the officials."

There was another long silence.

"Sabo is..." Ace whispered in disbelief as his eyes stared at nothing. He suddenly tackled Dogra to the floor. "You liar! Don't even joke about that!" He looked ready to punch the bandit in the face.

"Don't do it, Ace!" Magra yelled.

"It's not a lie nor a joke," Dogra said in a strained voice. "It was so sudden, I barely realized that it had happened. I doubted my own eyes!"

"Shut up!" Ace screamed in rage, shaking the small man. "Sabo went back to his noble born parents! There's no way he would sail out to sea!"

"That's right! Sabo went home!" Luffy yelled, not believing the news.

"Outlaws like us understand how he must have felt!" Dogra yelled as he knocked Ace off of him. "We all have places we really don't want to go back to! Do you really think he would go out to sea if he were actually happy? Do you really think he would fly a pirate flag and set out on his own!?" Tears were now running down his eyes.

Ace shook violently as he took in all of Dogra's words. No one could speak as the overwhelming pain of the tragedy finally took hold. The wind blew through the open window as night fell.

Luffy's face changed from one of shock and disbelief, to pure anguish. "Sabo...he wasn't happy at all!" he cried.

Ace put his head down in shame and covered his face with his hands. "Why...why didn't we go back for him!?" In his anger, Ace grabbed Dogra again. "Who was the person who murdered Sabo!? I'm going to kill them!"

"Th...the Celestial Dragon!? There's no way..." Dogra started to say.

Without waiting for him to finish, Ace grabbed his pipe and headed for the door. "I'm going to avenge his death!" he proclaimed.

Before he could reach the door, however, Dadan grabbed him and slammed his head into the wooden floor, breaking it.

All the Strawhats winced when they saw the vicious blow.

"Did she had to be that harsh!?" Usopp yelled.

"It was the only way for her to stop Ace," Sanji said before he sighed. "As hard as it is to accept, he would had only gotten himself killed if he tried to challenge the World Nobles. Helli, as tough as we were, we nearly got wiped by an admiral for touching one of those bastards."

Zoro crossed his arms. "I still hold no regrets about that day, except that I didn't get the chance to personally cut the moron to pieces."

"Drop it, you damn brat!" Dadan yelled as she kept Ace's head down, who was fighting tooth and nail to stand up.

"Get off me?" Ace screamed as blood began to cover his face. Dadan's tackle had left a nasty gashed on his forehead. "Don't get in my way!"

"You keep acting tough, even though you don't have any real strength!" Dadan yelled as she pushed Ace further into the floor. "What the hell do you think you can do now!? You'll just end up dead! You will die and everyone will forget about you by tomorrow! That's all you amount to right now!" She took several deep breaths as she glared at Ace. "It was this kingdom that killed Sabo! It was the world itself! What can you do!?"

The words struck Robin. It reminded her of her own island. About how the scholars were helpless before the might of the World Government and how the world itself turned against her.

"Your father's death brought about a new era! Once you have become a man of that caliber, then you're free to live or die as you like!" Dadan screamed.

Ace's eyes widened in anger and realization. He knew Dadan was right, but he still didn't want to admit it.

"Go tie this moron up!" Dadan ordered as she threw Ace to her men.

They quickly grabbed Ace and carried him outside, while he kicked and screamed in protest. The entire time, Luffy was crying uncontrollably.

"Sabo!" Luffy wailed as tear ran down his face.

"Shut up, Luffy!" everyone could hear Ace screamed from outside. "Men aren't supposed to cry like that!"

This time, however, even Ace's harsh words failed to move Luffy as he continued to cry and sob for his lost brother. For the rest of that night, Luffy was inconsolable.

Luffy's cries of grief were the last thing the Strawhats heard as the memory faded away. No one spoke for a long time, each reflecting on what they had seen.

"Poor Luffy," Chopper whispered as he wiped his tears. "I know Sabo was dead...but still..."

"He was so young," Nami said softly as she hugged herself. "Sabo barely begun to live when he was murdered." She began to tear up. "He died alone out on that sea."

Brook's fists clenched so hard that his bones cracked. It looked like he wanted to murder someone. "Senseless. A complete waste of life."

"How can life be so cruel?" Usopp asked as he shook in anger. Hot tears build in his eyes. "Luffy and Ace couldn't even avenge him. Hell, that damn noble didn't even give them a body to bury. It...it's like they wiped his entire existence!"

Franky slammed his fists together in rage. The noise of his metal fists colliding echoed in the empty void. "Damn those World Nobles, every last one of them! And damn those bastards in the World Government for allowing those assholes to do what they please! Justice, what a load of bullshit!"

A memory came and the Strawhats once again were standing inside Dadan's house. From the looks of it, they were in Ace and Luffy's room. Everything was quiet and somber as the dying rays of sunlight filter through the window. Luffy was lying in his bed with covers hiding his shaking frame. Every now and then, broken sobs would echo across the darkening room.

"Luffy…" Chopper whispered as he walked over to his captain like he wanted to hug him. He knew that he couldn't, but the urge was still there. He wanted to do something to help. He knew how it felt to have a loved one disappear with no means to stop it.

After a few seconds, Ace came walking into the room. His face was somewhat wet and his eyes were puffy. He had obviously been crying, but had quickly wiped his tears. Ace wouldn't allow himself to cry in front of anyone, especially his brother.

"Still sulking, huh?" Ace asked. He attempted to sound upset, but he just couldn't bother to muster up the power.

Luffy said nothing.

Ace stared blankly at the wall. "I got a letter from Sabo."

Luffy's frame stiffened under the covers.

"He sent it before he set sail," Ace explained. His voice was void of emotion. "I wasn't planning on showing it to you, but….he was your brother too." He dropped the letter next to Luffy's bed.

It was several minutes before Luffy crawled his way out of his covers and looked at the letter. "Can…you read it?" He put his down in shame. "I…don't know how…"

Ace's eyes softened as he picked up the winkled letter. He carefully unfolded it and read its content. "Ace, Luffy, I hope you weren't hurt in the fire. I'm worried, but I believe that you are safe." He paused for a moment. "I'm sorry about this, but by the time you read this letter, I'll be out to sea."

Luffy began to sob again.

Usopp, Nami, Chopper, Franky, and Brook were also opening crying.

"A lot has happened and I've decided to set sail ahead of you guys. My destination won't be in this country, but elsewhere," Ace continued to read. He was fighting to keep his own emotions under control as he read. "There, I will become stronger. I'll become a pirate! Let's become pirates with more freedom than anyone else and meet up again someday. The three of us. Somewhere out on the wide, free sea I'm sure someday we'll meet."

Nami had to put a hand to her mouth to control her sobs. "So cruel…"

Brook shook as he listened to Sabo's hopeful words. The broken and unfilled dream of a young child. He had his entire future ahead of him and one selfish individual took it all away.

Zoro kept an impassive expression, but his eyes showed his emotions. Anyone who really knew him knew he was on the verge of tears.

Ace took several deep breaths before he started to read again. He hesitated before continuing. "Oh and Ace, I wonder who's the older brother between us? Two elder brothers and one younger brother. It might be strange, but the bond between us is my treasure."

Luffy's sobs got ever louder.

"Luffy might still be a weakling and a crybaby, but he is our brother," Ace said softly. "Please, take care of him for me." He closed the letter after he finished reading.

Luffy cried loudly again as he took in Sabo's final words. It was like he had heard about Sabo's death all over again.

Ace said nothing. He didn't even get upset as he watched his little brother cry. This time, he couldn't blame Luffy for his tears.

There, the memory faded into the mist.

"Dammit, that was heart-breaking to listen to," Franky sobbed as tears and snot ran down his face.

Sanji puffed on his cigarette and he mourned the fallen boy. "It's moments like these that we're reminded how unfair life can be. At the very least, Sabo died at sea instead of rotting away in this country."

Nami rubbed her tearful eyes. "A small comfort."

Usopp wiped his nose as he got his own tears under control. "Could…could Sabo still be alive? I mean, maybe he somehow escape the explosion and survive. That bandit saw no body."

"Do you really think Sabo would survive and never tell his brothers?" Zoro asked coldly, catching Usopp off-guard. "After hearing that letter, do you think Sabo would be that cruel?"

"Zoro," Robin whispered. It would seem Sabo's death bought up terrible memories for the swordsman.

The next memory started and the Strawhats were on a cliff that overlooked the sea. They quickly realized that it was the same cliff where Luffy, Ace, and Sabo had shared their dreams. For some reason, that felt like a lifetime ago.

The Strawhats could see Luffy lying face down on the grass. He wasn't moving and they could hear his soft sobs.

The small pirate crew heard footsteps approaching Luffy. They turned to see Ace slowly walking towards the cliff. When Ace got close to Luffy he raised his fist, and bopped the younger boy on the head.

"How long are you going to mope?" Ace asked as he stared out at the sea. Just like before, there was no power behind his voice.

Luffy just pulled his strawhat tighter over his head.

"All the treasure we hid in the forest is gone," Ace informed casually. "Maybe it was stolen by the survivors from Bluejam's crew, or maybe the military found it. I don't know where it is now." He lowered his eyes. "But that pile of loot doesn't matter anymore. Sabo and I were going to use it. It was our pirate fund. But in the end, Sabo didn't use it. And so, I'm not going to bother either."

The Strawhats could only imagine the pain Ace must have been in and it made some of them want to cry for him.

Luffy was hurting because he had lost a brother, but he still only known Sabo for a few months. Ace had known Sabo for at least six years. He was the first one besides Luffy to open the aloof boy's heart.

Ace sighed. "There's no point in gathering treasure if you can't even protect it."

Luffy began to sniffle. "Ace...I...I want to become stronger! Stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, and even stronger than that!"

"That's a lot of stronger," Franky muttered humorlessly.

"And then…I'll be able to protect anything," Luffy said. "I won't have to watch anyone disappear again!"

"Oh, Luffy," Nami whispered.

Zoro looked to be near tears again. It reminded him of his own vows. The vows he was unable to keep so many times during their travels.

"I see. That's why he always wants to become stronger," Sanji muttered somberly as he stared at his small captain.

For Luffy, he never wanted to become the strongest purely so he could become the Pirate King. The true purpose of him wanting strength was always to protect the ones he loved. Like Garp had promised Luffy years ago, he had found something to protect.

"Please..." Luffy suddenly said as Ace glanced at him. "Ace...don't die!"

This caused all the Strawhats to cringe.

Ace, on the other hand, responded by hitting Luffy hard on the head. "Don't be ridiculous! You should be more worried about yourself than me! You're way weaker than me!" He pulled away from his brother and folded his arms. "Listen up and remember this, Luffy! I will never die!"

"Oh, the irony," Franky said he rubbed his head.

This earned a cold glare from Nami, but she said nothing. It was indeed a brutal irony.

Luffy sat up slowly, but he still held his strawhat tightly over his head.

"Sabo made that request too," Ace said softly, recalling the letter. "I promise you, I will not die. There's no way I would die and leave behind a weakling of a brother like you."

Nami lowered and shook her head. They all knew that Ace would break his promise.

"I'm not that bright, so I don't really know what caused Sabo's death," Ace admitted as he looked to the sea. "But it has to be something that opposes freedom. Sabo died without ever having tasted freedom..."

They could hear Luffy sob at Ace's words. The Strawhats could relate too well to their captain's grief. To his final day, Sabo was a caged bird. Trapped by his own blood.

"But we're still alive after having made an oath with him. So listen, Luffy. We have to live a life with no regrets," Ace said before pausing for a moment. "One day, we're going to sail the seas and live our lives as we want! No one will be freer than us!"

Usopp's eyes widened when her heard Ace's words. Those were the same words Luffy spoke when Rayleigh asked him about becoming Pirate King. Was this the place where Luffy's views were created? Shanks may have given Luffy the goal of becoming Pirate King, but it was Sabo's death that solidified its meaning into Luffy's heart.

"I'm sure that we will make a lot of people into our enemies. Gramps will be our enemy too. We'll be risking our lives," Ace continued in a firmer voice. He paused as if he was remembering something important. "We'll cast off when we turn seventeen and we will become great pirates!"

They both stood silently on that cliffside for the rest of the afternoon. The sea below them took on a new meaning to the brothers. To them, this sea was and would remain Sabo's Ocean.

The memory faded and the Strawhats were taken back into the forest. No one could think of anything to say about the scene they had just witnessed. It didn't seem right to speak. It was such a private, intimate moment that the Strawhats felt dirty for even looking at it. They shouldn't be seeing this. They shouldn't be seeing any of this. It almost felt like they were betraying their captain by looking at these memories.

Zoro, especially, felt bad for watching that particularly memory. What happened to Sabo and the vow Luffy and Ace made on that cliff reminded him of his vow to Kuina. To live out her dream since she was no longer able. Without ever knowing until now, Luffy carried the same burden even before Ace's death.

Their somber thoughts among the crew were shattered when they heard Luffy's battle yells. They could see Luffy charging Ace, swinging his arm wildly.

"Here I come, Ace!" Luffy yelled. "Gum Gum Pistol!"

He shot his fist forward and this time the attack went straight. Ace actually had to move out of the way to avoid the attack.

Luffy smiled proudly before his arm came back and smacked him in the face, knocking him down.

"Still not there yet," Sanji chuckled.

Ace was stunned for a moment before he started to laugh. "What the hell is that? You call this a fight?"

Luffy was lying dazed on the ground.

"Well, at least it didn't bounced off the ground," Usopp said somewhat dryly.

"Is Luffy's Devil Fruit really that hard to use?" Chopper asked.

"No matter how much force you put into it, there's no point if you can't hit me," Ace said cockily. "I told you, rubber isn't suited for battle."

"Well, he's half way. Luffy should focus more on aiming than brute strength," Zoro said.

"Shut, don't say that!" Luffy yelled angrily as he sat up.

"What, are you trying to say that I'm wrong? You're just an anchor who's also a glorified balloon," Ace said.

"That's kind of cold," Brook said.

"He is not completely wrong," Robin stated. "The Gum Gum Devil Fruit is not known for its offensive capabilities. Nonetheless, any Devil Fruit is only as strong as its user."

"Don't make fun of my Gum Gum Fruit!" Luffy yelled as he got right into Ace's face. "I'll make you cry someday! I've thought up a technique more powerful than a pistol!"

"Luffy, great work!" a voice suddenly praised. "Your arm stretched a lot further than yesterday!"

The Strawhats looked around in confusion.

"Was that Sabo?" Usopp asked.

"It...it couldn't be," Nami said as she searched for the young boy.

"Sabo, you're too soft on Luffy!" Ace yelled at a nearby rock.

Luffy began to laugh. "I'm really becoming stronger! Stronger than I was yesterday!"

After a moment, they both realized that they were talking to a rock the entire time. Both of the boys became completely silent.

"What just happen?" Chopper asked in bewilderment. "I'm sure I heard Sabo."

"I think they both hallucinated hearing Sabo," Robin surmised.

"Huh, then how did we hear it?" Zoro asked.

"This is Luffy's memory, so we are seeing things from his point-of-view," Robin said. "To Luffy, he really believed he heard his brother's voice."

Brook nodded as he frowned. At least, he would have frowned if he had any skin. "I know what it's like. To dream about your missing love ones."

"Sabo was such a kind older brother," Luffy muttered sadly.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Ace yelled. "Would you rather I died instead!?"

"I never said that!" Luffy snapped.

"But that's basically what you meant!" Ace accused as he hit Luffy on the head, causing the younger boy to scream in pain.

"Sabo never punched me like that!" Luffy yelled.

"What was that!?" Ace shouted.

"What's with you!? Be a little nicer, will you!" Luffy yelled back.

The two fought like that for almost the entire morning. It had gotten to the point where they refused to speak to each other for the rest of the day.

"What the heck are they fighting about?" Franky asked.

"I think it's just their way with dealing with what happened to Sabo," Sanji said. "They are still young boys, so they don't really know how to express their emotions. At least, that appears to be the case with Ace."

After the brothers' big fight, it was decided that they couldn't live together anymore. So, they created their own 'country', which was pretty much two shacks that they made next to Dadan's house. Ace's country was fairly well made, while Luffy's country was typically Luffy's craftsmanship. Still, it didn't fall on his head so Luffy had done something right.

Dadan didn't bother to ask why they had created their own country and most of the Strawhats found the scene amusing. It was such a childish thing to do and it was nice seeing Ace and Luffy acting like normal children despite them being at odds at the moment.

Luffy and Ace still hunted together, but they generally kept out of each other's business. During one of their hunting trips, a giant bear, one of the many Goa Beasts on the mountain, cornered Luffy. The bear was easily the size of a small elephant and rivaled the Great Tiger.

Luffy took out his pipe and slowly backed away from the beast. It was obvious from the shaking of his knees and the tenseness of shoulders that the young boy was terrified.

"Ace, help me out!" Luffy pleaded to his brother, who was relaxing in a nearby tree.

"You have to survive on you own, right?" Ace answered smugly as he turned his head away.

"How could Ace be so mean!?" Chopper yelled as the bear got ready to attack Luffy. "Luffy can't handle that bear on his own! It took all three of them to defeat that tiger!"

"The bear is big enough to tear apart Luffy with one swipe," Robin observed, freaking out Chopper even more.

Luffy was hurt by Ace's refusal to help, but he had little time to worry about that. He ran forward and delivered several powerful hits on the bear, but nothing affected it. The bear quickly turned around and raised its giant paw at Luffy.

Luffy didn't have time to dodge as the bear's claws embedded themselves into his chest. Luffy didn't even have the chance to scream as his chest was ripped opened.

The Strawhats gasped in horror as blood filled the scene. They heard Ace scream and then everything went blank as a dull thud filled the darkness.

"My god..." Usopp muttered as he put his hand to his mouth.

"Is...is Luffy okay!?" Chopper exclaimed in horror.

"Well, he can't be dead, obviously," Zoro stated in a neutral tone, but even he sounded unnerved. It was becoming clear that if Luffy didn't have his rubber powers, he would have more scars than him.

"It is surprising that bear did not tear his lungs out," Robin stated in through.

"Don't say that so calmly!" both Usopp and Chopper shouted.

"Now, now, this is no joke," they heard someone say through the empty void. It was Magra' voice. "If his wounds were any worst, he could have died."

They heard Ace sobbing in the background. The Strawhats realized that this was the first time they had ever heard Ace cry.

"The three of you always fought these wild beasts together as a group, right?" Magra asked.

They heard Ace sniffle. "It's all my fault! I thought I learned that fighting on your own doesn't make you strong. I'm worthless! Completely worthless! I'm so sorry, Luffy! So sorry!"

The voices faded after that.

"Ace sounded really remorseful about what happened," Nami whispered.

"He has finally realized that it is up to him now to protect Luffy," Zoro said. "Sabo isn't here anymore to cover up for his crap."

When the memory resumed, they saw Ace standing in front of Makino while Luffy played in the background.

"How to greet people properly?" Makino asked the young boy.

"Yeah," Ace answered with a small nod.

"What brought about this change in attitude?" Makino asked.

Ace proudly folded his arms in his usual smug manner. "I'm Luffy's brother, after all. Someday, I would like to meet the red-haired captain and thank him for everything he did for my little brother."

It only occurred now to the Strawhats that this was the first time they'd ever heard Ace refer to Luffy as his brother in dialog. Even though they had their sake ceremony, only Luffy and Sabo used the term brother to address one another.

Makino smiled at Ace. She too saw the change in the boy.

The look unnerved Ace. "Why are you looking at me like that!?"

Makino chuckled good-naturedly. "I'm sorry, but alright. I'll teach you."

Ace gave a bright smile as Luffy suddenly appeared behind him.

"What're you doing?" Luffy asked curiously.

Ace smiled proudly. "Training."

"Training, oh, can I train with you too!?" Luffy asked excitedly.

"Several belli says he'll get bored in five minutes," Nami said.

Zoro snorted. "Who would take that sucker's bet?"

Makino chuckled. "Of course you can. Let's start our first lesson now about how to express gratitude," she offered.

This got the boy's attention.

"Well, this will be interesting," Sanji said.

Luffy and manners don't mix well and he was curious to see how Ace went from the little monster in front of him to the polite young man they met in Alabasta.

"Yeah, let's start the lesson already!" Ace exclaimed impatiently.

"He's off to a good start," Zoro said dryly.

"Oh, you got it, Ace!" Luffy exclaimed.

Nami rolled her eyes. "He would think that was right."

Ace smirk cockily at his little brother.

"No, that's not right. You have to say 'thank you' in advance on that occasion," Makino scowled lightly.

"Oh, that wasn't right?" Luffy asked in confusion. "It sounded cool though."

"What a barbarian," Sanji muttered.

"Ace wants to learn this because he wants to say 'thank you' properly to the captain of the Red-Hair Pirates," Makino explained to Luffy.

"To Shanks!?" Luffy asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I will be a pirate by the time I see red-haired. As a pirate and your older brother, it's my job to thank him," Ace said with a smile on his face.

"Ace is acting so much nicer now," Chopper said happily.

"I guess Luffy nearly being killed by that bear really did change him," Franky said.

"Now, let's pretend he's standing right in front of you," Makino said in her gentle voice.

"I'm Ace. Who the hell are you?" Ace asked in his crude manner.

"That's even ruder than one of Luffy's greetings," Nami said dryly.

Brook laughed. "He's certainly no gentleman."

Makino crossed her fingers and made a noise. "That's not right. It's not nice to say 'the hell'."

Luffy's eyes lit up. "Is it, who the heck are you?"

Ace side-glanced Luffy before he tried again. "Give me your name."

Makino crossed her fingers again. Ace was stunned that he'd gotten it wrong that time.

"You have to say, you fool," Luffy stated.

Ace gave it another try. "Who are you, you bastard?"

Makino crossed her fingers and shook her head.

"Who is this?" Ace asked, getting frustrated.

Makino crossed her fingers.

"Whom is it?" Luffy asked.

Makino crossed her fingers as she looked at Luffy.

"Who taught Ace his manners?" Sanji asked. Was he even trying?

"I think Ace has been living with those bandits for too long and if he thinks that's being polite," Usopp muttered.

Makino finally lost it and started to laugh. "Stop it, are you serious?"

"You're bugging me by saying stupid things! Go away!" Ace yelled at Luffy.

"It's all you, Ace," Zoro said nonchalantly.

"It's amazing how far Ace had come, given how polite and calm he was when we met him," Nami said.

Chopper nodded. "Yeah. He kinda acted like Sabo, actually."

"Makino-san must have the patience of a saint," Brook stated.

"Listen, Ace, I found an anaconda's nest filled with big eggs," Luffy suddenly said, ignoring Ace's outburst. "Let's go now!"

Ace lost all of his anger and smiled. "What, big eggs!?" His mouth watered making it was obvious what he was thinking about.

Nami chuckled at the sight. "He really is like Luffy at times. Both think with their stomachs."

Once the moment passed, Ace shook his head. "No, I can't! I want to learn how to pay respect!"

"Which could take all year at the rate he's going," Usopp snorted humorously.

Luffy was disappointed to hear this. "But I could get hurt if no one's there and the anaconda finds me!"

"Never stop you before," Nami muttered. This was the same idiot, after all, that got himself eating by that giant snake back on Sky Island.

"Can an anaconda even hurt Luffy?" Franky asked in thought. "He's a rubberman."

"Even if an anaconda cannot squeeze him to death, it can still eat him whole," Robin stated calmly.

"I would feel safe if you came," Luffy said as he voice grew softer.

For some reason, those words struck the Strawhats.

"Luffy...he really depended on Ace a lot," Usopp whispered.

"I guess you could say Ace was his caregiver," Robin said as her own eyes softened.

The memory faded and the Strawhats were treated to another montage with the brothers. Through these quick scenes they saw Luffy and Ace running wild in the city, training with one another, and were even able to defeat the bear that had nearly killed Luffy.

During the boys' city adventures, more than a few of the Strawhats were annoyed to see that Gray Terminal was back to normal like the fire had never happened and new residences had taken up living there. It seemed like a giant slap in the face given how many people undoubtedly died in that fire and everything just went back to normal like those people's lives didn't matter. It also seemed like a mockery to Sabo's memory since his murder didn't even have a lasting influence or some kind of permanent change within the kingdom. It was just another staple of how unfair life was, especially in Goa.

As time went on, Garp would also come by every couple of months and kept his tradition of beating the crap out of his grandsons during one of his 'training' sessions.

Although, once in a while, Garp would take the boys on fishing or camping trips that didn't end in bodily harm or mental trauma. During those trips, Garp would try to convince Luffy and Ace to become marines by telling them stories of ruthless pirates and the atrocities they committed. Luffy found the stories thrilling, while Ace usually became bored and fell asleep.

The only stories that interested Ace were the stories about Whitebeard. Ace claimed that he would take Whitebeard's head one day, although not for the reasons Garp approved of.

When they were not up to mischief or with their grandfather, Ace helped teach Luffy how to read, do simple math, and what food he should never eat no matter how hungry he was. That still didn't stop Luffy from eating everything if it looked even remotely tasty. According to him, everything was edible until proven otherwise.

Dadan also seemed more active in the boys' lives and would regularly take pictures of them with a camera she stole to put in her scrapbook. So far, she was on her third volume.

Throughout the montage, the Strawhats watched Luffy and Ace become even closer as brothers. Gradually, Ace stopped hitting Luffy and became more patient with the boy. Ace also started to lose his quick temper with people and was more polite to everyone through Makino's lessons. Even so, the anger and quick temper always returned whenever Luffy was in danger or teased over his Devil Fruit.

Luffy began to mature as well. He rarely panicked or cried during scary situations anymore and he became more confident in himself. Luffy was now able to back up most of his talk and didn't need Ace to protect him all the time. Nonetheless, he still stood close to his older brother and he refused to go anywhere without Ace.

The montage suddenly ended with Luffy and Ace walking towards Goa with two bags of gold they had stolen from a noble's ship. None of the Strawhats were sure how old the two boys were, but Ace looked like a preteen with his developing body. Even in his young age, he was already starting to develop his signature six-pack.

Luffy looked more ragtag since his clothes were too small for his growing frame. He looked quite skinny since his limbs dangled out of his clothes and he was finally starting to burn his baby fat.

They made it to the Great Gate with only one robbery attempt and began to make their way into Edge Town.

"So, where is the exchange building?" Luffy asked as he shifted the bag of gold over his shoulder. "Is it in Town Center?"

"Of course not. We would have to answer too many questions to the teller if we used the exchange in Town Center," Ace said firmly. "There should be an exchange in Edge Town that we can use that won't ask any questions about where the gold came from. Dadan goes to that one all the time when she has business here."

"They're taking over two-hundred million belli worth of gold to the seediest part of town," Nami said in a deadpan voice. "What could possibly go wrong?"

"How do you know it's worth two-hundred million?" Usopp asked.

"I calculated it when they stole the gold," Nami answered nonchalantly.

"You can tell how much something is worth by looking that fast!? Amazing!" Chopper exclaimed in awe.

"Nami-san has many talents," Sanji cooed.

"Yes, she would make an excellent bookie," Zoro muttered. "She already has the interest rates of a loan shark."

When the boys reached the exchange building, the Strawhats were surprise by how rundown it was. Not only was it falling apart, several shady people hung around the entrance and gave Luffy and Ace dirty looks.

"What kind of exchange is this?" Franky asked. Even the worst parts of Water 7 weren't this terrible.

"Seriously, who would want to bring money here?" Sanji asked in disgust. "It's like anyone who comes here is just asking to be robbed."

After sweet-talking the teller with the amount of goods they had, Ace and Luffy were taken to the back room and waited for the boss of the place.

"This place is creepy," Luffy said as he looked around the room foreboding room.

"Tell me about it," Ace said as he looked over his shoulder like he was expecting someone to attack them. "I'm beginning to wonder if they exchange money or body bags here."

"Why would they exchange bodies?" Luffy asked innocently.

Ace didn't answer the question.

"Why would a place exchange bodies? That's unsanitary and disrespectful to the dead," Chopper said.

"On the black market, some places do buy and exchange human organs," Robin answered nonchalantly.

"Are you kidding!?" Usopp yelled in disgust.

"Afraid it's true," Franky said, knowing from personal experience. "Although, I would personally call this a drug house."

"It has the people to be one," Sanji said, remembering the people outside.

Some time had passed and Luffy began to shift uncomfortably in his chair and he was beginning to sweat.

"I have to pee," Luffy told his brother bluntly.

"Really, you want to use the bathroom here?" Ace asked in disbelief. He looked sick just thinking about it. "I told you to go before we left anyway."

"Seriously, who would want to use the bathroom here?" Nami asked. The mere thought of using the restroom in this place made her want to take a shower.

"I didn't have to go back then," Luffy whined.

Ace rolled his eyes at Luffy as he sighed. "Fine, just don't be gone for too long. You're liable to get stabbed on the stool around here."

Almost all the Strawhats nodded in agreement.

Luffy jumped out of his chair and ran out the room, looking for the restroom. The Strawhats followed their young captain and watched for several minutes as Luffy checked every door in the exchange building. Sometime during his search, Luffy ran into the teller.

"Sir, what are you doing out of the room?" the teller asked nervously as he looked around. "You're not thinking of taking your business elsewhere?"

Zoro raised an eyebrow at the man's suspicious behavior. He sounded too nervous to just be afraid of losing money.

Luffy, of course, noticed none of this. "No, but where's your restroom?" Luffy asked as he did a little dance. He looked like a three years old kid.

The teller looked more than a little relieved. "We don't have a restroom here, but you can use the back alley to do your business."

Luffy was disgusted to hear this.

"Yuck!" Brook exclaimed. "That's nasty! Who wants to do their business in the alley!?"

"This exchange is getting worst by the minute," Usopp said.

Having no choice, Luffy ran into the back alley and quickly unzipped his shorts. The Strawhats averted their eyes as Luffy did his business. From the sound of it, Luffy had to have been holding at least a liter of pee.

As the Strawhats waited for Luffy, they watched as several men begin to block off the alley's entrance. They all looked like the common thug around the area, except they were older.

"Hey, is that one of them?" one of the thugs asked.

"Of course, how many people around here wear a strawhat?" the obvious leader of the group asked.

"Who're these people?" Franky asked.

"Probably people who have come to mug Luffy," Zoro said dryly.

"All ten of them?" Sanji asked, not liking the current situation. It all seemed too organized for a simple mugging.

As soon as Sanji asked that, all the men took out shotguns and aimed them at Luffy, who had finally finished peeing.

Luffy slowly turned around and his eyes widened in shock when he saw all the people aiming guns at him.

"So, you're one of the demon brats," one of the thugs mocked before he started to chuckle. "Don't seem like much to me."

Luffy was frozen in fear for a moment before he began to frantically look around for an escape route.

"What's he scared of?" Usopp asked in confusion.

"Luffy still doesn't know that he can deflect bullets," Robin stated.

Nami put her hand to her chin. "Yeah, he was scared when Bluejam pulled a gun on him."

The leader of the group of thugs gave Luffy a cold look. It looked like he was reading Luffy's thoughts. "We know of your powers and we won't give you the time to escape. You may be a monster, but even a freak like you can't outrun a bullet."

Franky laughed. "He doesn't have to."

"Shit..." Luffy muttered softly. He honestly thought he was going to be killed.

"Fire!" the thug leader ordered and Luffy was mercilessly shot at.

Between all ten of them, they must have unloaded all of their ammo at Luffy given how many times they cocked to reload.

The Strawhats had seen Luffy shot many times, but even they were surprise by the sheer brutality of the attack. If Luffy were a normal human, he would be a hole-ridden corpse. This wasn't a simple mugging; this was planned assassination. The fact that Luffy was still just a child made the scene even crueler.

Luffy, fortunately, wasn't a normal human. His skin stretched and absorbed all the bullets before they all bounced off of him and hit the people who had shot. All but one person was hit. From the looks of it, Luffy may have killed at least one of them.

"GODDAMMIT, I'VE BEEN SHOT!" one of the thugs screamed in pain as he nursed his injured arm.

"Dammit, how did I get hit by a ricochet!?" another thug yelled in agony. "We were nowhere near the wall!"

"I think it happen when we hit that kid," one of the thugs said in shock. "Did his skin just stretch?"

"Impossible," a thug dismissed, although he didn't seem to believe himself. "You're just seeing things."

Luffy the entire time looked shell-shocked. He didn't seem to know what he had done.

"What the...how the hell are you still alive!?" the leader yelled in disbelief. "We filled you with more holes than a fishnet!"

"Maybe he really does have the powers of the devil," one of the thugs cried in horror.

"What...?" Luffy stuttered as he started to feel all over his body. He looked utterly baffled as to why he wasn't harmed. He looked over his body like he had never seen it before.

The leader growled in frustration as he pulled out his handgun and walked towards the stunned boy. "Die, already!" he yelled as he shot Luffy point blank in the heart.

Just like before, Luffy's rubber body deflected the bullet and shot the thug right in the chest.

"Some idiots never learn," Sanji said as he shook his head.

"Boss!" all the other thugs exclaimed in terror.

Luffy looked even more surprised as it slowly dawned on him what had happened.

"That...that boy really is a demon!" a thug screamed, terrified.

"Screw this, I don't get paid enough for this!" one of them yelled before they all ran out of the alley, leaving their injured behind.

"What a bunch of cowards," Zoro said with a snort.

Brook shook his head in disgust. "They just left their allies to rot."

Luffy was too dumbfounded to move as he continued looked at his body. He was actually shaking, although it was impossible to tell if it was from shock because of his ability or the near death experience.

"Luffy looks as frightened as those thugs did," Usopp stated. Was Luffy actually afraid of himself?

"For Luffy, he thought he was going to die and he survive because of an ability that he did not know he had," Robin said. "I think anyone would be in a state of shock."

Chopper gritted his teeth as he looked over Luffy's body. His skin where the bullets had hit him was starting to turn a nasty shade of blue and swell. "Those bullets hurt him."

"Huh, how is that possible?" Franky asked as he looked over the injuries. "That never happened before."

"Luffy's body is not used to such force, yet. Bullets cannot kill him, but they can still bruise his skin," Robin observed.

"Luffy did say once that he didn't like getting shot because it hurts," Nami said in thought. "But that was little after I met him."

"I guess after all the times he had been fired on by the marines and other pirates, it toughened his skin so bullets no longer hurt," Brook said.

"Now, Luffy can not only deflect bullets, he can return them with twice the force," Zoro mused. It was really something to see how far his captain had developed with his ability.

Chopper nodded before he paused in thought. "Although, Luffy's skin doesn't show any signs of toughening. It remains so soft and with no callouses, almost like a little kid."

"It seems to be another effect of his Devil Fruit," Robin mused.

"Ace!" Luffy suddenly yelled as he came out of his daze.

He ran back into the exchange office and went into the room where he had left his brother. When Luffy entered the office, Ace was fighting a mountain of a man and the room was in shambles.

"What the...how are you still alive?" the man asked in mild disbelief.

Ace turned to face his brother and pure relief shone on his face. "Luffy, thank god you're okay."

"What's going on here?" Chopper asked in confusion.

"Dammit, can't anyone do their job around here?" The man growled in annoyance.

"Ace, some guys outside tried to kill me," Luffy said in a near panic.

"I know," Ace growled as he glared at the man in front of him. "This guy set us up."

"But why?" Luffy asked, voicing all the Strawhats' thoughts.

"I'll explain later," Ace said fiercely.

"I don't know how you survived, but neither one of you will be leaving here," the man said coldly as he glanced at each of the boys. "I'll kill you both myself."

Luffy gritted his teeth. "Just try it!" He looked ready to attack the giant man when Ace firmly grabbed his wrist.

"He's too strong!" Ace yelled as he ran out of the room with Luffy in toll.

"STOP THEM!" the man bellowed as he chased after the two brothers.

"That guy moves pretty fast given his sized," Brook observed.

"I still want to know what the heck is going on," Usopp said, completely lost.

"Looks like they're trying to kill them for their gold," Nami said in thought. This was why she always went to the good exchanges. She take polices and marines over thugs and murderers any day.

"This seems deeper than just a bad gold exchange," Zoro said.

"Stop right there!" the exchange teller yelled as he pulled out a huge shotgun and attempted to gun down the brothers.

"Sheesh, even the teller is packing heat," Franky said.

"Shit!" Ace exclaimed as the bullets headed towards them.

"I got this!" Luffy yelled as he jumped in front of his older brother and took the bullets right in the chest, much to Ace's dismay.

"Luffy!" Ace yelled in horror.

The teller grinned victoriously. "Gotcha." He smile fell, however, when he saw Luffy's skin stretched and repelled the bullets. "THE HELL!?" he screamed as his own bullets nearly him.

"Luffy..." Ace muttered in disbelief.

"Ace, I've just found out. I'm bulletproof!" Luffy exclaimed happily, although several more bruises began to form on his skin.

"I hurt just looking at Luffy now," Usopp said. He had never seen Luffy so bruised up.

"He's going to be extremely sore after this," Chopper stated in concern.

"Bulletproof?" Ace whispered, hardly believing what he was hearing.

"So what if he can reflect bullets!" the man chasing them yelled as he quickly approached. "Cut him open if you have to!"

The teller regained his composure and took out a huge knife. He then ran towards the two boys, ready to fulfil his order.

Ace grabbed Luffy's arm again and they ran towards one of the windows in the exchange office. Without a second though, Ace jumped through the window, cutting himself in several places.

They were chased through the streets by the teller as they ran towards the Great Gate. The teller even recruited the local thugs in the area by promising a reward.

When they reached the Great Gate, the two brothers quickly used Luffy's Rocket to fly over it and into the safety of Gray Terminal. Needless to say, both were exhausted from their great escape.

Nami sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I swear, they can't even go to the exchange office without causing trouble."

"It wasn't completely their fault," Brook said. "They did go to that particular exchange to avoid trouble."

"Nonetheless, it's a good thing Luffy's rubber. He would have died in that alley otherwise," Usopp said. The thought of what could have happened to their captain frightened him.

"Luffy would have died many times during his childhood if he didn't have his power," Zoro stated mildly. He was beginning to wonder if fate itself had a hand in Luffy accidentally eating that Devil Fruit.

"That was great, best trip ever!" Luffy exclaimed as he laughed.

"He would enjoy that," Sanji said in a deadpan voice.

Ace looked over Luffy's bruised body and put his head down in shame. "This is all my fault. I'm sorry, Luffy,"

"Ace?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"I was a fool," Ace said bitterly. "That noble we robbed was under protection."

"That explains it," Franky said.

"What does he mean protection?" Chopper asked, still not understanding the situation.

"It means that the noble had influence in the underworld and use the thugs within the city to protect their property," Robin simplified.

"Those nobles have their hands in everything," Usopp said as he remembered the World Nobles.

"But we made it out alive. That's what counts," Luffy said, not understanding why Ace was so upset.

"You don't understand," Ace said harshly, startling Luffy. "If you didn't have your powers, you would have been dead. I allowed my anger and bitterness towards the nobles to blind me and put us both in danger. Now, we may never be able to go back into the city."

"Huh, what's he talking about?" Sanji asked.

"We better get moving," Ace said after a moment of silence. "We're not safe here either. As far as we know, Mr. S could have goons out here too."

With that, the two brothers made their way back into the safety forest. It was a few minutes of just walking before Luffy found the nerve to speak.

"Ace, what did you mean earlier about being angry at the nobles?" Luffy asked.

Ace said nothing for a moment. "…It was the nobles and the system that they've created that killed Sabo. In my own way, I wanted to get back at them."

"I see," Robin said in understanding. "Since Ace could never physically oppose the nobles, he attempted to undermine them through their cash flow."

"Too bad that plan backfired so badly," Sanji said. It was, however, a good plan. Hit those bastard nobles where it hurt.

"Ace underestimated the power of this corrupted world," Robin stated almost bitterly. "Thankfully, he was able to learn his lesson without anyone being killed."

Franky snorted. "It sucks to think that those people are above everything. I almost want to come here and personally show those nobles what true justice looks like."

"You're not the only one," Nami said. Luffy would never allow it since he rarely hold grudges, but the thought of them coming to Goa and scaring the nobles witless was an appealing thought.

Time within the memory began to speed up again and the seasons started to change. As the memory went on, both Luffy and Ace continued to become visibly bigger.

Ace, through his intense training and weight lifting that would rival some of Zoro's training sessions, had completely developed a body that got all the women in the city attention. He was so physically imposing that all the thugs within Gray Terminal and Goa didn't even try to mess with him anymore. His senses also greatly increased since he had to be always on alert since he was marked for assassination by the underworld.

Luffy, meanwhile, completely lost the last of his baby fat, becoming the lanky boy that the Strawhats knew. He still remained small for his age and came across as a runt, especially when compared to Ace. Despite Luffy's best efforts, he couldn't seem to develop Ace's figure, much to the younger boy's annoyance. Still, the goons within the city rarely tried to fight Luffy since it was a well-known fact in Goa that messing with Luffy brought the wrath of his older brother.

In a blink of an eye, the day of Ace's seventeenth birthday had arrived. There was no party or other sort of celebration since Ace was ready to finally leave home and fulfill his dream of becoming a pirate.

On a remote part of the shoreline near the edge of the mountains, Ace stood in a small sailboat, ready to set sail. All the bandits came to see him off, except Dadan. Makino and Woop Slap were also there to see him go, even though the Foosha's mayor obviously wasn't happy about Ace becoming a pirate.

"Take care, Ace!" Luffy yelled as he waved at his brother.

"Sure, see you later, Luffy!" Ace yelled back. "I'm going on ahead!"

"Right, and when I set out to sea myself in three years, I'll be much stronger," Luffy said with a huge grin.

Ace grinned widely at Luffy before he went to raise the anchor. Soon, he was sailing off.

"Do your best, Ace!" Luffy yelled as he continued to wave. The bandits also shouted their goodbyes and good lucks.

"Just you wait! I'll make a name for myself real soon!" Ace yelled.

Luffy stood on the shore until he could no longer see his brother's boat. Ace was finally starting his adventure.

The scene changed and the Strawhats now stood at Luffy and Ace's training ground. On one side of the field were the pipes Luffy, Ace, and Sabo used to fight when they were younger. They were now aged and had a thin layer of rust on them. Even the board that Sabo once used to use to keep score of all their matches was worn and the number had long since faded. In many ways, the field was more like a shine to the boys' childhood than a training field.

Luffy stood near the middle of the field facing a giant rock with a determined expression.

"Only three more years for me!" Luffy shouted before he ran towards the rock. "Gum Gum Pistol!"

His attack hit the rock, but his aim was a little off. He only managed to destroy the top of it.

"Wow, Luffy can break rocks now," Chopper said in awe.

"Now, he just needs to learn how to actually aim using his powers," Zoro said. "Power is useless if you can't hit anything."

Seeing Luffy trained like this reminded Zoro of his own earlier years. The biggest different being that Luffy had a partner to help him develop his skill while Zoro largely trained on his own after Kuina died. He briefly wondered, not for the first time, why Luffy never wanted to train with him.

Luffy was not happy as he pulled his arm back. "Damn, my aim was off."

"You almost got it, Luffy!" Sabo's voice proclaimed.

The Strawhats could see an image of Sabo appearing from within the rock.

"Is he hallucinating again?" Usopp asked.

"No, it's a projection," Brook said in a knowing voice. "Luffy's mind is using the memory of his brother to encourage himself. It is like how we can sometimes see our love ones during moments of intense emotions."

Nami knew what Brook was talking about. Before she left her home for the last time with Luffy, she had a long conversation with her deceased mother. It was strange; in that moment she swore she saw Bellmère sitting at the kitchen table and felt her pushing her out the door.

"Why don't you aim a little lower?" Sabo suggested.

Luffy grinned before he winded up his arm again. "Gum Gum Pistol!"

With one blow, he completely destroyed the giant rock. Luffy grinned happily and the image of Sabo did the same as he disappeared.

When Luffy's arm returned, he pumped both of his fists into the air. "I'm becoming stronger! Much stronger!"

The scene faded and the Strawhats were placed in front of Dadan's house. The area looked largely the same except the 'countries' that Luffy and Ace built had been merged into one. It was obviously Luffy's doing given the poor craftsmanship of the merger.

"These memory-changes are happening faster and faster," Franky noted.

"It is because we are taking in so much information at once," Robin said. "We have been shown the bulk of Luffy's childhood."

"I wonder how many hours have passed." Nami mused out loud.

The sounds of footfalls stopped anyone from answering. When the Strawhat turned to see who was coming, they were surprised to see Luffy. He was no longer a child or the young preteen they had seen just a moment ago. He was now a full teenager and looked exactly the way the Strawhats remembered him two years ago. He even had his traditional red vest and blue jeans on.

What really struck the Strawhats, however, was just how young Luffy looked in his face. Luffy always had a baby face, which made him look young for his age, but here, Luffy's face was filled with an innocence that was now missing from their captain.

For Nami, it was his eyes. They didn't have the shadows behind them.

Luffy ran passed the Strawhats and went to Dadan's door. He then leaned around the side.

"Hey, guys!" Luffy called. "I'm going now! Aren't you going to see me off!?"

The Strawhats moved so they could see what was going on. Inside the house, all the bandits we huddled together on the floor. Dadan had her back turned from Luffy.

"How annoying," Dadan groaned. "The mayor and Makino know us, but we would scare the other villagers if we came down from the mountain."

"But..." Luffy started to complain.

"Just go already!" Dadan snapped.

"Alright..." Luffy muttered in disappointment before he started to smile again. "Well then guys, thank you for everything!"

All the bandits gave their goodbyes and blushed when Luffy thanked them.

Luffy chuckled and turned to leave when he suddenly rushed back into the house. "Oh right! Dadan, I hate mountain bandits!"

"Shut up, you little brat!" Dadan shouted.

"But I like you guys!" Luffy yelled cheerfully.

The moment Luffy said those words; Dadan pulled out a napkin and sobbed loudly. She was the very picture of a proud mother.

"Don't say dumb stuff like that, and just get lost, damn you!" Dadan shouted through her tears. "Dammit, why am I surrounded by such fools!?"

The other bandits smiled. They too were touched.

"Oh, are you crying?" Luffy asked.

"I'm not crying!" Dadan attempted to deny in a very Franky-like manner.

The Strawhats were also teary eyed at the sweet scene.

"As strange as it is, they've became a family," Sanji said as he thought about the cooks back at the Baratie.

"I wonder if Luffy keeps in contact with them?" Chopper asked.

"Knowing Luffy, I doubt it," Zoro said dryly. Writing letters was simply something Luffy didn't do. He didn't have the patience for it.

Nami's eyes suddenly lowered. "I wonder...how she took the news about Ace's death?"

The question left a moment of silence among the Strawhats.

"I didn't even consider that," Usopp whispered as she looked at Dadan. "I mean...one of her sons died, and Luffy…."

"Losing a child is the worst thing that can happen to any parent," Chopper whispered, speaking from his experience as a doctor.

Nami nodded sadly. "I hope she's alright." When this was over, she was going to make Luffy write to Dadan. She at least deserved that.

The scene shifted and they were now in the port outside Foosha Village. It was strange to see the quiet town again after spending so much time in the mountains.

"Hey Luffy, why don't you take my old fishing boat!" someone called out.

The Strawhats saw what looked like the entire town standing on the dock. In the water, Luffy stood in a tiny boat that looked barely big enough to fit two people. The boat was empty except for one large barrel.

"You'll sink right away if you take that thing," the man continued.

"A row boat? Come on now!" another man chuckled.

"I'm fine," Luffy assured with a huge grin. "This is what I want to start with!" He chuckled as he turned around. He looked towards the sky and raised his arms up. "Sabo, watch over me! I'm going off to sea now!"

The townspeople looked at each other in confusion.

"Sabo was the first. Ace was second. I'm the third to go, but I won't lose to them!" Luffy went on. "Wait for me, Ace! I'll catch up with you soon!"

"What are you doing, Luffy?" one of the townspeople asked. "Shouting and muttering to yourself like that. Is it some kind of good luck charm?"

"That's not it! It's a challenge!" Luffy explained.

One of the villagers turned to another person. "Who's Ace?"

"No idea," another villager shrugged.

This surprised Chopper. "They don't know who his brother is?"

"Makes sense. Ace was raised with the mountains bandits and never came down from the mountains," Sanji said. "Luffy also never came back here either after Garp took him away."

"So, these people wouldn't know how the war affected Luffy," Brook stated. For some reason, he found that tragic.

"Alright, I'm going now!" Luffy yelled as he waved goodbye to the townspeople.

The rope to the boat was untied and Luffy began to row away.

"Such humble beginnings," Robin mused. To think, Luffy taking off from this island this day changed so many lives.

Luffy didn't get too far from shore when an eel sea king appeared.

"Hey, that's the same sea king that took Red Hair's arm," Brook stated.

"I didn't know sea kings lived that long," Usopp said.

Luffy calmly stood up and tilted his hat down. "So, there you are, Lord of the Coast." He started to smile. "You don't know who you're messing with. Look at my technique. I've been training for ten years."

Luffy threw his arm back and snapped it forward. "Gum Gum Pistol!"

The attack hit the target perfectly and the sea king reeled in shock. It fell backwards and hit the water with a large splash.

Zoro couldn't keep himself from smirking. Now that was his captain's Pistol.

The other Strawhats also smiled proudly. They've all seen Luffy beat sea kings that were even bigger than this one. It was a very common occurrence in fact. But after seeing the progress that Luffy had made since he was a young child, it made this victory special. It was like Luffy had finally arrived.

"Learned your lesson yet, you dumb fish?" Luffy bragged, pleased by his progress. He could hear the cheers from the villagers in the distance.

He looked into the opened waters with a huge grin on his face. "First, I have to gather a crew. I want at least ten of them. And then I need a pirate flag." He pumped his arms into the air again. "Alright, here I come! I'm going to become the Pirate King!" he yelled for the entire world to hear.


	10. East Blue

"What's left to see?" Usopp asked.

All the Strawhats were currently standing on the sea after the scene had changed from Foosha Village.

"Well, we've seen Luffy's childhood and we learned what happened to Sabo," Brook said in thought. "Is there more that we must know?"

"Must be," Zoro said as he looked around the calm sea. "We all have a strong idea what the tragedy that Luffy is suffering from is, and this isn't it."

"It looks like we're still in East Blue," Nami said, taking note of the calmer weather.

"Ah, the weather is pretty nice today," they heard the voice of Luffy say.

"Where is he?" Franky asked as he looked around.

"He's over there!" Chopper shouted as they saw Luffy's boat sailing some distance away from them. They quickly walked to their captain and saw that Luffy seemed to be daydreaming.

"On such a nice day like this, who would have thought I would get into such a disaster," Luffy continued to say with a note of humor.

"What's he talking about?" Usopp asked.

"He's probably talking about that giant whirlpool he's about to get pulled into," Nami said in a deadpan voice.

The Strawhats turned to see that Luffy was indeed being sucked into a large whirlpool.

"Did he not see this thing?" Franky asked in disbelief.

"Well, this is Luffy we're talking about," Usopp pointed out dryly.

Sanji sighed. "We should have known that Luffy navigating any boat would end in tragedy."

"What a huge whirlpool. How careless of me," Luffy said, sounding way too calm for the situation. He began to look around. "There's no one around me either. It would be really bad if this boat gets wrecked." He let out a long sigh. "And on top of that, I can't swim." His eyes suddenly widened as a realization hit him. "Ah, wait a minute!"

"Did he come up with an idea?" Nami asked in surprise.

"It doesn't matter if I know how to swim in a situation like this!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Well, he has a point there," Zoro said neutrally.

"Indeed, he would still drown," Robin stated.

"What an idiot," Nami muttered as she sweat dropped.

The whirlpool started to suck Luffy's boat under.

"Still, if I don't do something, I'll die," Luffy said as he put his hand on his chin and began to think. The Strawhats could see the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

As he was thinking, his eyes fell on the barrel that was on boat. A plan formed in his head and he opened the barrel. The Strawhats watched in surprise as Luffy jumped into the barrel and closed the top before his boat was completely submerged.

"That was plan?" Nami asked in disbelief.

"He lived, so it worked," Zoro stated.

"That rubber idiot has more lives than a cat," Sanji mused.

The scene faded and the crew was covered in darkness.

"Strange, there's no new memory," Chopper said as he looked around. They weren't in the void since there was no mist.

"Hey coward, are you hiding and doing nothing again?" someone asked in a threatening voice.

"No, not at all!" a voice squealed in fear. "I was just pushing this wine barrel!"

"That voice sounds familiar," Zoro muttered.

Someone began to laugh. "We'll help lighten your load."

"We're thirsty," someone else said as they laughed.

"No way! If Lady Alvida finds out, you'll be killed!" the voice exclaimed.

"It'll be fine as long as you keep your mouth shut," another voice said with a dark edge. "Right, Coby?"

Chopper tilted his head. "Coby?"

"Isn't that the boy we met in Water 7?" Sanji asked in thought.

Zoro nodded. "I thought he sounded familiar."

"Yeah, that's true..." Coby stuttered nervously.

"He sounds different from the person we met," Chopper noted.

"Yeah, he sounds...whiny," Franky said.

"It's pretty heavy," the first voice grunted as a loud thud caught the Strawhats' ears.

"I can't wait!" the second voice exclaimed in excitement.

"Don't be greedy. I'm going to smash it open right now," the first voice said.

"Why would they smash a wine barrel they assume is filled with booze?" Brook asked.

"Apparently, these people are not too bright," Robin said causally.

Sanji blew some smoke. "Those people are in for a terrible surprise when they learn they're not getting booze, but an overgrown monkey."

There was a loud grunt that was followed by the sounds of wood breaking.

The scene finally revealed itself to the Strawhats and they saw Luffy popping out of a barrel like a jack in the box. His arms were outstretched and he appeared to be yawning.

During his antics, Luffy accidentally knocked out one of the pirates who were attempting to open his barrel.

"I slept great!" Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs. When he finished yelling, he looked around in confusion. "What the..."

"Now that's an entrance!" Franky laughed.

"I should have figured that that would happen," Usopp muttered.

Luffy finally took notice of the two stunned pirates and the knocked out man on the floor. "Who the hell are you?"

"Who the hell are _you_!?" the pirates shouted back at him.

"Your friend will catch a cold if he sleeps on the floor like that," Luffy added nonchalantly as he climbed out of the barrel.

"You're the one who knocked him out!" the pirates yelled.

One of the pirates pointed a sword at Luffy. "You bastard, stop screwing around! Don't you know that we're pirates!?"

Luffy completely ignored them and turned towards a terrified Coby.

"I'm hungry. Got any food?" Luffy asked the scared boy.

"Listen to what I'm saying!" the pirate yelled.

"Coby sure looks different," Chopper said as he gazed over the boy. If it weren't for his bright pink hair, Chopper would hardly believe that this Coby was the same one from Water 7.

"He did a lot of growing," Zoro said.

"Those glasses also did him no favors," Franky added.

Brook could only look at his crew in confusion. He had no idea what they were talking about.

"You brat!" one of the pirates yelled as they attempted to fight Luffy.

The 'fight' didn't last too long given that Luffy easily broke their swords with his bare hands, stunning Coby even more.

"What cheap swords," Zoro muttered. As strong as Luffy was, steel shouldn't have broken that easily.

"What's wrong you guys?" Luffy asked in annoyance.

"Wh...who _are_ you?" one of the pirate asked as he shook in fear.

"Me, I'm Monkey D. Luffy," Luffy greeted as he crossed his arms. "Nice to meet ya."

This sent the pirates screaming in terror out of the room as they dragged their unconscious comrade behind them.

"Wimps, Luffy didn't even touch them and they ran way," Franky said.

Usopp shrugged. "It wouldn't have made a different. They were completely outclass."

"Wh...what just happened?" Coby stuttered, not quite believing what he had just witnessed.

"Beats me," Luffy said, not sure what happened either, but for a completely different reason.

Coby suddenly bolted towards Luffy. "Hurry up and run! When they come back, they will get the rest of their crew and kill you!"

"Even so, I'm still hungry," Luffy dismissed his concern.

"When are you not hunger?" Sanji asked humorlessly.

"How can you say that so calmly!?" Coby continued to panic.

As the scene went on Luffy managed to find his way into a storage room that was filled with crates of apples. He wasted no time eating nearly half the room while Coby told Luffy his life story.

Apparently, Coby was held captive by the Alvida Pirates two years ago after he had accidentally gotten into their boat when he attempted to go fishing. Since that time he has been forced to become Alvida's cabin boy to stay alive, which pretty much made him a glorified slave.

"You're kinda of stupid, huh?" Luffy asked bluntly once Coby had finished his story.

"Seriously, how can you mistake a fishing and pirate boat?" Nami asked as she face-palmed.

"Still, spending two years forced to be a cabin boy must have been terrible," Brook said sympathetically.

"How can you say that?" Coby muttered in shame.

"You can always run away," Luffy suggested.

"That's impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible! When I think about Lady Alvida finding out, my legs begin to shake uncontrollably!"

"Oh, so you're an idiot _and_ a coward!" Luffy laughed. "I hate people like you!"

This caused Coby to moan, practically in tears.

"Coby reminds me of Usopp," Chopper said.

"I was never that bad!" Usopp countered angrily.

"Well, you did have your moments," Sanji said.

"You're right," Coby muttered once he had regained his composure. "Completely right...if only I was brave enough to drift in the sea in a barrel. There is something I want to do..." He paused for a moment. "Luffy, what brought you out to sea?"

"Oh, I'm going to be the Pirate King," Luffy said with a wide smile.

This revelation caused Coby to have another freak out. "Pirate King!?"

Luffy nodded. "Yeah."

"That means you're a pirate?" Coby asked in disbelief.

"Right," Luffy confirmed.

"Your crew?" Coby continued to ask.

"Don't have one yet, but I'm looking," Luffy said cheerfully. He lost his smile, however, when he saw how pale Coby had become.

"A Pirate King is someone who has everything in the world! Fame, wealth, power! Meaning, you're after the One Piece!" Coby yelled in panic.

"Yeah," Luffy said simply.

"Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, absolutely impossible!" Coby yelled frantically as he shook his head rapidly. "It would be impossible to stand on top in this Great Pirate Era! It can't be done! Impossible, impossible..."

Before Coby could go on Luffy knocked him upside the head, sending Coby to the floor.

"Bout time someone shut that kid up," Franky said as he rubbed his ear with his small mechanical hand. "Is this really the same kid from Water 7?"

"It is hard to believe that it is the same person," Nami said.

When she met Coby in Water 7 he actually briefly fought Luffy. Sure, it was one-sided fight, but Coby as he was now couldn't even standup to a low-rank pirate. He was, for the lack of better words, an utter coward.

"Why did you hit me!?" Coby exclaimed as he rubbed his injured head.

"Just 'cause," Luffy answered.

Coby slowly sat up. "It's okay, I'm used to it anyway."

Luffy gently put his hand on his hat. "It's not if it's possible or not. I do it 'cause I want to do it. I've decided long ago that I was going to be the Pirate King. If I have to die for it, I'll die."

Coby's eyes widened in awe, completely taken in by Luffy's conviction.

Zoro started to smile. The passion that Luffy was showing reminded him of himself. He could see the courage filling Coby's being as he was enraptured by Luffy's words, changing the boy even as they watch. Luffy had that particular effect on people. One could almost call it an aura.

Luffy turned to leave, ready to go look for a boat to 'borrow'.

"Not afraid to die..." Coby whispered, getting Luffy's attention. "Maybe I can join the marines."

"Marines?" Luffy asked in surprise.

"That's right, my dream is to catch bad guys! It has been my dream since my childhood!" Coby yelled, nearing tears. This was the boy the Strawhats met two years ago in Water 7.

"Since his childhood, but he's still a child," Nami said after a moment of though. "Coby can't be any more than fifteen."

Robin chuckled. "Kids do grow up fast."

"Can I do it?" Coby asked Luffy.

"How would I know?" Luffy answered honestly with a chuckle.

"No, I will!" Coby exclaimed as he pumped his arms up. "I'm going to get out of here and stop working as a slave to Lady Alvida! No, I'll catch Alvida!"

As soon as he said that, the ceiling to the storage room suddenly collapsed and a giant woman came crashing down on them. She was a really fat woman with a giant iron mace in her hands. She completely towered over Luffy and Coby.

Chopper's mouth dropped in surprise. "Wow, she's huge!"

"Who's this tub of lard?" Franky asked.

"That's Alvida. A pirate with a bounty of five million if I remember correctly," Nami stated.

Robin put her hand to her chin. "Five million, above average for this sea."

"Which isn't say much," Sanji said. "Her bounty is lower than that bandit."

"Who are you going to catch!?" Alvida asked Coby in a booming voice.

Coby looked like he was going to pass out from fear.

Alvida glared at Coby before she turned her attention towards Luffy. She gave the boy pirate a long look before smirking. "You're not the Pirate Hunter, Zoro."

Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "Zoro?"

Zoro also raised an eyebrow at the mention of his name.

Alvida turned her attention back towards Coby. "Coby, who's the most beautiful woman on these seas?"

"Sure in hell isn't you," Franky answered, which made Brook laugh loudly.

"Is she serious about that question?" Nami asked in disbelief. She'd heard rumors, but still.

"There must be no mirrors on her ship," Zoro said casually. She most likely broke all of them by staring into them too long.

Coby stuttered to answer. "Well...that would be, of course..."

"Hey Coby, who's the ugly, fat lady?" Luffy asked bluntly as he pointed at Alvida.

Both Coby and Alvida's jaws dropped in shock, while the Strawhats burst into laughter. Zoro couldn't stop himself as he almost doubled over in laughter. Robin put a hand to her mouth to hide her amusement.

Sanji tried not to laugh, but failed utterly. He may love women, but ugly was ugly.

"Fat! What has he done!?" one of the Alvida Pirate yelled in disbelief. They were all looking down the hole their captain had made.

"Burn, deep burn!" Franky laughed.

"Leave it to Luffy to tell it like it is," Usopp laughed, nearly losing his breath.

Veins started to appear on Alvida's head. She wasn't amuse. "YOU BRAT!" she roared in fury.

She brought her mace up and was ready to crush Luffy's skull in. Luffy easily evaded the attack and jumped towards Coby.

"Let's go!" Luffy yelled as he grabbed Coby's arm. He bent his knees and jumped so high that he exited through the hole Alvida made earlier.

As soon as he was out of the storage room, Alvida's pirate crew attempted to attack him. They stood no chance. Luffy played with them through the entire fight and even faked it by making the pirates believe that they had him on the run. Throughout the entire battle, he used his powers once. Most of the fight was just him throwing the crew around like rag dolls.

"Very different from the kid who couldn't even stand up to mountain bandits," Sanji said with slight amusement. Luffy's feats of strength never ceased to impress him, especially after watching how much Luffy had grown since they started watching his memories.

"Luffy...what _are_ you?" Coby asked after seeing Luffy used his ability.

Luffy happily grabbed his cheek and stretched it. "I'm a rubberman."

"Rubberman...?" Coby repeated in disbelief. He was completely unaware that Alvida was now standing behind him.

Alvida gave a loud grunt, gaining Coby's attention. He turned around and squealed when he saw the female pirate. Coby quickly ran behind Luffy for protection.

"You ate a Devil Fruit, right?" Alvida asked, although she already knew the answer.

"Yeah, I ate the Gum Gum Fruit," Luffy confirmed.

"Is that so? I've heard rumors about it, but I didn't think they actually existed," Alvida said in mild wonderment. "You have some moves. Are you a bounty hunter?"

"I'm a pirate," Luffy corrected.

"Pirate?" Alvida scoffed. "Just you?"

"It's just me right now, but I'll get a crew eventually," Luffy answered cheerfully.

Alvida laughed at him.

"Lu...Luffy, run..." Coby whispered in fear.

"Why?" Luffy asked.

"You saw the power of her mace. This person is..." Coby suddenly stopped himself in mid-sentence.

"What were you about to say, Coby?" Alvida asked with a wide grin on her face.

Coby gritted his teeth in determination after a moment. "Alvida is the ugliest woman in the entire world!"

"Speak the truth, Coby!" Franky cheered.

Sanji knocked some ashes off of his cigarette. "I wouldn't call her the ugliest, but she's definitely in the top ten."

Alvida's eyes blackened in anger.

Luffy laugh loudly. He was laughing so hard that he was clenching his chest.

"What did you say!?" Alvida demanded.

"I'm going to become a marine and fight pirates like you!" Coby yelled as he gained more courage. "I'll join the marines and capture your lousy ass first!"

This sent Alvida over the edge. "You're dead, brat!" she yelled as she raised her mace, ready to smash Coby through the ship.

Coby froze in fear and gave a loud scream.

"You can't give a speech like that and then scream in terror," Sanji said dryly.

"Still, it's a big step considering that he isn't strong enough to beat that woman, yet," Brook said. "I mean, just seconds ago he couldn't even think about standing to Alvida."

"Well said!" Luffy exclaimed as he pushed Coby of the way and took the full force of Alvida's mace.

Despite the mace having spikes on it, they were obviously not well sharpened since there was no blood on Luffy's head and he showed no signs of pain.

Luffy smiled cockily. "That won't work."

"What!?" Alvida exclaimed in disbelief.

"I'm rubber!" Luffy yelled as he knocked Alvida's mace upwards, leaving her completely open. Luffy pulled his arm back. "Gum Gum Pistol!"

With one punch to the gut, Alvida went flying off the cruise ship and into the sea like a cannonball. Her crew was left completely shell-shocked.

"Not even a challenge," Sanji mused.

"I guess that's what a five million bounty gets you," Franky said, disappointed that he didn't get to see a good fight.

"If Luffy had even a little difficult with a pirate of that calibrator, he might as well go home and go back to playing pirate," Zoro said in a slightly teasing voice.

Luffy turned to address Alvida's crew. "Hey, give Coby a boat. He's leaving to join the marines."

No one on Alvida's crew argued as they rushed to find Luffy and Coby a suitable sailboat. It didn't come a moment too soon since the marines took this moment to finally arrive. The two boys had to make a quick exit and dumped the boat unceremoniously into the sea with them in it.

As they landed in the water, something caught the edge of Luffy's eye. He turned his head to see a young woman who was also in the water. They both stared at each in shock, obviously not expecting one another.

"Hey, isn't that Nami-san?" Brook asked when he saw the woman.

"It is Nami!" Usopp confirmed in surprise. "What she's doing there?"

Nami chuckled. "I was robbing Alvida's ship while she was attacking the cruise ship. I got a lot of gold too."

"Figures as much," Zoro said dryly.

"Isn't that the outfit you were wearing in Luffy's dream?" Brook asked.

"Yeah, it's exact same outfit," Sanji said in an amazement. Did Luffy really remember what Nami was wearing in such a brief encounter?

"It would seem you caught his eye even then, Nami," Robin noted with a smile.

After a few minutes of chaos, Luffy and Coby were out of danger and sailing peacefully across the sea.

"We got away somehow," Coby sighed in relief.

Luffy started to chuckle. "That was fun!"

"It would be for you," Nami muttered.

Usopp sighed. "Life and death situations is just normal fun for him."

Although, given Luffy's childhood, he could understand why Luffy saw life and death struggles to be normal.

"Um Luffy, if the One Piece is your goal, that means you're heading towards the Grand Line, right?"

"Yeah," Luffy said, smiling happily.

"That's place is called a pirate's graveyard," Coby said in concern.

"That's why I need a strong crew," Luffy said before he paused for a moment in thought. "That pirate hunter, what kind of guy is he?"

"You mean Zoro?" Coby asked. "I heard he had been captured by the marines."

Luffy sighed in disappointment "Oh, he's weak then."

This caused Sanji to chuckle.

"Shut up, at least he's heard of me, Pirate A!" Zoro yelled.

Sanji immediately stopped laughing. "What was that, shitty swordsman!?"

"How did Zoro get captured by the marines?" Chopper asked before a full fight could break out.

"Maybe they caught him while he was asleep," Brook offered.

"It's not impossible," Nami said in thought.

Usopp nodded. "Yeah, that's most likely what happened."

"Shut up!" Zoro yelled at his crewmates.

"Not at all!" the Strawhats heard Coby yell in terror. "He's a terrifying beast!" He paused for a second. "Why are you asking?"

Luffy smiled. "If he's a nice guy, I thought I'd make him part of my crew."

Coby gasped in shock and the memory ended there.

"So, Luffy purposely sought Zoro out," Robin said in interest.

"Well, Zoro was quite infamous even back in East Blue. Even I'd heard of him," Usopp said. And nothing he heard about Zoro was good, but he wasn't about to say that out loud. He valued his life.

A new memory came, getting the Strawhats' attention. Luffy and Coby were still on the sailboat, but some time had passed given the position of the sun.

"Monster, huh?" Luffy asked as he sat on the figurehead on the small sailboat.

Coby nodded. "Yeah, Roronoa Zoro is also known as the Pirate Hunter. I've heard rumors that he's a bloodthirsty hound. He wonders around the sea and hunts down fugitives like a rabid dog. He's a terrible demon."

"If they only knew," Sanji joked. Despite Zoro's fierce reputation, he really was a marshmallow.

"How did these kinds of rumors start?" Zoro grumbled in annoyance.

He had and would never care how people viewed him, but it still irritated him how people call him a demon without any real reason. He guessed he should be grateful since it was his infamous reputation that led Luffy to him.

"I haven't decided yet if I'm going to recruit him," Luffy said honestly. "But if he's a good person..."

"He's arrested because he's bad!" Coby snapped.

"To be so naive," Franky muttered under his breath. What happened to Tom immediately came to mind.

"I'm confused, if Zoro hunted fugitives wouldn't he be a good guy to people?" Chopper asked in confusion.

"From what I've heard, Zoro had a tendency to bring in his bounties sliced to bits or even dead. I've even heard he brought in just a guy's head once for the reward. He also had a reputation of causing large amount of collateral damage and it was rumored that he burnt down a town," Nami said as she remembered all the rumors about Zoro. "By the standards of East Blue, Zoro was very brutal."

Chopper squealed in fright.

"That's an exaggeration," Zoro said, although he wouldn't explain how or what was exaggerated.

It took them a while, but the two boys eventually reached an island with a large marine base stationed on the far side. When they docked, Luffy immediately jumped out of the boat in excitement, not even waiting for Coby to finish tying the boat to the dock.

"We're here! The town where the marines are!" Luffy cheered. In front of him was large marine base on the other side of the island.

The two boys walked down the crowded marketplace while Coby continued to try to convince Luffy of all of the reasons why he shouldn't recruit Zoro.

Of course, Luffy took no heed of his warnings. What were the warnings to him, anyway? Ace and he were called monsters and demons, so how bad could Zoro really be?

"I wonder if Zoro is inside the base?" Luffy wondered out loud.

This caused the people in the area to panic and jumped back in fear, surprising Luffy.

"Zoro, what did you do in this town?" Usopp asked as he looked at the swordsman.

"I didn't do anything," Zoro growled in annoyance. He was starting to hate this memory. He really didn't want his crew to see the state he was in thanks to that stupid marine son.

He supposed it was a fair turnaround in a way. They saw a lot of Luffy's private memories, so now it was their turn.

"It seems Zoro's name is taboo," Coby whispered to Luffy.

They began their walk again.

"Anyway, let's head towards the base. You want to be a marine, right?" Luffy asked.

"Yes, but I'm not ready yet," Coby said timidly. "I've heard Captain Morgan is in charge of this base."

Before Coby could say anything more, the townspeople who overheard him had the exact same reaction to hearing Morgan's name as Zoro's.

"Okay, that's a little weird," Nami said, slightly unnerved.

"It would seem that the marine captain is feared in this town," Robin noted.

After a few more minutes of walking, the duo reached the gate of the marine base.

"Alright, this is the place," Luffy said as they stood at the entrance.

"I'm finally here," Coby said with tears in his eyes. He'd started to say more, but Luffy walked away from him and climbed the wall that lead to the marine base. He started to look around.

"Now, where's that demon?" Luffy asked cheerfully.

"Do you think Luffy believed that Zoro was actually a demon?" Usopp asked.

"It is a possibility," Robin answered after some thought. "Given Luffy's past, however, he may just believe demon is a term given out of fear by people. Remember, Luffy was called a demon, among other things, after he ate his Devil Fruit."

Chopper nodded. "He may think Zoro's misunderstood."

Sanji folded his arms. "He must have been disappointed when he learned the truth."

Zoro growled at his rival.

After searching for a few seconds, something caught Luffy's eye. There was a person out on the open field not too far from the main gate.

"There he is!" Luffy exclaimed in excitement as he jumped off the wall and ran to the other end of the base.

Once he had arrived at his new location, he climbed the wall again and saw a man tied to pole that was in the shape of a cross.

The man looked awful to say the least. His white shirt was so filthy that it was stained black in several places. He hung limply on the pole and didn't appear to even be alive. A greenish-black bandana was wrapped around his forehead, which was the only thing keeping sweat out of his eyes. He looked nothing like a demon.

"WHAT!?" Chopper exclaimed in shock when he saw Zoro's condition. "What happened to you!?"

Zoro said nothing as he closed his eye.

Nami put her hand to her mouth in shock. Zoro didn't even look alive here.

Sanji was completely taken back by what he saw. It was obvious by the bones showing through the swordsman's shirt that he had not eaten in a long time. He was also badly dehydrated given the rubbery appearance of his skin. Sanji had only seen Zoro in this bad of condition a few times.

"Those bastards are starving him," Sanji growled in disgust. These weren't marines. These were monsters.

"What a horrible thing to do," Brook muttered. He couldn't think of making a skull joke at that moment.

Coby had joined Luffy on the wall and also looked horrified, although for a completely different reason. Despite Zoro's weakened state, the younger boy was still terrified of him.

"If we untie his ropes, he can escape, right?" Luffy asked Coby as he pointed to the half-dead man.

"Don't do a stupid thing like that!" Coby yelled in fright. "What do you think will happen once we let him go!? I'm sure he'll kill you!"

"No problem, I'm strong," Luffy said dismissively, making Coby nearly fell off the wall.

"You kids," the gravelly voice of Zoro grunted. He looked up towards Luffy and Coby in aggravation. His eyes were bloodshot, giving him the appearance of something less than human. Coby squealed in terror. "You're bothering me. Go away."

Coby looked ready to jump out of his skin and begged Luffy once again not to recruit Zoro.

Chopper frowned as he looked over Zoro's condition with his professional eyes. "He hasn't been sleeping well. Given the condition of his body, Zoro is only a few days away from death."

Zoro glanced at the reindeer, but said nothing. He knew he was in terrible shape, but he didn't know he was that closed to dying. Well, like he would have died from just this, but it was still unsettling to hear.

"No one, not even Zoro, would be sleeping well tied up to a pole like that," Usopp said as he worriedly looked over memory Zoro.

While this happening, a wooden ladder suddenly appeared on the wall. Coby stopped talking as a little girl climbed the ladder and used a rope to climb down the stone wall. She ran over to Zoro, holding something in her hands.

"What?" Zoro in the memory asked impatiently.

"Aren't you hungry? I made you some rice balls," the girl said kindly as she held out her package.

"Oh, that so sweet of her," Nami said.

"You're going to get killed," Zoro in the memory said bluntly. "Go away."

"You haven't eaten anything," the girl said stubbornly as she unwrapped the two rice balls and held them out for Zoro to see. "Here, this is my first try."

Zoro's eyes widened for a moment before they hardened again. He turned his head away from the offered rice balls. "I'm not hungry!"

The girl was hurt by Zoro's refusal. "But..."

"Don't make me kick your ass little girl!" Zoro yelled.

"That's very impolite, Zoro," Brook said as he looked at the fellow swordsman.

"Yeah, you can at least have manner to a little girl, moss head. Especially a girl offering your starving ass food," Sanji scowled.

"Is this another one of your swordsman's pride crap?" Nami asked, also upset with Zoro. "You're dying of starvation and you still refuse food."

Zoro still refused to say anything.

"You shouldn't bully kids, Roronoa Zoro," a voice teased, stopping the Strawhats from scowling their Zoro.

The crew turned to see a wimpy looking man with blond hair walking towards Zoro with two marines by his side.

"I think we've seen him before," Nami said as she rubbed her chin.

"I believe he was with Coby back in Water 7," Robin said. "Helmeppo, I believe his name was. He was the one who challenged Zoro."

"Sheesh, what are the marines feeding these kids?" Franky asked as he remembered what Helmeppo looked like.

The Zoro in the memory looked very annoyed to see the man.

"Looks like you still have a lot of energy, Roronoa Zoro," Helmeppo said smugly. He finally took notice of the girl. "Oh, a rice ball." He greedily snatched one of the rice balls from the girl.

"No!" the girl exclaimed.

Helmeppo took a nice sized bite out of the rice ball. After a few chews, he made a face and began to rapidly spit it out.

"Nasty!" Helmeppo screamed as he stuck out his tongue. He turned angrily towards the girl. "It's full of sugar! Rice balls need salt! Salt!"

"But I thought it would taste better sweet," the girl said innocently.

Helmeppo knocked the remaining rice ball out of the girl's hands and stomped it into the ground.

"Stop, stop!" the girl pleaded.

"That bastard," Sanji growled. How _dare_ he waste food over such a silly thing. In front of a starving man too, no less.

"That's so mean," Usopp growled. "Even if it was full of sugar, it was still edible. And it was her first time too. How could he be so cruel?"

Sanji was shaking in rage. "If I see that bastard again, I'll give him a good kick in the head."

With one last stomp for good measure, Helmeppo finally stopped. There was nothing left of the rice ball except a smudge on the ground with Helmeppo's shoe print on it.

The girl looked like she was going to cry as she knelt before her ruin rice ball. "I...worked so hard..."

Zoro in the memory stared down at the girl with sympathetic eyes, but said nothing.

"Geez, you haven't read the poster yet?" Helmeppo sighed as he took out a piece of paper from his jacket. "Anyone who helps any prisoners will be executed by order of Captain Morgan."

The girl paled in fright.

"You know my father, right?" Helmeppo asked cockily.

"He's not going to kill her, is he?" Chopper asked in worry.

Brook narrowed his eyes sockets. "Even he can't be that cruel."

Helmeppo turned towards one of his men. "Throw her out."

The marine recoiled at the order.

Helmeppo grabbed the marine by the collar. "I'm telling you to throw her out! Are you disobeying my order? I'll tell my daddy!"

"Yes, right away..." the marine stuttered as he walked towards the girl.

He grabbed the girl gently by her dress and tossed her over the gate. Before she could hit the ground, however, Luffy quickly caught her.

"What a horrible thing to do," Nami said in disgust. "How could Coby become friends with such a jerk?"

"I'm beginning to wonder that too," Usopp said as he glared at Helmeppo.

"At least he was not heartless enough to kill her," Robin stated.

Zoro in the memory growled at Helmeppo. "You bastard."

Helmeppo laughed at him. "You're really stubborn to still be alive."

"Yeah, I will live through the entire month," Zoro proclaimed with certainty.

This caused Helmeppo to laugh again. "Well, do your best."

"Ten more days left," Zoro reminded him.

"Only if you live that long," Helmeppo replied smugly as he left the prison yard.

Once Helmeppo had left, Luffy jumped over the wall and walked slowly towards Zoro. Luffy suddenly stopped and winkled his nose like he had smelled something bad in the air.

"What's wrong with him?" Usopp asked.

Nami glanced at the dirt in the prison yard and got her answer. "Luffy is standing down-wind from Zoro."

"So?" Franky asked in bewilderment.

Chopper understood what Nami was saying. "Zoro has been hanging on that pole for almost a month. On top of him sweating into his clothes, I doubt the marines let him down to use the restroom."

There was a long paused as the Strawhats took in this information.

"You mean..." Usopp said slowly before he stuck out his tongue. "Gross!" He wanted to shower just thinking about it.

Brook shook his head. His skin would have crawled, if he had any. "I can only imagine what Zoro must smell like."

"I don't want to imagine," Sanji said as he winkled his nose. "Moss head smells bad enough even when he's clean."

Zoro growled at Sanji, but said nothing. He would kill the cook later.

"Given how long Zoro has been in his own waste, he must have developed a serious rash in his nether region," Chopper said in his professional voice.

Robin put her hand on her chin. "I am surprise that his parts have not started to rot away."

"What's wrong with you two!?" Usopp yelled at Chopper and Robin.

Zoro gave his two crewmates a death glare.

Once Luffy got over the stench, he walked until he was only a couple feet away from Zoro. The pirate hunter didn't address him and they stood in silence for a few seconds.

"So, you're a bad guy?" Luffy asked bluntly.

"You're still here?" Zoro asked in a bored tone.

"Being tied up and publicly humiliated. Are you really strong?" Luffy asked. He sounded more than a little disappointed.

"Mind your own business!" Zoro snapped.

Luffy walked closer to Zoro and made noise that was akin to getting a crappy Christmas gift after you had your expectations high.

He gave Zoro a quick once over before he smiled. "If it was me, I would have escaped in three days."

"I'm different from you," Zoro said before he gave his signature smirk. "I will survive and show them."

Luffy wasn't impressed. "What a stubborn guy," he mused before he turned to leave.

"Wait a sec!" Zoro suddenly called, stopping Luffy. The rubber boy turned around to face Zoro, who was looking down at the ruined rice ball. "Can you get that?"

Luffy walked over and picked up the rice ball's remains. "Are you really going to eat this? It's more like a mud ball."

"Shut and give it me!" Zoro shouted impatiently. His eyes were wide with desperation.

Luffy gave into the swordsman's demands and threw the rice ball into his mouth. Zoro greedily ate it, rocks and all. He briefly choked on the remains of the food.

"Told you," Luffy said.

"It was...delicious," Zoro whispered, surprising Luffy. "Thanks for the food."

The look on Luffy's face change and he gave a gentle smiled.

The memory ended there.

"That was so sweet of you, Zoro-san," Brook said in admiration.

"It was nothing. When you go nearly a month without eating, anything tastes good," Zoro said. That was still the best rice ball he ever had. He only wished he had water to wash it down.

Sanji didn't say it, but his respect for the swordsman greatly went up. He knew the pain of starving better than anyone. For Zoro to do it willingly for a month was beyond anything he would be willing to do (unless it was for a lady, of course). He was also impressed that Zoro was willing to eat food off the ground instead of letting it go to waste. Too many people were snobby about having a little dirt on their food.

"It's funny that Luffy was so unimpressed with Zoro at first," Nami mused.

"Well, he was tied to a pole, looked like utter crap, and smelt like rotting meat," Franky said. "I mean, you would never have guessed he was some infamous swordsman."

"Yet, eating that girl's ruined rice ball impress him," Usopp said in thought.

"I think Luffy figured that Zoro ate the rice ball not only to ease his hunger, but to also cheer up the little girl who went through so much to make it for him," Robin surmised.

Brook looked towards Zoro. "Is that true."

Zoro refused to answer, but his silence and stance gave the crew their answer.

Franky laughed as he patted Zoro on the back. "You really are a soft-hearted dude, Zoro."

"But why were you arrested in the first place, Zoro?" Chopper asked the older man.

As if answering his question, a new memory appeared. Luffy was sitting on a barrel next to Coby as they spoke to the little girl from the prison yard.

Her name was Rika and she wanted to help Zoro after he had saved her from Helmeppo's pet dog, which was really a wild wolf.

Helmeppo had allowed the wild 'dog' to wonder the streets and it viciously attacked people every day. One day, the dog entered the restaurant that Rika's mom owned and started to attack their customers. Rika tried to shoo the dog away and was nearly mauled until Zoro killed it.

Helmeppo was enraged and threatened to kill Zoro until he realized who he was. Knowing that he couldn't win a physical fight with the pirate hunter, he instead made a deal. Helmeppo would spare Rika and her mother if Zoro willingly allowed himself to be arrested and survived one month without food. Zoro took the offer. He had been imprisoned for three weeks and suffered Helmeppo's abuse daily.

"So that's what happened," Coby whispered, aghast by what he heard. Marines were supposed to protect, not use their power to bully people. That was what pirates did.

Rika was close to tears from telling her story.

Robin gave Coby a look of pity. In a span of an afternoon, he was already exposed to the corruption within the marines. Sadly, marines like Morgan and Helmeppo were small fries compare to the real monsters at Marine Headquarters.

Franky patted Zoro on the back. "You really are one super dude, Zoro. You're a man among man."

"That was a very kind thing you did," Nami agreed with a smile on her face. Despite all of Zoro's crap and hard talk, he was still generally a good person who was a marshmallow at times.

"So, moss head does have a heart," Sanji teased lightly.

Chopper was closed to tears and had stars in his eyes. "Zoro's so honorable."

Zoro was deeply embarrassed by all the praise.

"But still, how could you trust that guy to keep his promise?" Usopp suddenly asked. "He doesn't seem like the type to honor an agreement."

Once again, as if answering the Strawhats' question, Luffy saw Helmeppo enter the restaurant that Rika's mom owned.

"I'm hungry, feed me and my men for free!" Helmeppo ordered loudly as he put his foot on the table.

"Shit head! Speak politely to a woman," Sanji growled. "I already owe you an ass beating for wasting that rice ball."

Helmeppo laughed arrogantly as he was poured some wine. "Since I'm tired of waiting, I've decided to execute Zoro tomorrow. Look forward to it everyone." He laughed again.

"What a slime ball!" Usopp yelled angrily. "He never intended to keep his promise!"

Chopper put his hooves to his mouth. "What a horrible thing to do! He left Zoro hanging there for weeks and he's just going to kill him!"

Nami sighed and shook her head. Despite Zoro's distrusting nature, he could be surprisingly naive at times. That was how she got his debt so high.

"How dare that man not keep his word after Zoro-san made their promise on good fate," Brook growled as he reached for his sword.

Luffy agreed and rushed towards the arrogant marine son. Before Helmeppo knew what was happening, Luffy decked him hard across the face and sent the arrogant marine son flying across the restaurant. Helmeppo didn't stop until he slammed into a nearby wall.

"Wh...who the hell are you!?" Helmeppo demanded as he grabbed his swollen cheek.

"He is pretty tough. He's jaw was not broken," Robin mused darkly. She figured it was because Luffy held back slightly. Even angry, Luffy never used his full strength against those weakened than him unless completely enraged.

Luffy was ready to attack Helmeppo again when Coby ran in and physically restrained the rubber captain.

"Luffy, stop!" Coby shouted in a pleading voice.

"He's trash!" Luffy growled like a wild animal. He was literally shaking in anger.

"You...you hit me," Helmeppo whined. "I'm Captain Morgan's son!"

"Like I care!" Luffy yelled as he moved to hit him again, only be held back by Coby.

"I'll tell my daddy and you will be executed!" Helmeppo shouted angrily as tears built in his eyes.

"Why don't you do stuff on your own?" Luffy sneered.

"Luffy, please calm down. You shouldn't make the marines your enemy," Coby said as he struggled to hold Luffy.

"Did Coby forget that Luffy's a pirate?" Sanji asked with an air of amusement as he stared at the pink-haired boy. "Regardless of what Luffy does here, he's already an enemy of the marines."

"Technically, Luffy is not a pirate yet," Robin said. "The marines only acknowledge a person as a pirate if they raise the Jolly Roger or work under a known pirate. Simply saying you are a pirate is not enough to get you wanted or arrested."

"Coby, I've decided," Luffy suddenly said getting the crew's attention. His eyes hardened in absolution. "Zoro will join my crew!"

The scene faded after Luffy's proclamation.

Zoro said nothing, but he was deeply touched by Luffy's actions. Although Coby told him these events, it was something different to witness it first-hand. Without even knowing him, Luffy took him up for his honor.

Soon, another memory appeared and the Strawhats were back in the prison yard. Zoro was much the same as before except he was glaring coldly at someone.

"You again, you have too much free time," Zoro huffed in annoyance.

"I'm going to untie your ropes, and then you will become my crewmate," Luffy stated bluntly.

"Wow, he didn't even ask," Usopp muttered.

Sanji sighed. "Once he decides you're his crewmate, you might as well hang it up."

Zoro in the memory snorted at him. "What did you say?"

"I'm looking for people to join my pirate crew," Luffy said as he moved closer to the swordsman.

"I refuse," Zoro said coldly, stopping Luffy. "You want me to become a bad guy? Screw that." He turned his head away from Luffy.

"Didn't know you cared about being a bad guy, Zoro," Nami teased.

This earned an annoyed grunt from Zoro. "I don't, but I wasn't going to lower myself into becoming some lowlife pirate."

He also hated the idea of following anyone. He was his own man, not some pirate flunky. There wasn't a man in the world he would follow. At least, that's what he believed at the time. How wrong he was.

"What's wrong with being a pirate?" Luffy asked, upset by Zoro's refusal.

"Pirates are scum. Why would I want to be one?" Zoro asked, although it really wasn't a question.

"Does it matter?" Luffy asked with a slight smile. "Everyone thinks you're an evil demon anyway."

"I don't care what society thinks of me," Zoro said before he narrowed his eyes. "I've never regretted doing anything in my life. I will survive and do what I want."

"Hmmm," Luffy muttered before he folded his arms. "But I've already decided that you'll be my crewmate."

"You can't just decide that!" Zoro in the memory yelled, completely losing his previous cool.

"I think he just did," Franky joked.

"That rubber idiot could never take no for an answer," Sanji sighed. Although, he was smiling as he said that.

"You use swords, right?" Luffy suddenly asked.

"Yeah, but that stupid marine son took them," Zoro said as he slumped further onto the pole. He sounded close to whining.

"I'll get them for you," Luffy offered before he smirked. "If you want them back, you have to join my crew."

"You're so dense!" Zoro in the memory shouted as he rocked on his pole. If he could, he would had reached out and strangled the rubber boy.

Nami began to chuckle. "Luffy and blackmail, never thought I'd see the day."

"It seems anyone can blackmail Zoro," Usopp noted.

Robin smiled. "That is because Zoro is too honest."

Zoro grunted, but said nothing as he closed his eye. This memory was too personal for his liking.

Luffy laughed as he ran towards the marine base. He walked around for a moment before a noise got his attention.

"There's noise coming from the roof," Luffy said to himself. He smiled and pulled his arm back. He stretched his arm until he grabbed the edge of the roof. "Let's have a look."

"Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling?" Usopp asked in dread.

"Gum Gum Rocket!" Luffy shouted.

He rocketed himself up, but he quickly lost control and shot himself too high. To keep himself from flying further, Luffy grabbed a nearby rope, which stopped his ascent. Unfortunately, the rope was tied to a statue that was being hoisted up.

When Luffy landed, the statue fell over and broke in half as it hit the edge of the roof. The remains of the upper half toppled off the roof and crashed onto the ground.

All the marines on the roof were left speechless as they stared at the ruined statue. There was complete silence.

"Oh..." Chopper muttered as he looked over the damage. He knew Luffy was in trouble.

"Well...that's an entrance," Franky chuckled.

Nami sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I swear. Can't he do _anything_ without breaking something?"

Brook laughed loudly, while Robin softly chuckled.

"I saw the statue being built while I was hanging on that pole. Luffy did us all a favor breaking it," Zoro said with an amused smile.

"Sorry," Luffy said meekly to what appeared to be the authority figure. The man was tall and had a giant axe instead of a right hand. He also had what appeared to be a metal jaw. The man had to be the marine captain, Ax-Hand Morgan

Morgan looked towards Luffy and glared furiously at him. "Capture him! I'll kill him myself!"

Helmeppo was also there and he immediately recognized Luffy. "Father, that's the guy who punched me!"

Luffy stepped in front of Helmeppo, causing the man to scream in terror. "Hey, it's you!"

Helmeppo attempted to run from the rubberman, but Luffy quickly grabbed him by his shoulder.

"I was looking for you," Luffy said cheerfully. "Come with me!"

Luffy ran into the marine base while Helmeppo could only cry in horror. He dragged Helmeppo across the floor of the base as the marines chased after him. Luffy dragged the marine son through the base for several minutes as he looked for the desired swords.

The Strawhats would have felt a little sympathetic for Helmeppo if they didn't remember that he was going to execute Zoro for no reason other than he was bored. He deserved a little pain.

"Hey, where's Zoro's sword?" Luffy finally asked.

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you, just stop dragging me!" Helmeppo yelled for mercy.

He stopped so Helmeppo could answer. The man looked dreadful as he lay limply in Luffy's hand.

"Okay, talk," Luffy said.

Helmeppo weakly pointed behind Luffy. "It's in my room. You just passed it."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Luffy complained.

"Don't move!" several marines shouted at Luffy as they pointed their rifles at him. "Release Lord Helmeppo!"

"No," Luffy said as he lifted Helmeppo up and held him in front of him like a shield. "But you can shoot if you want."

Helmeppo immediately started to panic. "Don't shoot!"

With the marines flustered, Luffy ran passed them while still using Helmeppo as a shield.

"Did Luffy really need to do that?" Usopp asked dryly. "It's not like the bullets can actually hurt him."

"He's just doing it to be a jerk," Zoro stated. He had a smirk on his face. It was more than satisfying watching Helmeppo scream in panic and terror.

Brook shook his head. Even if Helmeppo was a dishonorable jerk, it wasn't okay to use human shields in his eyes. Although, he had no eyes. Brook chuckled under his breath.

"Although, you can't feel sorry for the shit head," Sanji said as he lit another cigarette.

After dragging Helmeppo for a few more feet, he reached the frazzled man's room. The room was very feminine with pink walls and flowers decorating every inch of them. Helmeppo even had his own makeup dresser.

"Not surprised," Sanji muttered under his breath.

Nami shook her head. "This is too girly even for me."

"I thought he wore eyeliner," Zoro said nonchalantly.

Luffy quickly scanned the room until his eyes fell on three swords that were leaning against one of the walls. He walked up to the swords and looked very confused. "There're three here." He turned towards Helmeppo. "Which one's Zoro?"

He got no answer since Helmeppo had passed out.

"He fainted just from that. This guy really is a wimp," Usopp muttered. How did he become so strong by the time they reached Water 7?

Luffy sighed in annoyance when sounds came through Helmeppo's window. He looked out the window and saw Zoro and Coby facing down a firing squad. Captain Morgan was also with them.

"Coby!" Luffy exclaimed in shock.

"Looks like they decided to execute moss head early," Sanji observed.

Chopper gasped in horror. "Zoro's going to die!"

"We're not that lucky," Sanji with a regrettable tone.

"Shove it, swirls!" Zoro yelled.

"Why did they tried to kill you ahead of time?" Nami asked.

Zoro turned away from his rival. "That Morgan guy figured I was with Luffy and trying to overthrow him, or some crap like that. I don't understand stupid."

"But that's your native language," Sanji teased.

Zoro reached for his swords. "I'll kill you."

Luffy knew he had to act fast, so he quickly grabbed all three of the swords and tied them to his back. He then grabbed the window and pulled himself back until he was nice and taunt.

"Gum Gum Rocket!" Luffy shouted as he let go and went flying through the window, shattering the glass.

With near prefect aim, he landed directly in front of Zoro and Coby. He came just in time as several bullets hit his rubber skin, causing both Coby and Zoro to cry in alarm. Luffy smiled as he felt his body stretched as it caught the bullets.

"Won't work!" He shouted as he pushed his chest out and deflected the bullets back at the marines, completely freaking them out. Luffy laughed at them.

"Told you I was strong!" Luffy yelled, still laughing.

"Wh...what _are_ you!?" Zoro in the memory demanded as the shock started to wear out.

Luffy turned towards Zoro, grinned and gave him a thumbs up. "I'm Luffy and I'm going to be the Pirate King!"

This caught Zoro by surprise."Wha...what? Become the Pirate King!? Do you know what you're saying!?"

"Pirate King is Pirate King. What else would it mean?" Luffy asked as if Zoro was a silly child.

"It's funny watching you freak out over seeing Luffy's abilities," Franky chuckled.

Chopper frowned. "You look almost...scared."

"Seeing someone deflect bullets was not something I'd seen before I met Luffy," Zoro defended with some heat.

"For many of us, Luffy was the first Devil Fruit user we ever met," Nami said. Buggy was actually the first Devil Fruit user she seen in action, but she didn't want to remember him.

"You have to remember that Devil Fruits are very rare in the Blue Seas," Robin said. "It is so rare, that Devil Fruits are often seen as a myth. That is why Devil Fruit users are often thought of as monsters."

Brook nodded as he through of Luffy's childhood. "Very true. I have seen countless people rejected by their societies because they didn't understand what a Devil Fruit was."

"Here's your sword," Luffy said as he held out the three swords, somehow expecting a tied up Zoro to grab them. "Which one is it? I couldn't tell so I grabbed all three of them."

"I use all three," Zoro said as he moved his arms, trying to get feeling back into them. "I use a three-sword style."

Luffy blinked at him for several seconds. He was probably wondering where Zoro put the third sword.

"Okay, take them," Luffy said before he began to grin. "But if you fight with me, you owe me. Being killed by the marines or coming with me... Which one will you chose?" he practically sang the last part.

This caused some of the Strawhats to snicker. Even Zoro had a soft smile in fondness.

"You son of a devil," Zoro in the memory grinned. "Fine, I would rather be a pirate than die here."

"Great, my first crewmate!" Luffy cheered, completely forgetting the danger they were still in. He danced happily. "Alright, this is prefect!"

"I get it, now set me free!" Zoro yelled in irritation.

"If guns don't work, then cut them to pieces!" Morgan ordered his men once the shock of Luffy's ability had worn out.

Within moments, all the marines in the prison yard charged the small group. Luffy and Coby had their own problems untying Zoro's ropes.

"I can't untie this knot," Luffy muttered. "Stupid marine knots."

"Stop screwing around!" Zoro yelled as he tried to pull himself free.

"You know, why doesn't he used one of those three swords to cut the ropes?" Franky asked.

"Because he's a moron," Zoro answered. There was no malice or ill-will as he said that. It was spoken in fondness.

The marines were getting closer.

"Hmm, that's funny. The knot is getting tighter," Luffy muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Just give me my damn sword!" Zoro yelled in frustration.

Coby screamed in terror as the marines appeared behind Luffy, ready to cut him to shreds. Luffy at that moment handed Zoro one of his swords and the swordsman somehow managed to free himself by using a swift twisting motion with his wrist.

With Zoro free, he grabbed his remaining swords out of Luffy's hands and quicker than the rubberman could blink, Zoro had caught all the marines in mid-swing. Even half-starved, weakened, and closed to death, Zoro was still able to hold back at least twenty marines with little effort.

"Whoa, cool!" Luffy exclaimed from the display of strength and speed.

"That's so awesome!" Chopper also exclaimed with stars in his eyes. Zoro was just too cool for words.

"You make one move and you're dead," Zoro growled fiercely.

This caused the marines to completely freeze in fear.

"What a bunch of pathetic wimps," Sanji said as he watched the marines nearly piss themselves.

Zoro turned to address Luffy. "I promise to be a pirate. Opposing the marines now makes me a wanted man." He narrowed his eyes as his glared at his new captain. "However, I'll tell you one thing. I will always follow my own ambitions!"

This peaked Luffy's interest. "Ambitions?"

"To become the world's greatest swordsman," Zoro proclaimed. He was staring at Luffy so intensively that his eyes seem to glow. "If you ever do anything that causes me to lose my ambitions, you will apologize to me at the end of a sword."

"Did you just tell Luffy to commit seppuku?" Nami asked in disbelief.

"What's seppuku?" Chopper asked innocently.

"It is an ancient practice in which a person disembowels themselves to restore honor to themselves and their families," Robin explained nonchalantly.

This completely freaked both Usopp and Chopper out.

"Pretty hardcore, Zoro," Franky said in awe. "Although, I guess I should expect no less from you."

Zoro was silent. His eye softened as he looked at the memory.

Brook was left speechless by Zoro's threat, but for a different reason from the others. After remembering the events of Thriller Bark, it really showed how much Zoro's feelings towards Luffy had changed. The Zoro of Thriller Bark had not only abandoned his ambitions to save Luffy's life, but he had done so willingly and held no grudge against his captain.

Perhaps it was better to say that Zoro didn't abandon his dream, but had simply enlarged his ambitions to include Luffy's dream to the point where one couldn't exist without the other, much like how the rest of the crew felt.

Sanji became a little misty eyed looking at the memory. He now had a new understanding why Zoro held the events of Thriller Bark so close to his heart. If Luffy ever learned the truth of that day, would he actually act on the promise he made to Zoro? Sanji wanted to say no, but the doubt it left made him swear that the secret of Zoro's sacrifice would be taken to the grave. Nothing happened indeed.

Luffy smiled at Zoro, not at all put off by the threat. "Greatest swordsman, huh? A fine goal. As the future Pirate King, I would be embarrassed for you if you couldn't do that much."

Zoro returned Luffy's smile. "Heh, indeed. It doesn't matter if I'm known as a saint or a demon. I will make my name known to the heavens!"

"What are you doing!?" Morgan yelled at his men. "Execute them now!"

The marines were still too afraid of Zoro to move.

"Duck, Zoro," Luffy ordered as he swung his leg. "Gum Gum Whip!"

With one graceful motion, Luffy took out all the marines that Zoro was holding. Morgan could only gasp in shock while Coby cheered Luffy on.

"What are you?" Zoro asked again.

"I ate the Gum Gum Fruit," Luffy explained.

This baffled Zoro even more. "What's a Gum Gum Fruit?"

"A rubberman!?" one of the marines exclaimed in shock.

"So, he did eat a Devil Fruit," Morgan growled.

"Captain, we're no match for him," one of the marines said fearfully.

"And Zoro's by his side!" another marine added.

"Really sad that the marines can't handle a half-dead man. But, I guess that's just East Blue," Franky humored.

"Although, you have to give them some credit. Instead of rushing in and getting themselves killed needlessly, they know when to back down," Robin said.

"There is always merit to knowing when to bow before a superior foe," Brook said. "Blind pride will only get you killed."

This did not please Morgan. His eyes went black as he glared at his men. "To all those marines who just complained... Take your guns and shoot yourselves in the head. I have no need for such weaklings."

The marines looked at their captain like he had lost his mind. At the same time, it looked like they were ready to comply with the command.

"Is he serious?" Chopper asked in horror.

"They're actually going to shoot themselves!" Nami exclaimed in disbelief as the marines raised their guns to their heads.

"You... How can he ordered his men to do that!?" Brook exclaimed in horror.

"Hm, the marines really do just follow every order," Franky said with a little humor.

"What's wrong with these marines?" Zoro in the memory asked.

Luffy didn't bother to ask questions as he charged right at Morgan. Before the marines could move to intercept him, he was right on top of Morgan and attempted to punch him in the face. The marine captain, however, was able to block the punch with the broad side of his axe. Nonetheless, the punch left Morgan badly shaken.

Zoro casually took his sword out of his mouth to see what his new captain could do.

"A mere civilian with no rank is no match for me!" Morgan proclaimed as he threw off his jacket. "I am the captain of the marines, Ax-Hand Morgan!"

"I'm Luffy," he greeted casually, "nice to meet ya!"

"Die!" Morgan yelled as he attempted to cut Luffy in half.

Luffy easily dodged the attack and the ground cracked from the impact of the axe. Morgan was strong, but he was far too slow to keep up with Luffy. To say the least, it was a one side-battle. Without even breaking a sweat, Luffy knocked Morgan to the ground and had him pinned.

"Huh, is that all a marine captain around here amounts to?" Franky asked in disappointment. Morgan was nowhere near as tough as the captains they fought in Enies Lobby.

"The ranking system between the Blues and the Grand Line are vastly different," Robin stated. "What would be considered a captain here would only amount to a lieutenant if they were ranked according to Marine Headquarters."

"But Smoker was only a captain when we met him in Loguetown and he was monstrously powerful," Usopp said. "I mean, Luffy couldn't even touch the guy."

"In fairness, Smoky is a logia and unless you know Haki or have something that can hit smoke, you're pretty much screwed," Sanji said as he reached for another cigarette.

"Smoker is a special case," Robin said. "He was trained at Marine Headquarters and ranked according to their standards. He was assigned to East Blue because he tended to disobey orders and mouth off to his superiors. In fact, Smoker was gravely under-ranked, which was why it only took him two years to become a vice-admiral."

"How do you know all of that, Robin?" Brook asked in awe.

"I worked for a former Warlord for a number of years. You tend to pick up information about the marines and their activities," Robin answered nonchalantly.

"How dare you ruin Coby's dream!" Luffy yelled before he proceeded to punch Morgan repeatedly in the face.

"Still, it's hard to believe that the marines are being beaten so easily by Luffy," Chopper said. "That Morgan guy didn't even touch him."

"Weak sea, weak marines," Robin said casually.

Nami nodded in agreement. "There's a reason why Arlong could have taken over East Blue despite being fairly weak by the standards of the Grand Line."

"Stop, Strawhat!" someone yelled. Luffy paid no attention to them and continued to punch Morgan "I said stop! Don't you listen! Can't you see I have a hostage here!?"

Luffy finally glanced up and saw Helmeppo holding a gun to Coby's head. The scene was not as serious as it appeared since Helmeppo was shaking badly and was barely holding the gun right.

"If you care for his life, don't move!" Helmeppo ordered.

"That's a lousy way to take a hostage," Usopp said. "Why doesn't Coby just run?"

"He's too afraid too," Zoro stated.

Luffy stared blankly at Helmeppo.

Coby was frightened and was trembling. He glanced at Luffy who grinned at him. This was all it took for Coby to regain his confidence. "Luffy, I won't interfere with your dream, even if I die!"

"Yeah, I know," Luffy said as he turned his back on Morgan and slowly approached Helmeppo as he winded up his arm. He gave a quick glanced at Zoro and they both exchanged looks. He then turned his attention back to Helmeppo. "Give it up, you stupid moron. Coby's serious."

Helmeppo was completely panicked now. "Don't move!"

Luffy kept walking towards Helmeppo. While this was happening, Morgan stood back up and towered over Luffy.

"Be...behind you!" Coby warned.

Chopper also screamed in fear. "He's still conscious!"

"Don't worry. It's all taken care of," Zoro assured the younger boy as he watched the memory.

Morgan had his axe posed over his head, ready to cut Luffy down the middle.

Luffy paid no attention to him. "Gum Gum..."

"I'm the marine captain, Ax-Hand Morgan!" he yelled with a wild look in his eyes.

Zoro in the memory quickly put his sword in his month, while Helmeppo grabbed Coby and held the gun closer to his head.

"Do it, father!" Helmeppo cried in panic.

"Pistol!" Luffy screamed and he punched Helmeppo in the face before he could pull the trigger.

At the same time, Zoro charged forwards and took out Morgan in one attack. His axe was just inches from Luffy's head when he was stopped.

"Nice," Luffy said as Morgan collapsed to the ground. "Zoro."

Zoro smiled at Luffy. "No problem, captain."

Luffy returned the smile, happy to finally have his first crew member.

 

 


	11. Clown and Cats

The memory ended with Captain Morgan's defeat and the Strawhats were left standing in the ocean as the new memory appeared.

"Even when you first met each other, you and Luffy-san had a very powerful bond," Brook said. "With him just glancing at you, you knew what he wanted you to do."

Zoro shrugged. "Luffy isn't hard to read if you know what to look for."

"They just share the same mind waves," Nami stated almost dryly.

Sanji nodded. "They're both animals that live by their instincts."

"I'll kill you!" Zoro yelled as he grabbed his sword.

"We should get back to looking at the memory," Robin said calmly. "There is still much to see."

"Yeah, especially if we're going see how Luffy met all of us," Usopp said.

"I can't wait to see my big scene," Franky said in excitement as he struck a pose.

It didn't take the Strawhats too long to find Luffy out on the sea. He was leaning in his boat, looking quite bored and a little depressed. Zoro was with him and was staring at the sky.

"I'm hungry..." Luffy suddenly moaned.

Zoro gave a loud yawn as he shifted in the boat. "When are we going reach land? We've been out here for a week."

"Who knows," Luffy answered casually. "We go where the wind takes us. When will we reach land? Well, I'm sure we will...someday."

"Are you kidding me!?" Nami yelled in disbelief. "How...how did you guys last that long with wondering around!?"

"It wasn't that bad. It was good weather," Zoro answered nonchalantly. "Although, we did run out of food after four days and we had to fish for the rest."

"Luffy and Zoro navigating a boat, what a scary thought," Usopp muttered.

Sanji nodded in agreement. "The blind leading the blind."

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped.

The Zoro in Luffy's memory was not pleased by his new captain's answer. "Isn't it strange that you want to become Pirate King, yet you have no navigational skills?"

"It's not strange, I just wonder," Luffy said before he glanced at Zoro. "Aren't you a pirate hunter who sailed the seas?"

"I don't remember ever calling myself a pirate hunter," Zoro said in mild annoyance before he looked back into the sky. "I went out to sea looking for a man, but I got lost and couldn't return to my village. I had no choice but to pirate-hunt to survive."

"Oh, so you're just lost," Luffy said.

"Don't say that!" Zoro in the memory yelled furiously, which caused the Strawhats to laugh and for the current Zoro to blush.

After another hour of sailing, the two pirates began to look for ways to relieve their hunger. It was Luffy who spotted possible meal up in the air.

"A bird," Zoro said when he followed Luffy's line of sight.

Luffy started to smile. "Let's eat that bird!"

"How?" Zoro asked.

"Leave it to me," Luffy assured as he stretched his arms and grabbed the sail's pole. "Gum Gum Rocket!"

He flew into the air and right into the path of the bird. Luffy's aim put him in front of the bird and, in a comical twist of fate, he was the one who ended up in the bird's mouth.

Luffy gave a cry of surprise as he attempted to free himself. The bird, however, had strong grip on Luffy's head. Not to mention that he was in the middle of the sea and would fall to his death if the bird did let him go.

"Help me!" Luffy screamed to Zoro as he was carried off into the distance.

"That idiot," most of the Strawhats muttered.

Robin chuckled in good humor as she watched the memory.

Zoro sighed as he shook his head. Who would have imagined that Luffy being taken by a bird would be one of the tamest things that would happened with his rubber idiot captain.

The memory continued as Luffy was carried away, unable to escape from the bird. Luffy's ride finally ended when someone shot a cannonball at him. In a large explosion, he fell from the sky. Luckily for him, he was over dry land and landed butt first onto the pavement.

"Damn, why are people shooting at me?" Luffy moaned as he stood up and dusted himself. "Well, that was an interesting experience."

Luffy was so focused on his own odd adventure that he failed to notice that several people were staring at him. Three of them were hardened looking men with swords while the other one was an orange-haired woman with a white and blue t-shirt. They were all more than a little surprise to see someone literally fall out of the sky.

"You know, I always wondered where the heck Luffy came from," Nami said as she watched events unfold. "I should have figured it was something really silly."

"Look how young you are, Nami," Chopper said.

"Nami-san has an innocent beauty about her," Sanji cooed with hearts in his eyes.

"To hide the demon that lives beneath," Zoro said, earning a kick from Sanji.

The Nami in the memory, seeing an opportunity, walked up to Luffy and gave him a sweet look. "Boss, I'm so happy that you came!"

Chopper blinked in bafflement. "Hey Nami, you knew Luffy?"

Nami coughed and blush. "Well..."

Luffy looked at the woman in confusion. "Who are you?"

Instead of answering, Nami ran off. "I'll leave everything to you!"

"She's getting away!" one of the pirates yelled.

"We don't need to chase her anymore," a pirate said. "Her Boss is right here,"

The men who were chasing Nami glared at Luffy, who was still watching Nami run down the street.

Luffy finally took notice of the men. "Who are you?"

"You're together with that woman," the pirate accused. "Give us back our sea chart!"

"Huh, what?" Luffy questioned, completely lost.

"Don't play dumb!" one of the pirates yelled as he knocked Luffy's hat off, which was a big mistake.

Enraged, Luffy punched the man in the face, sending him crashing to the ground. After that, he caught his hat gracefully in one hand. "Don't touch my treasure!"

"You bastard!" the remaining pirates yelled as they charged at him.

Two Double Pistols later, the battle was finished.

"You set him up," Zoro accused as he side-eyed Nami.

"Well, it was a spur of the moment kind of thing and I was desperate. I mean, I was being chase by three goons, after all," Nami defended herself. "It all ended well anyway."

"But you didn't know that at the time," Zoro said fairly coldly. "You could have gotten someone killed with a stunt like that."

"Leave Nami-san alone, you overgrown ball of moss!" Sanji yelled.

"Incredible!" the Nami in the memory exclaimed as she looked at the beaten pirates. "You're strong, aren't you?

Luffy turned to face Nami, who was sitting on a roof near him looking down on him.

"You won barehanded against sabers," Nami went on, deeply impressed.

"Ah, who are you?" Luffy asked, either not noticing or caring that she set him up.

"I'm a thief who steals from pirates," Nami introduced kindly. "My name is Nami. Hey, why don't you join me?"

"No, I have no reason to join you," Luffy said dismissively as he started to walk away.

Sanji growled. "That's no way to speak to Nami-swan."

Nami in the memory was taken off-guard by the blunt dismissal. "Wa...wait!" she yelled as she jumped gracefully off the roof and ran after Luffy.

Nami chuckled at her past self. "Have to admit, no one had ever said no to me before when I offered them to join me. At least, not that quickly."

Luffy suddenly stopped when his stomach started to growl loudly. "Now I remember...I'm so hungry." He collapsed to the ground.

"How about I treat you?" Nami offered.

Luffy immediately stood up, surprising Nami. "Really!?"

"You really treated Luffy. I find that hard to believe," Usopp said.

After getting over her shock, Nami led Luffy to one of the houses and allowed him to have free range of the refrigerator and the bread on the table.

"Delicious!" Luffy yelled happily as he ate up. "Do you live here alone?"

"I don't live in this town," Nami informed casually. "The locals here were afraid of the Buggy Pirates so they ran way."

"So, basically you're letting Luffy eat other people's food," Franky observed with a note humor.

"Like she was going treat Luffy for free," Usopp said with a small laugh. He knew it.

"It was just going to sit there anyway," Nami said defensively. She was starting to hate looking back at her less than wonderful past.

"Oh, so you're stealing from these houses," Luffy said, coming to a similar conclusion as Franky.

"How rude," Nam huffed. "I'm a thief who only robs from pirates! Don't compare me to some petty house thief."

"But a thief's a thief right?" Luffy asked.

"Pretty much," Zoro answered.

"Be quiet," Nami hissed.

The Nami in the memory turned her head. "I will earn one-hundred million belli, no matter what."

Luffy tilted his head. "What are you going to do with that kind of money?"

"Secret," Nami said bluntly, ending the line of conversation.

Chopper turned towards their Nami. "Why _did_ you need all that money for?"

Nami's eyes became downcast.

"I don't think Luffy's memory will show it, but Nami wanted that money to buy her village back from Arlong. It was part of a deal they made," Sanji explained.

"I think I remember reading that from Nami's records," Robin said in thought.

"If you have a map to the Grand Line, one-hundred million isn't a dream," Nami said as she squeezed the sea chart.

"Nami-san, did you know how dangerous the Grand Line was when you decided to steal that chart?" Brook asked.

"I'm embarrassed to say no," Nami sighed. "I actually thought you could navigate the Grand Lind with a regular compass. Looking back, the entire plan was completely naive."

"Map?" Luffy whispered before he looked towards Nami. "Are you a navigator?"

Nami smiled proudly for herself. "You're looking at one of the best navigators around."

That was all Luffy needed to hear as he quickly stood up in excitement. "I see, that's great. Why don't you join us as our navigator?"

Nami's eyes lit up in excitement. "Really?"

"A navigator for our pirate crew!" Luffy exclaimed happily.

The mood on Nami's face changed in an instance. Her eyes went cold and a scowl appeared on her face. She began to look at Luffy in utter disdain. "I refuse!"

The change in Nami's attitude surprised Luffy.

"Wow, that was a quick change of heart," Usopp muttered. It was like the temperature had dropped ten degrees.

Nami sighed. "I didn't want to join a pirate crew. Not after... I really despised pirates back then and thought all of them were evil."

Robin said nothing for a moment. "I cannot say your feelings were misplaced. Most pirates are bad people. It is especially troublesome for women to be part of a pirate crew."

"Yeah," Nami looked at Luffy with tender eyes, "but Luffy taught me that they're always exceptions to the norm."

"You're a pirate?" Nami in the memory asked in disappointment.

"Yeah, I promised the man who gave me this hat that I would become a great pirate," Luffy said as he took off his hat and stared at it fondly.

Nami slammed both her hands on the table, knocking Luffy out of his remembrance. "I hate pirates more than anything in the world! I only love money and tangerines!"

Luffy blinked in bewilderment. "Come on, be our navigator."

"I said no," Nami said harshly as she walked towards the window.

Luffy sighed in defeat. "Oh well." He went back to eating his bread like nothing had happened.

"He gave up that easily?" Chopper asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, usually you can't force him to take no for an answer," Usopp said in awe.

Sanji sneered. "How dare he give up on Nami-san. She's the best thing to happen to this crew. Tie only with Robin-chan."

"Well, he does not really know Nami here and she was the one who offered first to join," Robin said. "He was not going to make someone joined who clearly despite pirates."

Zoro nodded in agreement.

After a few minutes, Nami looked back at Luffy after staring out the window. She then gave what could only be described as an evil smile. It wasn't her, 'I'm going to charge you through the nose' smile, but a smile that a cat gave just before it ate a mouse.

When the Strawhats saw it, they all became nervous.

"Nami, what's up with that look?" Usopp asked, getting a bad feeling.

"That stare sends chills through my bones," Brook said, never seeing Nami look so ruthless.

Nami refused to answer. She knew what they were about to see next was not her proudest moment.

"Well, if you accept my conditions, I'll think about joining your crew," Nami said too sweetly.

Luffy, of course, noticed nothing wrong. "Really? I'll do anything."

"Poor choice of words, bro," Franky said.

Zoro was beginning to worry about his captain even though this was a memory. He knew what was going to happen.

"I want you to come with me to meet Buggy the Clown," Nami said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Okay, okay, let's go!" Luffy yelled as he stood up and headed towards the door. "Where's this Buggy anyway?"

"Ah, hang on a second. I have one last thing to prepare," Nami said.

After a few minutes, the two were walking down the empty street. Nami was walking behind Luffy with several length of rope in her hand.

"Why do you have rope?" Luffy asked.

"It's just rope," Nami said casually, although she looked a little nervous. "You have a problem with that?"

Chopper tilted his head. "What are you going to do with that rope."

Nami still refused to answer.

Luffy didn't answer and kept walking ahead. They soon came to a dead end where a giant building stood. It looked like some kind of pub with a circus tent on top.

"Just at the end of this road is the bar where the pirates are staying at," Nami informed.

"But then, what do you want to do here?" Luffy asked. His back remained turned towards Nami.

"That..." Before Luffy knew what was happening, Nami had encircled him with the rope and began to lasso it several times around his body. "You will find out soon."

Luffy couldn't stand straight anymore as Nami knocked him to the ground with her knee to his back and tightened the ropes around him.

"When we get there, stupid pirate!" Nami exclaimed as she finished tying the ropes around him.

"What are you doing!?" Luffy exclaimed in shock.

Nami just smiled at him as the memory faded.

"Oh, that was mean," Usopp said. He didn't quite see that coming.

Chopper was left shaken by what he just saw. "Nami's so scary."

"Given how fast you tied that knot, I have to wonder if you did this before," Franky said. He had never seen Nami quite that evil before.

"I have to admit, I am impressed that you managed to takes Luffy's back like that and disable him before he could even move," Robin said.

"It wasn't at all hard since Luffy completely trusted me. He didn't suspect at all what I was planning on doing," Nami said in shame.

"There's no need to be ashamed, Nami-san," Brook said gently. "I'm certain Luffy-san has forgiven you and understands why you did that."

"Still..." Nami muttered.

She didn't have time to say more before a new scene appeared. They appeared to be standing on a roof of some building where several people were partying. What made the scene so odd, however, was that everyone in the area was dressed as circus people.

"Huh, are we at a festival?" Chopper asked in confusion. He wondered if they had any cotton candy.

"No, we're at Buggy's base," Nami said dryly. "Remember, he has a clown theme."

"Who can take a group of pirates like this seriously?" Franky asked as he looked around. "A clown, seriously? Is he trying to scare toddlers or something? Was this guy really part of the Pirate King's legendary crew?"

"Clowns can be scary," Chopper said.

Usopp nodded in agreement.

Nami sighed, ignoring Chopper and Usopp. "It's East Blue. Pirates of Buggy's caliber are considered dangerous here. He has a bounty of fifteen million, making him one of the most wanted pirates in these seas."

"Only fifteen million? I thought a crewmate of the Pirate King who became a captain himself would be higher," Brook said.

"Every great crew has their black sheep," Robin added.

"Then, who's the black sheep on our crew?" Chopper asked innocently.

"I vote on moss head," Sanji said.

"Shut up, swirls!" Zoro said. "You're the black sheep for staying on an Okama island!"

Sanji's narrowed his eyes. "You didn't just go there."

"I just did," Zoro said smugly.

Before the two could fight, a large explosion got the crew's attention and they saw that Buggy had fired a cannon. The cannonball was able to destroy an entire city block.

"What, he did that with a single cannonball!?" Brook asked in disbelief.

"Buggy Bombs, it's his specialty," Nami said as she watched the scene.

Franky whistled. "Pretty powerful stuff. That can be deadly during a fire fight."

"With the Buggy Bomb and the power of the Devil Fruit, I will rule the Grand Line!" Buggy proclaimed. He turned towards Nami. "Right, Nami?"

"Yes, of course," Nami nervously agreed.

"You're friends with Buggy?" Chopper asked in confusion.

Nami coughed nervously. "I kind of used Luffy to get into good favor with Buggy."

"Hm, so that was your plan," Franky said.

"You sold Luffy out just to get close to him?" Usopp asked as he pointed his thumb at Buggy.

Nami folded her arms defensively. "Well, I was planning on eventually freeing Luffy once I got all the pirates drunk and stole their treasure. Even if I thought Luffy was only a lowly pirate, I wasn't cold-hearted enough to leave him to die."

"Hey, the one who will rule the Grand Line is me!" Luffy suddenly yelled, gaining the Strawhats' attention. Luffy's proclamation of ruling the Grand Line fell flat since he was tied up and stuck in a cage.

Buggy became annoyed with the boy captain.

"I will become the Pirate King," Luffy continued to say.

"You idiot!" Nami in the memory yelled.

Buggy laughed. "I can see why you can't stand him."

"That's right," Nami in the memory quickly said, playing along. "He's so simple-minded about everything. That's why I don't follow him anymore."

"Funny how well I pegged Luffy without barely knowing him," Nami humored.

"So true," Buggy agreed with a nod. "In that case, I'll give you a present."

With a gesture, the cannon was moved to point directly at Luffy, and then fitted with a Buggy Bomb.

Nami's eyes widened in horror.

"It will also test your loyalty to me," Buggy said as the cannon was ready.

"He's going to fire a cannon against a defenseless man!?" Brook exclaimed in disgust. "What disgusting behavior."

"Buggy is a disgusting man," Nami said coldly.

"I'm fine as is," Nami in the memory quickly said. She was now very nervous. "Since it's a party, let's have more fun."

"But this is fun for me," Buggy said as he handed Nami a box of matches.

Brook scowled. Taking another person's life should never be fun and should only be done in self-defense or to protect someone.

The other members on Buggy's crew cheered for her to shoot.

Luffy gave Nami a blank stare. Nami stood in front of the cannon for several seconds, seeing no way out but to kill Luffy.

"Nami, don't spoil the party!" Buggy yelled impatiently.

Nami attempted to hide the shaking in her hands, but Luffy clearly saw it. "Your hands are shaking. This is what happens when you go into a situation with half-assed conviction."

"What do you mean half-assed?" Nami asked in anger. "To kill people at will. Is that the way of a pirate?"

"No," Luffy said as a smile appeared on his face. "It's being prepared to put your own life on the line."

This froze Nami in place.

Zoro smirked. Leave to Luffy to tell it like it is.

One of the pirates finally got impatient and took the matches from Nami. "Hey newcomer, don't make us wait. This is how you light a match." He struck the match and moved to light the fuse.

He didn't get far before Nami pulled out a foldable staff from her leg and cracked the pirate upside the head, stopping all the chanting.

Luffy was quite surprised by the turn of events and so was Nami.

"Oh crap," Nami in the memory whispered, as if realizing what she had just done.

"Nami, what's the meaning of this?" Buggy demanded.

"I'm sorry!" Nami quickly apologized and gave a humble bow.

"What's the point of apologizing _now_!?" Buggy snapped.

"Pretty much," Zoro said.

"What are you doing? Didn't you just save me?" Luffy questioned.

"This is stupid!" Nami yelled as she turned towards Luffy briefly. "I got too excited and it slipped. I won't stoop to the level of a pirate." Her voice darkened in anger. "I would never be like the pirates who took the most important person away from me!"

Usopp and Sanji felt for Nami. They knew who she was referring to and understood why she hated pirates. If it was them, they would have felt the same way.

Luffy's eyes widened in understanding. "That's why..." He didn't complete the sentence when he realized that the fuse was lit. "Ahh crap, it's lit!"

Nami's eyes widened when she saw lit fuse.

"When did that happened?" Brook asked.

"That pirate struck the match hard enough to make a spark, lighting the fuse," Robin explained in a neutral voice.

"How dare you defy me, you bitch!" Buggy screamed as several of his men jumped Nami.

She attempted to defend herself, but she was outnumbered and outmatched.

"Those bastards, how dare they attack Nami-san like that!?" Sanji growled angrily. "And he called her a bitch!? I'll kill him!"

"Why can't Luffy just eat through the cage?" Usopp asked.

His question was answered when he saw that Luffy _was_ trying to eat the cage, but wasn't making much progress. Apparently, Luffy's jaws weren't that strong yet.

Nami abandoned her staff and ran towards the cannon. Without a second though, she grabbed the fuse, stopping the cannon from going off.

"Nami!" Chopper in panic yelled when he saw this.

"Oh my dear Nami-san. How could you ruin your beautiful hands saving that shit head," Sanji mourned.

"It wasn't that bad. Just a mild sting," Nami assured the cook.

"Behind you!" Luffy warned as Buggy's men descended upon Nami.

Before the pirates could touch her, however, they were suddenly knocked aside and sent screaming in pain.

"How many people does it take to attack one girl?" Zoro asked nonchalantly. He was now standing between Nami and the pirates.

"Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed happily.

"Nice entrance, Zoro-san," Brook complimented.

Sanji snorted. "Mine would have been better."

"What would you have done? Rocketed in on a jet of blood?" Zoro asked.

This caused a small fight between Sanji and Zoro.

"You actually managed to find this place," Luffy said, very impressed.

"How _did_ you find this place?" Usopp asked. Given Zoro's sense of direction, he should be on the other side of East Blue.

Zoro refused to answer as he broke his fight with Sanji.

"What on earth are you doing?" Zoro asked his captain. He sounded both annoyed and amused. "A bird takes you away and now you're in cage."

"There's an interesting story," Luffy answered.

"And it starts with it's all Nami's fault," Zoro said as he side-eyed Nami.

"Leave Nami-san alone!" Sanji yelled.

Nami shook her head. "No, for once, Zoro's right. It is my fault that all this happened. I underestimated Buggy and put all of us in danger."

"But you acknowledged and learned from your mistake," Brook said in a gentle voice. "And that's the most important thing."

Nami gave Brook a grateful smile.

Zoro walked towards Luffy, paying no attention to the pirates at his back.

"So, you're Zoro," Buggy said with his arms folded. His head was down, making him appear more dangerous. "What do you want? Do you want my head?"

Zoro almost rolled his eyes at him. "I gave up pirate hunting."

Buggy began to laugh. "But I'm interested. If I killed you, I would become more infamous."

Zoro glared at the red-nosed pirate. "You'll die."

Buggy took out his knives and laughed even harder. "Eh, okay."

Zoro sighed in annoyance. "I guess words can't make him understand."

"Time to die!" Buggy yelled as he charged Zoro.

As soon as Buggy moved, Zoro cut him into pieces and scattered his body parts across the roof.

This freaked out Chopper. He had never seen Zoro that brutal.

"Wow, he killed him without even trying," Franky said in both shock and disappointment. "I knew he was weak and all, but come on. One who sailed with the Pirate King should have put up more of a fight."

Usopp blinked, very confused. He was certain Buggy lived. He was at Loguetown, after all, trying to kill Luffy.

"Strange, there's no blood," Brook noted as he looked over Buggy's pieces.

Robin tilted her head in thought. "Does he..."

Zoro in the memory didn't noticed this oddity and put his swords away. "That's it?"

"Wow, he's really weak," Luffy said, sounding a little disappointed.

The Buggy Pirates laughed to themselves, which unnerved the Strawhats in the memory.

"You, what's so funny?" Zoro demanded. As soon as he asked that question, a knife went through his lower abnormal, taken the swordsman by surprise.

"What, a hand!?" Nami in the memory exclaimed in shock.

Buggy's hand was floating in mid-air and had stabbed Zoro in the back.

"Dirty," Franky said.

Brook growled. "Stabbing someone in the back is low."

"Zoro did turn his back," Robin stated. "In the world of pirates, there is no such thing as unfair."

Zoro lowered his head in shame. He had allowed his arrogance and naivety to get the best of him. There was no way that someone like Buggy should have been able to hurt him, let alone stab him in the back. He would never live this down. Robin was right, he fully deserved what happened to him.

"I ate the Chop Chop Fruit," Buggy explained as he put himself back together. "I can't ever be killed with a sword! I'm a splitting man!"

"His body went back together!" Nami exclaimed in shock as the color drained from her face. "I thought Devil Fruits were just a myth!"

"Splitting man, what a freak," Luffy said.

"This coming from a rubberman?" Usopp muttered as he stared at Luffy.

"Although it's not critical, that's a serious wound," Buggy said with a wide grin. "This fight is over."

Zoro fell to his knees and began to pant in pain as blood ooze from his wound. "This situation isn't looking good."

"You are so full of failure, moss head," Sanji said. "If Nami-san is harm because of your incompetence, I'll grill you like a fish."

Zoro sneered at the cook.

Luffy had enough of this. "Attacking from the back is cowardly, you big red nose!"

All chanting and cheering stopped as the Buggy Pirates stared at Luffy in disbelief. There was a long silence that followed.

Buggy looked like his head was going to explode.

"Luffy-san has such a way with words," Brook mused.

Sanji nodded. "He knows exactly what to say to piss someone off."

"Who...has...a..." Buggy stuttered as he shook in rage. "Big nose!"

He threw his knife holding hand at Luffy, but the rubberman easily caught the blade in his mouth.

"Oh Buggy, I'm going to kick your ass!" Luffy exclaimed confidently as he bit down on the knife, break it in half.

Buggy laughed at him. "Kick my ass? All three of you are going to die here!"

Luffy returned Buggy's laughed with one of his own. "I'm not going to die." He looked directly at his swordsman. "Zoro, run!"

"What!?" Zoro exclaimed in surprise.

"He's telling the guy who came to save him to run?" Nami questioned in shock. "What about you?"

Luffy smiled and caught Zoro's eyes. They looked at each other for a moment before a look of understanding came across Zoro's face.

"Roger, captain" Zoro said with a smirk.

Nami became even more baffled.

"You can't escape!" Buggy screamed as he attacked Zoro.

There was a brief struggle, but Zoro eventually cut through Buggy and ran towards the cannon. Before anyone could stop him, Zoro got under the cannon and proceeded to flip it on its back, making it point right at the Buggy Pirates.

The Buggy Pirates understandably started to panic.

"Hey, light it," Zoro in the memory ordered Nami.

It took Nami a couple seconds to process Zoro's order and she ran to light the fuse. Zoro and Nami dove for cover as the cannon fired and the entire scene turned black.

"Hey, how did Luffy telling you to run translate to flip the cannon and shoot it?" Usopp asked.

"I just knew," Zoro answered with a shrugged.

"As I said, they both have the same animal wave-length," Nami said in a deadpan voice.

The next memory appeared and Zoro was dragging the cage that Luffy was still trapped in through the empty streets. It was obvious that Zoro was tired and in great pain by the way his body twitched. The wound that Buggy had given him was bleeding badly, soaking his shirt and his pants.

Luffy wasn't happy about what Zoro was doing to himself and protested vocally. Zoro chose to ignore his captain and kept dragging the cage until they were a safe distance from Buggy and his crew.

"What were you thinking!?" Chopper exclaimed in horror. "You tore your wound even wider dragging that cage around!"

"We had no key to open the cage, so I had no choice," Zoro answered casually.

"You could have cut the cage!" Chopper yelled furiously.

Zoro turned his eye away from the young doctor. "I couldn't. I didn't know how to cut steel back then."

Chopper lost all of his anger. "Oh...Zoro, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Don't be," Zoro said as he grinned and touched the hilt of one of his swords. "I can now."

"I've been thinking, could Luffy just slide out of the cage? He is a rubberman," Franky questioned.

Robin rubbed her chin. "In theory he can, but he would need to compress his body in a way that would be extremely uncomfortable for him."

"So, he can do it, but he just doesn't want to," Usopp translated.

"I believe that is the case. Luffy does not like being discomfort," Robin said.

"Which is odd given how he has no problem tearing his body up doing reckless things," Sanji said.

Nami nodded. "That is one thing I will never understand about Luffy. He's such a contradiction of himself at times."

Zoro in the memory kept dragging the cage until he came to rest in front of a pet food store. There, Zoro's strength finally gave out and he completely collapsed.

Luffy looked worriedly at the swordsman before he noticed a small white dog staring at them. The dog sat in front of the pet store like some kind of statue.

"What's with this dog?" Zoro asked in a tired voice.

"Doggy!" Luffy exclaimed happily as he hopped the cage over to the dog.

The dog didn't even flinch as Luffy stared at it. Luffy gave the dog a baffled look and he pulled on his face, stretching his skin in an effort to get some kind of reaction. Still, the dog didn't move.

"Hey Zoro, it's not moving at all!" Luffy exclaimed as Zoro moved to rest against one of the store's wooden pillars.

"Who cares," Zoro in the memory huffed.

"I wonder if it's dead?" Luffy asked as he started to poke the dog in the face, just between the eyes.

This finally made the dog react, but not in the way Luffy expected. With a loud growl, the dog bit Luffy on the face and clamped down.

The Strawhats gasped in surprise as Luffy pulled on the dog, desperate to free his face as he cried in pain.

"That moron," Nami muttered.

"Have to admit, he kind of deserved that," Usopp said with some humor.

"Don't you understand the situation we're in!?" Zoro in the memory yelled angrily before he collapsed again from blood lost.

Luffy finally managed to free himself from the dog and rubbed his face in pain.

"Stupid dog," Luffy muttered.

"I need blood..." Zoro moaned.

"That's what happens when you tear your injury open!" Chopper scolded past Zoro.

It was a couple of seconds later that Nami found the two pirates.

"Hey, navigator," Luffy greeted cheerfully, completely over the previous event.

Nami didn't bother to ask what happened as she reached into her pouch. "I guess I'll give this to you." She tossed a metal key onto the pavement. "You did save me before."

"The key to the cage!" Luffy shouted happily. "Did you get it for me!?"

"Don't misunderstand me," Nami said quickly, but she was still smiling. "I don't want to owe you anything, that's all."

Franky began to chuckle. "Sure, Nami."

This caused Nami to blush, but she didn't correct the cyborg.

"I'm saved!" Luffy exclaimed as he reached for the key.

Before he could even touch it, the dog grabbed the key and ate it. There was a long silence as everyone took in what just happened.

"It..." Chopper started.

"...ate the key," Usopp finished in disbelief.

The other Strawhats were too stunned to comment and Robin was too busy trying not to laugh.

Luffy completely lost it and began to choke the dog. "You damn dog! Don't eat that! That's not food! Stupid dog!"

The dog turned a nice shade of blue as Luffy kept shaking him.

"He's going to kill it!" Chopper yelled in horror.

Before Luffy could choke the dog to death, a voice yelled at him. "Hey, stop picking on ChouChou, you brats!"

Luffy turned to see a strange man wearing what looked like wooden armor walking towards him.

After everything had calmed down, the Strawhats learned that the man was the mayor of the town. He offered to take Zoro to a doctor to have his wound treated, but Zoro insisted that he just needed sleep and refused to leave the town with the mayor to go where the other villagers were hiding.

"You need more than sleep for such a serious injury!" Chopper yelled in frustration. "That wound needs at least twenty stitches. You also need a blood transfusion after losing so much blood."

"Really, moss head. Do you think you're Luffy all of a sudden?" Sanji joked. "Only that rubber idiot can heal just by sleeping."

Zoro growled at Sanji, but chose not to say anything.

The mayor took Zoro to his house to rest and came back to check on Luffy and Nami. During their talk, the mayor told them about ChouChou's history. About how his owner died three months ago from illness and how he had been standing guard at the store ever since regardless of the weather or the pirate attack. Despite being a dog, the mayor was certain that ChouChou knew his owner was dead, but continued to guard the store because it was his treasure. The last gift given to him by his master and best friend.

Franky was crying openly by the end of the story. "That's...that's so beautiful!"

Chopper started to sniffle. "The bond between a pet and their owner, what a wonderful thing."

"I can't help but sing!" Brook cried as he played his guitar.

"Huh, so that's why that mutt was guarding that store," Zoro said nonchalantly.

"You have no heart!" Usopp yelled at Zoro.

Not long after the mayor finished his story, a rumble got everyone's attention. The rumble was followed by a loud roar.

"A lion!" Chopper exclaimed as his ears perked up.

"Here of all places?" Franky asked.

The roars didn't bother Luffy. He was used to them from the mountains.

Nami in the memory, however, was completely freaked out. "What's that roar!?"

"It's him, the Beast Tamer Mohji!" the mayor exclaimed in fear as he grabbed Nami's arm and dragged her away from the store.

"Wow, he just ditch Luffy," Usopp said.

"Guess it's every man for themselves," Sanji humored.

Not long after they left, a giant lion with green fur and a light purple mane appeared in Luffy's sight. It was big compared to a normal lion, but it was nothing in comparison to the Goa Beasts from Luffy's childhood. Riding the lion sat a skinny man who had a hat in the shape of bear's ears on his head. It had to be Mohji.

"Oh, so you were abandoned by your comrades," Mohji mused as he smirked at Luffy. "And you just got away."

"Who are you?" Luffy asked.

"I'm the beast tamer from Buggy's crew, Mohji," he introduced. "First mate to captain Buggy."

Franky tilted his head. "He's the first mate?"

"Hm, I thought the guy on the unicycle was the first mate," Zoro stated neutrally.

"Guy on a unicycle?" Brook questioned.

"Can he really tame any beast?" Chopper asked in awe, completely ignoring the current conversation.

"No," Nami answered in a bored tone. "He can only control that lion."

"Hm, not much of a beast tamer then," Sanji said.

"You're wearing a really funny costume," Luffy said as he looked at Mohji's head.

"You rude thing!" Mohji yelled angrily as he pointed to his head. "This is my hair."

"That's even weirder," Luffy said.

"Seriously," Franky snickered. "Who puts their hair like that?"

"How do you even get your hair like that?" Brook asked.

"I assume it takes a lot of mousse," Sanji answered.

"You! Ever since I got here, you've been restless," Mohji said, calming down. "Don't you know how great I am!? I am the Beast Tamer, Mohji! There's no animal in the world I can't tame!" To prove his point, he jumped off his lion and walked towards a growling ChouChou. "Shake."

ChouChou responded by biting Mohji's hand, causing the 'beast tamer' to scream in pain.

"If this is considered part of the cream of the crop in East Blue, I feel sorry for you guys," Franky said as he sweat-dropped. No wonder no one took pirates from this sea seriously.

Robin could not help but agree. It was almost hard to believe that the future and past Pirate King both originated from this sea. The pirates around here really were a carnival act.

Mohji got back on his lion and attempted to regain his dignity. "You're going to die soon anyway. I have no interest in taming you right now."

"Liar," Usopp said.

"Tell me where Roronoa Zoro is," Mohji demanded, finally getting to his main point.

"No way," Luffy answered bluntly.

"Kill him, Richie!" Mohji ordered his pet.

Richie gave a loud roar as he fiercely stomped on the cage that Luffy was trapped in. The metal cage shattered to pieces on impact, freeing Luffy.

"That lion is stronger than I thought," Usopp said in awe. "It broke that steel cage like it was nothing."

"Alright, I'm free!" Luffy cheered.

Luffy didn't have long to enjoy his freedom before Richie slammed his paw into Luffy's chest and sent him flying into the nearest building. Luffy was left stunned by the collision, but was left completely unharmed.

"That surprised me, but at least I'm out of that cage," Luffy said casually as he stood up. "Alright, now I'm going to beat them all up and make Nami my navigator!"

As if hearing her name, Nami appeared next to Luffy, looking more than a little surprised. "How can you still be alive!?"

"He's alive!?" the mayor exclaimed in shock.

"Is it bad that I'm alive?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"You destroyed that entire house," Nami in the memory pointed out, still not quite believing what she was seeing.

"Really?" Luffy asked as he looked over the damage. The house in question was completely destroyed. It looked like a cannonball had hit it.

"Just a normal day for Luffy," Usopp mumbled.

Nami rubbed her forehead. "This is actually tame compared to our usual normal days."

The mayor quickly got over his shock. "Why did you come to this city? Why are you involved with those pirates?"

"I've just found my reason," Luffy answered with a grin. "The chart of the Grand Line and a navigator!" He turned around and ran back towards the pet store. "That guy in the costume said that he was looking for Zoro. I'm going to take a look."

Zoro rolled his eye. Like that loser could kill him, even in his weakened state.

It took Luffy a few minutes to get back to the pet store. When he did arrive, he was shocked to see that the store was on fire.

ChouChou stood in front of the store barking and howling like he was crying. ChouChou's white fur was dirty and bloody from what looked like some kind of battle. It was easy to tell that ChouChou had gotten into a fight with the lion in ordered to protect the store. Sadly, the dog was not strong enough to prevent this tragedy.

All the Strawhats were left stunned and angry by the sight. Without a thought, that dog's treasure was gone. It was a heartache that they could all relate to.

Luffy's face was completely blank, betraying no emotion. The Strawhats knew, however, that their captain was pissed and he would not allow this injustice to go unpunished.

Without saying a single word, Luffy went to find Mohji. The beast tamer was not too far from the pet store as he nursed a wound undoubtedly given to him by ChouChou. Richie had a box of pet food in his mouth, most likely taken from the store for his snack.

"Hey, didn't I kill you?" Mohji asked, surprise to see Luffy still alive.

"I'm not going to die that easily," Luffy answered casually with a wide grin.

"This time, bite his head off!" Mohji ordered Richie as he jumped off the lion.

Richie gave a loud roar, dropping the pet food, and charged Luffy.

Luffy's grin grew wider. "I'm not going to be beaten by a lion." He twisted his arms and wrapped them around Richie's snout, immobilizing him. Once he had Richie firmly in his grip, Luffy jumped over the lion and landed gracefully behind him. He rapidly unwind his arms as he lifted Richie into the air. "Gum Gum Hammer!"

Luffy slammed Richie into the pavement like a drill, leaving a giant hole in his wake. Needless to say, the lion was knocked out.

"Ouch," Sanji muttered.

"As expected," Zoro said causally. That lion was nothing compared to the Goa Beasts.

Mohji was left completely stunned by the turn of events. Not only was his precious pet defeated, but he had also just witnessed an ability user other than his captain.

"What the hell are you!?" Mohji demanded in fear.

"Well, I ate the Gum Gum Fruit," Luffy said as his eyes darkened, completely losing his previous cheerful demeanor.

"You...you're a Devil Fruit user just like the captain!?" Mohji asked as he shook in place.

Luffy didn't answer. He didn't even move from his kneeling position.

"I…I understand!" Mohji exclaimed as he put his hands up in defeat. "I apologize for everything that has happened here!"

Zoro snorted. "What weakling. His pet gets defeated and he just gives up without putting up a fight. What a lousy first mate."

"This entire crew is lousy," Franky said.

"There's no point apologizing to me. Because of you, that dog will never get his treasure back," Luffy said coldly as he stood up. His back was still turned from the beast tamer. He finally turned around and glared at Mohji in cold fury. "That's why I'm going to kick your ass."

Without another word, he stretched his arm and grabbed Mohji by his collar. He pulled the beast tamer towards him and ruthlessly pounded him into the ground. The beat down was much tamer than the Strawhats expected. Luffy stopped hitting Mohji after only two hits and left him broken on the street.

"That's it?" Usopp asked in surprise. It wasn't that he liked seeing people pounded, even when they fully deserved it, but he was expecting Luffy to break a bone or two given how angry he was.

"There's no point in hitting that idiot anymore," Zoro said as he gestured towards Mohji. "He's already knocked out."

"He's down after only two hits?" Brook asked in disbelief.

Sanji lit another cigarette. "There's no point punishing that bastard if he can't even feel it. He got off too lightly, regardless."

Nami said nothing, but she completely agreed with Sanji. Luffy, however, wasn't one to beat up an unconscious person.

Franky snorted. "What a pathetic wimp."

With Mohji and Richie taken care of, Luffy grabbed the box of pet food and walked back towards the store. Nami was now there and looked over the wreckage with eyes filled with rage. The fire was put out, but the damage was done. Only timbers remained of the store.

ChouChou had stopped barking and could only stare in sorrow at his burnt treasure. If he were a human, he would undoubtedly be crying.

Nami heard Luffy's approach and she glared hatefully at the rubberman. "Oh, you're alive, pirate. I had thought that lion had eaten you. And I wished he had since there would be one less pirate in the world!"

The statement took most of the Strawhats off-guard. She never sounded that heartless.

"Nami..." Chopper whispered.

"You're a pirate! You'll do the same thing in time!" Nami accused as her anger grew. "Before you can gather more comrades and get stronger, I'll kill you right here!"

Nami began to blindly charged Luffy. The mayor quickly stopped her.

Robin's heart went out to her crewmate. The pain and hate in Nami's eyes were clear to see. It stood in reflection to her own eyes just two years ago.

Sanji shook in rage and gritted his teeth. He knew it was Arlong's cruelty that did this to her.

Luffy dismissed Nami's words and walked passed her. "You don't have the strength to kill me."

"Maybe I'll try it and see!" Nami screamed at Luffy.

Without addressing Nami further, Luffy gently put the box of pet food in front of ChouChou. He then took a seat next to the dog.

Nami in the memory and the mayor stood stun at what they were seeing.

"Sorry, this is all I could bring back. That bastard lion ate the rest of it," Luffy said in a soft, apologize voice.

ChouChou said nothing as he stared at the pet food.

"You fought bravely," Luffy said with a smile. "Although I didn't see it, I can tell."

ChouChou still said nothing as he walked up and grabbed the pet food in his mouth. He started to walk away. ChouChou walked a few feet away from Luffy before he turned his head and barked.

Chopper teared up. "He said, thank you."

Luffy turned towards ChouChou and smiled. It was like he understood what ChouChou just said. "You do your best too."

ChouChou barked a couple more time in gratitude before he picked up his box and walked out of sight.

Franky began to sniffle. "What a beautiful gesture. He did all that for a mere dog."

"When it comes to someone's treasure, Luffy has only the utmost respect. Whether you be a person or a beast," Sanji said softly.

There was a moment of silence in the memory as everyone took in what happened. Nami slowly walked towards Luffy, who was still sitting on the ground with a blank expression.

"I'm sorry about before..." Nami said with shame in her voice. "For thinking you were bad."

Luffy lifted up his head and smiled. "No problem, you have your reasons." He slowly stood up and dusted his shorts. "There's no need to apologize."

Nami had small smile on her face and her demeanor was different from earlier. All the Strawhats could tell that Luffy had won her over at that moment.

Nami smiled at the memory. It seemed silly to get emotional over a dog, but this was when Luffy showed her his heart. And it was a good one, regardless if he was a pirate or not.

While Luffy and Nami were having their moment, the mayor completely broke down and started ranting about how ChouChou and Luffy were fighting against the pirates while he did nothing, despite being the mayor. After talking about how his town was built, he proclaimed the town to be his treasure.

Almost on cue, Buggy fired one of his Buggy Bombs, destroying a row of houses, including the mayor's home.

Luffy's eyes widened in horror. "Ah, Zoro was sleeping in there!"

"Is he dead?" the mayor asked in concern.

As if answering his question, Zoro sat up from the rubble of the house. He was left completely unharmed. "What an awful way to wake up."

"How are you okay!?" Both Usopp and Chopper yelled.

"Whatever Zoro's made of, it harder than metal," Nami said, remembering this incident.

"Like that little explosion would harm me," Zoro said.

"Little explosion! That thing destroyed an entire house!" Usopp yelled. Even after two years, he still had no idea what these people were made of.

"I wanted to sleep more," Zoro in the memory complained.

Sanji rolled his eyes. "That would be your complaint after a bomb goes off in your face."

"Why is he still alive?" Nami in the memory muttered to herself.

"Thank goodness you're alive!" Luffy cheered.

This was the final straw for the mayor. Knowing that he stood no chance against Buggy and his crew, and that he would be walking into his death, he ran off to fight them.

"That's one tough old man," Franky said in admiration.

"He's going to get himself killed!" Usopp yelled.

The Nami in the memory voice a similar though as she watched the mayor run off.

"Don't worry, I like the old man," Luffy assured. "I won't let him die!"

"If you say so," Zoro said nonchalantly as he walked in the direction the mayor went.

"You're going too!?" Nami exclaimed in disbelief. "With that wound!?"

Zoro tied his bandanna across his head and gave his signature shark smirk. "An injury like this hurts my name more than it hurts me."

Chopper sighed in irritation.

"Our destination is the Grand Line," Luffy said confidently. "We're going to get the sea chart back from the pirates!" He turned towards Nami and held out his hand. "Be our comrade, Nami."

Nami stared at the hand for a moment before she looked back at Luffy. "I will never become a pirate," she said defiantly. As soon as said that, Nami slapped Luffy's hand before smiling. "But I will join you guys, for the sake of both of our goals."

Luffy smiled and laughed in acceptance, ending the memory.

"I see, so you joined Luffy as an alliance at first," Robin said.

Nami shrugged. "Well, even though Luffy showed he was a good guy, he was still a pirate. At the time, I couldn't stand the thought of being what I hated."

"That is understandable," Robin said.

The new memory came and it mostly detailed Luffy's fight with Buggy. The fight was quite funny to watch since Luffy's inexperience with fighting another Devil Fruit user was clearly evidence. It took him a few minutes to land a decent hit on Buggy and it only happened because Buggy had the nerve to badly damage Luffy's hat.

He probably would not have gotten off so lightly if Buggy didn't stop to rant about how much he hated Shanks for tricking him into eating a Devil Fruit, although it was clearly his own fault going by his story.

"I didn't know Devil Fruits could be sold for that much," Nami said with belli signs in her eyes.

"Although, what a moron. Eating a Devil Fruit and then jumping into the sea after a treasure map," Franky said as he shook his head. "Were the standards to be on Roger's crew that low?"

Usopp, Chopper, and Brook nodded in agreement.

The fight resumed, but Buggy no longer had any interest in fighting Luffy. He instead went after Nami who had taking the liberty of stealing all his treasure while he was fighting. This proved to be a painful mistake for the clown pirate since he was careless enough to leave the lower half of his body next to Luffy.

Luffy calmly walked up to the lower body and swiftly and deliberately kicked Buggy square in the nuts. Needlessly to say, Buggy dropped like a rock to the ground, groaning in agony.

All the Strawhat men felt for Buggy and groaned along with him.

"Oh, low blow," Franky muttered.

Nami sweat-dropped as she watched the memory. "I'm a girl and that hurts."

"I think I heard one of them crack," Usopp moaned in tears.

"Will he be able reproduce after that?" Chopper asked. He had his hooves to his mouth.

"I don't think we're that lucky," Zoro said as he winced in pain for Buggy.

Robin had to hide a smile since she found the entire scene more funny than painful.

Even after having his nuts busted, Buggy still continued to chase Nami, demanding his treasure back. This single-minded focus cost him the battle and Luffy knocked him down with one powerful kicked.

When Buggy attempted to regain himself and recalled his parts, he came up half short. Nami had tied his torso, arms, and legs while his guard was down and what was left of the clown captain was sent flying over the horizon by one of Luffy's Bazookas, ending the memory.

"That was a cute little battle," Franky said. "He at least provided Luffy with somewhat of a challenge. Although, he's still rather pathetic given his background."

"He let his greed blind him," Zoro observed. "He could have given Luffy more of a decent fight if he wasn't chasing an unarmed woman."

"The shit head deserved more than being sent flying for hurting Nami-san," Sanji said with fire in his eyes. He made a mental note to beat Buggy into a pulp if he ever saw him again.

"Buggy has a powerful and diverse Devil Fruit. It is a shame he uses it so poorly," Robin said.

"He could probably make better use of his ability if he didn't resent it so much," Brook stated.

Soon, a new scene appeared and the Strawhats were back on the sea. It didn't take them long to find Luffy.

"It's fixed!" Luffy yelled happily as he held out his hat. The hat looked largely the same, except three large scar-like marks were now embedded into the top.

"I just mended the marks," Nami in the memory said as she put away her sewing kit.

She was in another boat besides Luffy and Zoro. It was obviously one of Buggy's boats since his pirate mark was on the sails.

"I think that should do it," Nami in the memory said. "Try not to poke too much."

"And naturally, he does," Nami said dryly. Telling Luffy not to do something was just inviting him to do it.

"Right, right, thanks," Luffy said cheerfully as he poked his hat. "You did a great job fixing it." While he was talking, Luffy poked a little too hard and put a hole in his hat. "Uh oh..."

"That moron," almost all the Strawhats muttered.

Sanji sighed an shook his head. "That klutz is so careless that he put a hole through his own hat."

Nami in the memory took notice of what Luffy had done and was justifiably pissed. "Didn't you listen to what I _just_ said!?" she yelled as she took the needle in her hand and poked Luffy between his eyes.

Luffy screamed in pain as he grabbed his wound. "Stop poking me with me with that needle! It hurts!"

Sanji rolled his eyes. "It's just a needle, baby."

"It's useless if I hit you, so I have to use a needle to hurt you," Nami in the memory growled.

"Ah, that makes sense," Luffy said.

"I should've kept poking him with needles," Nami mumbled.

"You guys are too noisy," Zoro in the memory complained as he woke up from his nap. He gave a big yawn. "I'm hungry, give us some of your food."

"That's no way to ask a woman for something, you barbarian," Sanji growled.

Nami in the memory rolled her eyes at them. "Oh please, you need to be more prepared. You don't bring food or water and dare go out to sea. You underestimate the ocean."

Robin began to chuckle. "You guys argue like siblings."

"Well, that what's happens when you sail with two morons," Nami said. "Honestly, how did you and Luffy survive so long?"

"You three do seem really close," Chopper said.

Nami thought about Chopper's words. "I don't know, we just kind of act like that. Even then, I felt comfortable about Zoro and Luffy."

"Luffy does have that effect on people," Robin said with a smile.

Some time passed in the memory and most of it was spent listening to the trio driving each other crazy and getting to know each other.

"There's no way we can go to the Grand Line in our condition," Nami said during one of the afternoons.

Luffy and Zoro looked at Nami in interest.

Luffy took out the remains of an apple he had been nibbling on for the past hour. "You're right, I prefer meat. All we have eaten is fruit."

"Have you noticed that Luffy doesn't seem to eat as much as usual," Chopper observed.

Usopp nodded. "You're right. I mean, he still eats a lot, but it's nowhere near the black hole amount we're use to seeing." He paused in thought. "When I think about it, it has been like that when he was kid too, but I thought it was because he was still a child."

"It could be that Luffy's eating habits changes depending on the food that is available to him," Robin surmised. "If he knows that food is sparse, he eats more conservatively."

Sanji snorted. "Then why does he continually eat all the food in my kitchen?"

"Maybe he finds your food so good that he can't resist," Brook offered.

"That definitely can't be it," Zoro said dismissively.

"What!?" Sanji exclaimed.

"We need some booze too," Zoro from the memory said, stopping the current argument.

"What are you guys talking about?" Nami asked in frustration. "I'm not talking about that! I'm saying that the Grand Line is the most dangerous place in the world. There will be lots of pirates looking for the One Piece and they will definitely have powerful ships."

"Then we just need more crewmates," Luffy said.

"Not only do we lack manpower, but our ship is clearly not equipped," Nami said. "There's no way we can make it there safely."

Luffy began to eat another apple. "Looks like we still need a chef and musician."

"Musician?" Zoro questioned before he laughed.

"Are you stupid?" Nami muttered to herself.

"Luffy-san wanted a musician?" Brook asked before tears fell from his nonexistence eyes. "Such a gesture warms my heart. Well, if I had one."

"Luffy always wanted a musician, even before he wanted a doctor," Sanji said.

"Luffy didn't even think of getting a doctor until Zoro kept getting himself hurt," Nami stated.

Zoro growled in response.

"If we head south, there's a small inhabited island," Nami said once she regained her bearings. "It would be best if we found a ship there."

"Ah, time to eat some meat!" Luffy cheered.

"Don't forget the sake," Zoro said with a wide, eager smile.

"You guys!" Nami yelled in annoyance.

"What's the name of the island?" Luffy suddenly asked.

Nami was surprised by the question before she looked at her sea chart. "Gecko Island."

Usopp's head shot up. "Gecko Island?"

"You know that island?" Chopper asked the sniper.

"Yeah, it's my home island," Usopp said before he began to smile. "Looks like my big scene is coming up next."

"Can't wait," Zoro said dryly.

"You can at least pretend to be excited!" Usopp yelled at the swordsman.

The small pirate band continued to sail until they reached the shores of Gecko Island. When they reached land, the group left their boats and stretched their stiff muscles.

"It's been awhile since I've been on land," Zoro groaned as he stretched.

"That's because you slept through all our stops," Nami said.

"Ah, so the village is further down the way?" Luffy asked.

Nami nodded as she looked at her map. "Although it's a small village."

Luffy ran gleefully towards his navigator. "In that case, meat, meat, meat, meat! There should be food in the village, right?" There was drool running down his mouth as he talked.

"Can't you think of anything besides eating all the time?" Nami asked in annoyance.

"No," Nami answered her past self.

The ruffles in the leaves quickly got Zoro's attention and he began to look around.

"Be careful," Zoro warned as he loosened one of his swords. "Someone's here."

Luffy started to look around. "Where, where, where, where, where?"

Zoro suddenly turned towards Luffy. "Look out!"

Without warning, several projectiles were shot at Luffy's feet. Luckily, he was able to dodge all of them.

While this was happening, several pirate flags rose from the brushes. They were the traditional skull and crossbones design, except the skull's mouth was in an 'O' instead of a smile with the teeth showing. It appeared like the small pirate band was surrounded by hundreds of pirates.

Instead of being intimidated by the display of force, Luffy excitedly wave his arms. "Wow, this is awesome!"

"That's so cool!" Chopper yelled, just enthralled as Luffy.

"This isn't the time to be in awe!" Nami in the memory yelled in frustration.

A figure suddenly appeared on one of the cliffs and started to laugh at them. He wasn't particular tall and he had a thin built. He had slightly dark skin with fairly long curly jet-black hair. His most prominent feature was his long, round nose. Honestly, nothing about him looked intimidating.

"I am the leader of the great nation of pirates who has conquered this village, Usopp!" the boy exclaimed, hamming it up for all it was worth. "Everyone praises me and addresses me as the great Captain Usopp!"

Luffy kept smiling before the corners of his mouth suddenly dropped. The look on his face completely changed from one of awe, to one of recognition.

"Wow, Usopp!" Chopper exclaimed with stars in his eyes. "You ruled a nation of pirates!? Why didn't ever tell me this!?"

Usopp rubbed his nose proudly. "Well, what can I say? I didn't want to brag."

The other Strawhats side-eyed Usopp.

"If you're thinking about attacking this village, you should just save your strength!" Usopp continued. "Otherwise, my eighty-million men will crush you all like bugs!"

"Incredible!" Luffy and Chopper yelled together in complete awe.

Zoro and Nami in the memory side-eyed their captain in disbelief.

Zoro sighed at Chopper. "Really, you still fall for that?"

"It's a lie," Nami in the memory said nonchalantly.

Usopp in the memory completely lost his composure, exposing his lie. "You saw through it...this is bad!"

Luffy we shock to hear this. "What, he was lying!?"

"You lied!?" Chopper yelled accursedly at their Usopp.

Usopp coughed timidly. "Well….I may have overdid the number a little."

"Really, why eighty-million?" Franky asked the sniper.

"Damn you!" Usopp in the memory cussed before he recomposed himself. "Eighty-million may have been an exaggeration, but I have many strong and powerful comrades!"

Nami gave him a smug smile. "All three of them?"

Three kids suddenly jumped out of the brushes and screamed.

"She found us!" all three of them screamed in terror before they ran for their lives.

"Hey you guys, don't run!" Usopp in the memory yelled, completely panicked.

"A little, huh?" Franky humored a blushing Usopp.

Nami bent over and picked something up from the beach. "A pirate that uses pachinko. I've never heard of such a thing."

Luffy laughed good natured. "You're quite the interesting fellow."

"Don't laugh at me!" Usopp yelled as he pulled out his slingshot. "I've a man of great pride. Because of my great pride, everyone calls me Usopp the Proud!"

Luffy responded by pulling his hat down and covering his eyes.

"As you saw earlier, my skills with a slingshot are better than a pistol," Usopp said.

"Now that you've drawn your slingshot, are you willing to use it?" Luffy dared in a low voice.

Usopp was unnerved by the question.

"That slingshot is not for threats, it's for action," Luffy went on in as his voice became more threatening. He pulled his hat up enough so one of his eyes was showing through the shadows of his hat, making Luffy look more dangerous.

"Did he just quote Shanks?" Brook asked.

Both Zoro and Nami snickered.

Zoro in the memory looked at Luffy for a moment before he began to grin. He loosened one of his swords. "This person who stands before you is a real pirate."

Usopp became even more unnerved as Luffy and Zoro glared demoralizingly at him. Usopp completely lost his nerve when he looked into Luffy's one visible eye. He dropped the pachinko from his slingshot and fell to his knees in defeat.

"Just as I thought, a true pirate's speech is much more intimidating," Usopp muttered, completely disheartened. "That's so cool."

Luffy smiled slowly as he lifted his hat. He looked at Zoro and they both burst into laughter.

"I just repeated what someone said," Luffy said, still laughing. "The pirate I deeply respect, Shanks."

Usopp eyes widened. "You...you say Shanks! The Red-Hair Shanks! You know that great pirate!"

"Yeah," Luffy confirmed before he began to smile even wider. "Yasopp, right? Your father's name."

Usopp got so excited to hear this that he fell off the cliff he was standing on. Despite the fall, he wasn't badly hurt.

"It's true that Yasopp is my father's name," Usopp said as he started to sit up. "But how do you know this?"

The memory ended at that point.

Franky began to laugh. "You got intimidated by Luffy repeating a speech from Shanks. Man, it looked like you were going to faint there."

"Well, it was scary at the time," Usopp defended himself. Plus, Luffy looked freaky scary there.

"You know, Zoro-san seemed more...playful in Luffy's memory," Brook observed.

Chopper put a hoof to his chin. "Now that I think about it, you're right. Zoro seems to be more willing to go along with Luffy when he's being mischievous."

Franky folded his arms. "True. The Zoro in the memory doesn't have a stick shove up his butt."

Zoro glared at Franky for a moment, but said nothing. He did notice the same thing, although he didn't want to admit it. He forgotten about all the times he had teased his crewmates just for the fun of it (the love cook didn't count). He wasn't completely sure why he stopped. He wasn't even sure when the change happened.

The mist swallowed the Strawhats and they were now in a homey, little restaurant. Luffy was chewing a huge piece of meat while Nami and Zoro also enjoyed their meals. Usopp was eating with them at the end of the table.

"So, I met your dad when I was just a little kid," Luffy said through a large mouthful of meat.

"Hold on, my father really knows Shanks?" Usopp asked in excitement.

" _Knows_ him? When I met him he was part of Shanks' crew," Luffy answered cheerfully.

Usopp was beaming in pride. "I can't believe it! My father is sailing the seas with that famous pirate!"

"I haven't heard from them in a while, but I bet he's still with him," Luffy said as he smiled, remembering all the time he spent with Yasopp. "He was one heck of a sharpshooter."

Luffy started to tell Usopp short stories about him father. Most were abridged stories of his time with Shanks.

Usopp clung to every word Luffy said, looking like a small kid hearing a bedtime story.

The Strawhats couldn't help but to be amused by the scene. Usopp was usually the one telling stories to Luffy and here Luffy was doing the reverse.

"Look at you two, you're practically friends already," Franky mused.

Usopp smiled fondly. "Yeah, Luffy and I just clicked. I guess it was our bond over my father that brought us together."

It was something to consider that his dad probably spent more time with Luffy than with him. Going by the memories he saw, his dad practically helped raise Luffy for over a year along with Shanks. He wasn't jealous of his captain, but he kind of wish he had such warm memories of his father.

"Your dad must have really told Luffy a lot about you for him to recognize you on sight," Chopper noted. Luffy wasn't exactly known for his memory.

"Well, he certainly wouldn't shut up about his son," Sanji said, remembering how Yasopp nearly put them to sleep with his stories about Usopp.

"He used to go on, and on, and on, and on about his son," Luffy said, ending his stories. "I think I heard enough about you to make my ears bleed. And let me tell you that he was a great pirate."

"Really!" Usopp exclaimed as he got right into Luffy's face. "I sure am proud of my old man. He went to live a pirate's life on the endless sea. He chose a life of real adventure." He looked up at the ceiling dreamily.

"Maybe you can help us," Nami in the memory suddenly spoke, breaking Usopp out of his daydream. "Do you know someone who could provide us with a decent ship? Or, even someone who knows how to sail?"

Usopp gave a small sigh. "Well, it's a pretty small village. Sorry, but I don't think we'll be able to help you."

All the Strawhats knew Usopp was lying. The way his face and eyes narrowed gave him away completely. Even the current Usopp cringed at how obvious he was.

"What about that huge mansion?" Zoro in the memory asked casually as he looked out one of the windows. "The one on top of that hill over there."

In the distance, the Strawhats could see a large white mansion. Compared to other people of wealth the Strawhats had met it wasn't the grandest house they had ever seen. Still, whoever lived in the mansion was extremely well off and was undoubtedly a noble of some type.

Usopp in the memory began to sweat bullets.

"Hey, do you know them, Usopp?" Nami asked hopefully. "With all that money, surely they can help us find a ship."

"You stay away from there!" Usopp in the memory yelled, startling the memory Strawhats.

"What's that all about?" Brook asked.

"It would seem Usopp is hiding something," Robin stated.

Usopp looked extremely uncomfortable now. Now he knew how Zoro and Nami felt.

Usopp in the memory's mouth dropped as he realized what he had just said. "I...just remembered something that I really have to go do." He quickly stood up. "Everyone knows me in this place, so...stay and eat as much as you want."

Sanji shook his head. "Oh, that's a terrible move. How much did Luffy run up your tab?"

Usopp suddenly paled. He never did pay that restaurant back.

"Well...got to go!" Usopp in the memory shouted as he ran out of the restaurant at full speed, leaving a dust cloud in his wake.

"That's a little strange," Franky said.

"Why were you in such a hurry?" Chopper asked.

Nami in the memory wondered the same thing as Luffy continued to eat.

The small pirate band ate peacefully for another hour before the door to the restaurant suddenly burst open.

"The Usopp Pirates have arrived!" three kids yelled in unison.

"Oh, it's those kids from the cliff," Franky said.

Sanji stared at the kids for a moment. "The Usopp Pirates, huh? So, your crew really was just a bunch of kids?"

Usopp blushed. "Yeah...got something against that?"

"Wow, Usopp, you were that popular!" Chopper exclaimed in awe.

Usopp started to cough nervously. "Well...I don't like to brag, but I was very well known in my village. Everyone knew who I was."

"Really!?" Chopper yelled with stars in his eyes.

"For all the wrong reasons," Nami muttered, remembering what Usopp was known for.

The kids rushed towards the table where Luffy's group sat and pointed their wooden daggers at them.

"Speak up, you filthy pirates! What have you done to our beloved captain!?" a kid with green hair in the shape of an apple demanded. "Tell us now!"

Luffy paid no attention to them as he happily patted his now fat stomach. "That meat sure was good."

The kids paled in horror.

"What meat!?" the kid with light purple hair so long that it covered his eyes exclaimed.

"Did they..." the kid with the head in the shape of an onion began to say.

The Strawhats started to chuckle as they realized what the children were thinking.

"What have you done!?" the apple kid asked as he and the other kids shivered in fear.

Zoro turned towards the kids and gave them a look of pure sadistic joy. It was expression that was very unlike anything Zoro had given. Unlike his other expressions, which ranged from his shark grin to his bored demeanor, this look had a glint of mischief. It reminded the Strawhats of Luffy when he was at his most playful.

"If you're looking for your captain...we ate him," Zoro said slowly as he gave a slasher-smile to the kids.

Nami had to hold back her laughter as the kids looked like they were going to collectively wet themselves.

"Ahhh, cannibals!" the kids screamed in utter terror. When they yelled this, they were looking directly at Nami.

Nami wasn't please. "Why are you punks looking at me for!?"

The kids all promptly fainted to the floor.

Zoro and Luffy both burst into laughter. They were laughing so hard that tears were building in the edge of their eyes.

"You just had to say something stupid," Nami scolded, but it was obvious by the twitching of her mouth that she was closed to laughing too.

The current Strawhats were also laughing.

"I can't believe you did that," Usopp chuckled. He normally wouldn't have found the situation funny, given that dark humor wasn't his thing, but the fact it was Zoro of all people who made the joke made it too humorous to resist.

"Ate them...that's a good one," Franky laughed out loud.

"That certainly tickled my _funny bone_ ," Brook laughed.

"You were so playful back then, Zoro. You should show that side of yourself more often," Robin said with a smile.

Zoro had to fight to keep a smile off his face. After looking at these memories, he did kind of miss this side of himself.

The memory shifted and the Strawhats got a quick review on what happened in Usopp's villages. From the fragments they saw here and there, Usopp was good friends with the richest person in the town, a sickly but pretty young girl named Kaya.

She had been stricken with sickness since her parents died a year ago and despite all her money she never did recover. She only started to regained her strength and become happy again after Usopp started to visit her and tell her stories to cheer her up. It was very much what Usopp always does when one of his friends were ill.

"What, is that your girlfriend?" Franky asked in disbelief when he saw Kaya.

Sanji gritted in teeth in jealousy. "How the hell did you get such a hot girlfriend?"

"She isn't my girlfriend," Usopp said with a blush. "We're just good friends."

Brook began to laugh. "You don't have to be shy, Usopp. I'm sure a beautiful lady like that has some pretty panties."

"We don't have that kind of relationship!" Usopp yelled at the skeleton swordsman, making Brook laughed harder.

As the memory went on, the more recent Strawhat members learned that Kaya's butler, Klahadore, was really an infamous pirate named Captain Kuro who was once worth sixteen million belli and given the title Kuro of a Hundred Plans. His pirate name was earned by being considered one of the smartest pirates in East Blue whose plans rivaled some of the best strategists.

It was believed that Kuro was executed by the marines three years ago, but the clever cat pirate managed to fake his own death and somehow found his way into Kaya's family, eventually becoming the ill girl's most trusted servant who was also beloved by the village.

The Strawhats watched in horror as Kuro coldly planned to murder his ward after she was hypnotize into writing a will leaving all her money to him. To make it even worst, he planned to have his former crew sack the village to make it looked like pirates had killed her.

It took several tries from the Strawhats to remind Sanji that he couldn't hurt a memory as he vainly attempted to kick Kuro in the head as he told his first mate, Jango, his plans.

They also watched Usopp tearfully tell Luffy, Zoro, and Nami that no one in his village believed him since he was a known lair who couldn't touch Kuro's clean reputation. Apparently, Usopp had told lies about pirates invading every day for the last several years.

"This reminds me of an old story from my island, The Boy Who Cried Wolf," Robin said in thought.

"What kind of story is that?" Chopper asked.

"It is a story about a shepherd who told lies about wolves attacking the sheep every night. One day, real wolves came and when the shepherd called for help, no one came because they did not believe him. The shepherd was ripped apart by wolves and all the sheep were consumed," Robin said like she was telling a normal bedtime story.

The ending of the story freaked Chopper out.

"Usopp, why would you tell such a lie repeatedly to your village anyway?" Brook asked.

"It was kind of a habit I developed. I can't even remember the exact reason why anymore," Usopp admitted in embarrassment.

"What bad luck to have one of your lies come true," Franky said.

"It was more-or-less his own fault," Nami said as she glanced at their Usopp. "A pirate attack isn't something you lie about."

Usopp sighed in shame. "Yeah...I learned that the hard way. It's terrible knowing something bad is going to happen and have no one believe you. Not even the people you grew up with."

"You have to give Kuro credit for his plan, though. It was extremely well thought out," Robin said. "His only error was assuming that Luffy was killed when he fell off the cliff."

"No, his error was underestimated Usopp's determination," Zoro said, causing Usopp to blush. It was rare to get a compliment from Zoro.

Nami nodded. "If Usopp hadn't stood up for himself, Luffy would have never gotten involved. It was Usopp's courage that caused him to act."

"Luffy does tend to only help people who at least try to help themselves," Sanji said.

When the next memory came around, they saw Luffy fighting Kuro on the shore that led to the village while Usopp and Zoro went to save Kaya from Jango. Kuro proved to be a tougher opponent than Buggy because of his speed and generally being smarter.

His arrogance in his ability, however, proved to be his greatest weakness since he didn't take Luffy that seriously. Kuro just couldn't stop seeing Luffy as some stupid kid. Luffy also had the advantage in terms of overall skill, especially when he broke one of Kuro's cat claws using a rock, cutting the cat pirate's offensive ability in half.

Sometime during the battle, Kuro revealed his plan to kill everyone on his former crew to prove his innocence to the townspeople and to wipe anyone associated with his old pirate name. Kuro nearly succeeded with this phase of his plan when he started to use his 'Cat out of the Bag' technique to blindly attack everyone on the shore, murdering countless of his own men. He was so fast that he was invisible to the normal eye. Even Zoro and Sanji had trouble seeing him.

"He's fast," Zoro noted as he watched the chaos with a dispassionate eye.

"Yeah, he's as fast as those CP9 agents," Sanji said as he watched Kuro tear his own crew to bits.

"Although, he has nowhere near their level of control," Robin stated. "His Cat out of the Bag technique is purely reckless."

"It works for him given his complete disregard for life," Nami said coldly. She remembered this scene all too well.

Usopp was left speechless by the act of cruelty. He knew that Kuro was a ruthless jerk, but he didn't think he would do this to his own crew. Their pleas for their captain to stop killing them rang in his ears, making him want to turn away from the memory.

Luffy watched the bloodshed with a horrified expression and his anger rapidly built. He didn't even twitch when Kuro's claws cut him across the chest and arms.

To the Strawhats, they knew this was the worst thing Kuro could have done, save for hitting Luffy's hat. No one abused their own crew in front of Luffy.

"What do you take your men for!?" Luffy screamed in pure rage.

At that moment, Kuro cut Luffy across his chest. Luffy was stunned for a second, but he was still able to ruthlessly grab the cat pirate, bring him back into plain sight. The rubber captain then picked Kuro up and slammed him into the ground.

"Found you," Luffy grunted in satisfaction.

Kuro quickly stood up, looking more than a little annoyed. "You bastard. You should have just stood still and let me finish them. Look, because of you, my beloved comrades are half-dead."

All around the shore, Kuro's men laid on the ground, covered in blood and crying in pain.

"Beloved comrades?" Usopp growled. This man was a mockery to pirates.

"It would have been more humane to let me kill them off," Kuro said casually.

Luffy stared blankly at the cat captain, but all the Strawhats could see the anger in his eyes.

"What now?" Kuro mocked. "It looks like you have something to say."

Luffy glanced at his strawhat, which had fallen off his head during the course of the battle. "I will never become a man like you."

"It's not that you won't, you can't," Kuro said as he pointed his cat claws at Luffy's head. "Not with that talent. Furthermore, you're going to die here. You're going to feel the agony of being cut to pieces and then die."

Kuro backed away and once again did his Cat Out of the Bag technique. This time, however, the attack was much slower and Luffy was able to avoid injury. After a few moments, Kuro was visible again. He was breathing heavier than before and was sweating pretty badly.

"You're tired," Luffy observed. "That technique has too many useless movements."

"How true," Sanji said.

"Don't get cocky," Kuro said as he adjusted his glasses. "Up until now, I have been toying with you. You will receive special treatment. I will let you taste what true fear is, then I will slowly work on you."

He disappeared again, but Luffy was able to easily grab and trip him. Before Kuro could move, Luffy wrapped his limbs around Kuro's body, freezing his movements.

"Now you can't move," Luffy grinned.

"He got him!" Usopp cheered. Now, he could finally watched Kuro get what was coming to him.

"Shit, let _go_ , you bastard!" Kuro yelled as he attempted to break himself free. Luffy, however, was far stronger than him.

"With this, you plan of three years come to an end," Luffy informed with a wide grin. There was a note of almost sadistic pleasure in his voice.

"What!?" Kuro exclaimed in disbelief.

Luffy stretched his head back. "Gum Gum Bell!" he screamed.

"My plan will never fail!" Kuro shouted just before Luffy head-butted him in the face, shattering the remains of Kuro's glasses and knocking the man out cold.

The bong that could be heard when Luffy met Kuro's head made some of the Strawhats cringe. It really did sound like a bell ringing.

"He's going to feel that tomorrow," Franky said.

"Still, he goes down after one head-butt. That's kind of pathetic," Sanji said. "Buggy and even that jerk Captain Morgan took more hits than that."

"It's obvious that Kuro is not used to getting hit," Nami observed.

"He beat Captain Kuro!" one of the pirates exclaimed.

"The marines couldn't do anything against Kuro of Hundred Plans!" another pirate yelled in disbelief.

"Which isn't saying much," Franky said.

"Just who the hell are you!?" a pirate shouted.

Luffy calmly turned around to address them. "Monkey D. Luffy. Against a pirate who would discard their name and run away from the sea...there's no way I would lose to a man like that. A true pirate never gives up their name until the day they die."

Zoro nodded in agreement.

The pirate looked at one another. "Luffy? Never heard that name before."

"Remember that name for the rest of your lives," Luffy said before he grinned. "Because I will be the Pirate King!"

This stunned the surviving pirates.

Luffy picked up Kuro by his collar and casually threw him to his crew. "Take him with you and don't you dare come back!"

The pirates didn't have to be told twice as they ran back to their ship in a mad panic, dragging Kuro with them.

"I'm surprise those pirates didn't kill Kuro for what he did," Chopper said.

"Kuro was right in the sense that his crew was nothing more than thugs who could not operate on their own. They wouldn't have lasted without someone to lead them, even if that person did try to kill them," Robin said. "That, however, was Kuro's own doing as captain. He put together a crew that was completely depended on him instead of finding strong individuals who could act on their own. He wanted sheep and that is exactly what he got."

Nami, who had apparently robbed Kuro's ship during the fight, ran up to Luffy. When she reached Luffy, he collapsed in exhaustion from the battle. Nami was able to easily catch him and keep him on his feet.

"Thanks you for all your hard work," Nami said softly before he laid him on the ground. "Even you would get exhausted after a fight like that, wouldn't you?"

Luffy said nothing.

Nami gently sat next to him. "What made you so angry earlier?"

"I don't like them. They're wrong," Luffy said. "Crewmates aren't meant to be treated that way."

Nami carefully picked up Luffy's hat. "What are you talking about? That's just how it is. Pirates are not as noble as the ones in your dreams. Captain Kuro is a standard example."

Luffy glanced at Nami before he looked at the sky. "I want some meat."

Nami slammed Luffy's hat into his face, ending the scene.

"I didn't know Kuro was going to kill his own men like that even if they _did_ succeed," Usopp whispered.

"That man was trash to the very end," Zoro said disgust. "Luffy gave him a fitting punishment by sending him back to sea he so hated."

When the new memory appeared, the Strawhats were standing in the restaurant that Usopp had taken them to earlier. Luffy, Zoro, and Nami were sitting peacefully at the table, finishing their meal.

"We had our grub," Zoro said as he finished his sake. "Guess it's time to go."

"Right," Luffy said as he chewed on a fish bone.

At that moment, Kaya came walking into the restaurant.

"There you are," Kaya said in a sweet voice.

"Hey, miss," Luffy greeted.

"Is it okay for you to be out?" Nami asked worriedly.

"Yes," Kaya answered as she approached the table. "In the past year, my illness was due to my highly depressed state over my parents' deaths. Usopp took so much effort to cheer me up. I can't remain that way anymore." She paused for a moment. "I have caused you a lot of trouble. Thank you very much." She looked at each of them. "I have prepared a present for everyone. I hope you will accept it openheartedly."

The scene changed and now the Strawhats stood in front of a ship with a sheep figurehead. It was fairly small and old looking, but it had its own charm nonetheless.

Usopp nearly broke into tears when he saw it. "M…Merry!"

Chopper was also in tears. "It's the Going Merry!"

"Going what?" Brook asked.

"It's the first ship we had before Franky built the Thousand Sunny," Nami explained, barely hiding her own emotions.

"I see, you guys have many fond memories of this ship," Brook said. So, this was the ship the Lamb-chan was based on.

"Yeah," Usopp said as he wiped away some tears.

"Is that why you were so fond of that ship, Usopp?" Franky asked. "Was it because it was a present from your girlfriend?"

"For the last time, she's not my girlfriend," Usopp muttered.

At that moment, screams could be heard coming down one of the hills. The Strawhats looked to see Usopp in the memory rolling down the hill with a backpack that was larger than him.

"What's he up to?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Anyway, let's stop him," Zoro said. "He's heading straight for our ship."

Both Luffy and Zoro stuck their foot out and stopped Usopp. Problem was, they stopped Usopp by both slamming their feet into his face.

"T…thanks," Usopp in the memory muttered.

Usopp of the present glared at Luffy and Zoro. "Jerks."

Once free of his overlarge backpack, Luffy and others boarded the Going Merry while Usopp said his goodbyes to his friends. When he was done, he turned towards Going Merry.

"You guys, take care too!" Usopp yelled. "I'll see you again someday!"

"Why?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"'Why'...?" Usopp asked in disbelief. "You're really slow, aren't you? I'll be a pirate just like you, so we might meet again someday."

"What are you talking about? Hurry up and get on," Zoro said in annoyance as he pointed down at the ship.

This stunned Usopp.

"We're already friends," Luffy said.

Usopp stood shock for several moments. He looked like he was going to burst into tears.

"C…captain," Usopp whispered before he jumped happily on-board the Merry. "I'm the captain!"

"Don't be stupid, I'm the captain!" Luffy yelled angrily.

With that, the scene ended.

 


	12. Baratie

When the new memory came, the Strawhats were on the deck of the Going Merry. To the older Strawhat members, it was a special moment to see their precious Going Merry in her prime condition, unworn by the trials of the Grand Line. It was like seeing an old and departed friend.

Usopp in particular was moved to tears as he attempted to touch Merry's mast. His hand, of course, passed right through it. It was just a memory, after all.

Brook could only look at his crewmates as they had their moment of reflection. He had no memories of this ship, so he couldn't relate to what they were feeling. It made him feel like an outsider looking in and reminded him that he was the last to join. Perhaps by watching these memories, he would grow a bond with Merry too and be able to share in the feelings of his crewmates.

"It's finished!" Luffy exclaimed happily, knocking the Strawhats out of their thoughts. He held out the project that he'd been working on. Luffy drew his pirate mark.

Although 'drawn' would have been stretching it. The skull and crossbones were horribly deformed. It looked like something a five year old would draw.

"What...what's that monstrosity?" Franky asked.

Robin began to chuckle.

"That could have been our pirate flag? Scary," Sanji muttered.

Luffy laughed. "I put a lot of thought into it and this is our pirate mark."

The Strawhats in the memory stared at the pirate flag in wonder.

"Your drawing skills suck," Usopp said bluntly.

Nami had a thoughtful expression as she rubbed her chin. "Maybe the picture is supposed to be abstract."

"Well, the pirate flag is supposed to strike fear and terror into the hearts of people and this does looks scary in a way," Zoro said in thought. He looked close to approving the design.

"Why are you guys just going along with this?" Franky asked their Zoro and Nami.

"Well, that flag was scary," Zoro said nonchalantly.

"I thought it looked interesting," Nami admitted with a slight blush.

"Nami-swan has such good taste," Sanji cooed.

"That wasn't what you were saying a moment ago," Usopp muttered.

"You should have discussed it with me first," the Usopp in the memory said as he wagged his finger. "How can you forget that I'm a genius painter?"

"Genius painter?" Luffy questioned in awe.

"I've fifty years of experience painting on walls," Usopp bragged. "When it comes to painting, no one does it better than me."

"Wow, fifty years!" Luffy yelled in shock.

"You mean...he's an old man!" Zoro exclaimed in mock awe.

Nami smiled and nodded at Zoro. "Maybe he has five to six grandkids already."

"That's even _more_ incredible!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Hey!" Usopp exclaimed as he up his hands.

The current Strawhats chuckled at the teasing.

"I think this is the first time I've ever seen Nami and Zoro tease Usopp," Chopper said.

Nami also smiled at the memory. "I think we were all just more playful back then."

Once the teasing was over, Usopp got to work on the new pirate flag. After some time, Usopp pulled away, looking very pleased with himself.

"Now, take a look at this masterpiece!" Usopp exclaimed as he held out the Jolly Roger.

It was indeed drawn much better than Luffy's flag. It was, however, a Jolly Roger based on Usopp. The skull had Usopp's long nose and one of the crossbones was his slingshot. It was ego trip at its finest.

Needless to say, neither Luffy nor Zoro were impressed.

"Who told you to make your own flag?" Luffy scowled. Zoro and he both bonked Usopp upside his head.

"I didn't know you had such an ego, Usopp," Brook said to the sniper. It was funny to watch, but it was also highly disrespectful for Usopp to create his own pirate flag.

Usopp chuckled, more than a little embarrassed. "I was something else back then. I wonder how Luffy tolerated me at times."

Usopp went to work again and this time the pirate flag he revealed was the true Strawhat symbol.

"Well, I guess it's something like this," Usopp said proudly.

"Hey, it's pretty good," Nami said, deeply impressed.

"That's good, I like it," Luffy said happily.

"So, this is our mark from now on," Zoro said.

"Okay Usopp, paint this on the sails," Luffy ordered as he looked up at the blank sails.

Much more time later, the Going Merry's sail was painted with the mark of the Strawhats.

"Okay, it's finished!" Luffy cheered. His eyes were completely lit up with joy. Seeing his pirate mark for the first time on his ship was an overwhelming experience for him. "Now, the pirate ship Going Merry is complete!"

While Luffy was practically dancing for joy, Usopp was lying on the deck, panting in exhaustion.

The scene shifted and it appeared some time to have passed given that it was now early in the afternoon.

"It's amazing to see how our mark was created," Chopper said. "It just has been amazing seeing the crew from the beginning like this."

"This has been an educational experience," Robin said with a smile. "Although, I wonder why we are seeing this and how it specially connects to the tragedy."

Sanji folded his arms. "I wonder when we'll get to me." Hearts bloomed in his eyes. "I can't wait for Nami-swan and Robin-chwan to see me in action!"

"There won't be much to look at," Zoro said.

"Don't be jealous because you nearly got executed by some marine brat," Sanji countered.

Zoro growled at the cook for bringing that up. It looked like another fight would break out between the two before the memory interrupted them.

A cannon being fired got everyone's attention and they saw Luffy and Usopp messing around with one of Merry's side cannons.

"I missed," Luffy said in annoyance.

"What are you doing?" Zoro asked as he woke up from his nap.

"Target practice," Luffy answered before he frowned. "But I'm not very good at it."

"Let me show you how it's done," Usopp said in his usual cocky voice as he took control of the cannon.

After a few modifications, he lit the fuse and fired. The cannonball hit a large rock some distance away perfectly. The giant rock broke in half from the impact.

"Amazing!" Luffy shouted. "You hit it in one shot!"

Usopp was just as surprised as Luffy. "It really hit the target," he muttered before he regained his composure. "Of course, when it comes to aiming, I know everything. Do you believe me now?"

Luffy nodded happily. "For now on, you're our sniper!"

Usopp looked shocked. "What? I'm not the captain?"

"I'm the captain!" Luffy yelled in annoyance.

"He invited you to join his crew and didn't even have a job for you?" Franky asked Usopp.

"Luffy invites almost anyone or anything to join as long as he likes them or thinks they're cool," Zoro answered.

Nami nodded. "He invited Chopper to join without even knowing that he was a doctor and Zoro still has no official position. Not to mention, he asked Brook to join purely because he was a walking skeleton. Him being a musician was just the icing on the cake."

After a while, the crew moved into the kitchen for dinner and to discuss today's events.

"I'm okay with the position for now," Usopp told Luffy as they relaxed at the table. "However, if you ever do a poor job, I'm going to replace you."

"Okay," Luffy said casually.

"Usopp, did you really want to be captain that badly?" Chopper asked.

"Well...not really," Usopp said honestly. "It was more of an ego thing, really. I don't have what it takes to be a real captain."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Usopp," Brook said. "You led that group of kids to challenge Captain Kuro. You would make a fine leader."

"Leading a group of kids is one thing, but to lead a pirate crew against some of the monsters found on these seas is something else," Usopp said.

"Before that, I was thinking. Before we go to the Grand Line, we need to fill an important position," Luffy said.

"Right, we have such a nice kitchen now!" Nami exclaimed excitedly. "If you pay me, I'll do it."

"We all would have starved if we had to pay that witch's rates," Zoro said, which earned a swift kick from Sanji.

"It's an important job for any long trip," the Zoro in the memory said.

"That's right. It's someone we must have on any pirate ship!" Luffy exclaimed. "A musician!"

This made the Strawhats in the memory groan.

"Are you an idiot!?" Zoro yelled.

"What the hell do you think sailing is!?" Nami also yelled.

Usopp sighed. "I thought you were actually saying something constructive for once."

Brook laughed. "I feel so important."

"Given how much that rubber idiot eats, how can he want a musician before a cook?" Sanji asked in annoyance.

"But pirates need to sing," Luffy whined.

A loud crash outside the kitchen quickly ended all conversation.

"Come out, you pirates!" someone yelled.

Luffy rushed to the door. When he opened it, he saw a darkly tanned man with a tattoo on his face and sunglasses standing on the deck. He also carried a sword that didn't appear to have a tip.

"What, what!?" Luffy demanded. "Who are you?"

"Shut up!" the man yelled. "It doesn't matter who I am!"

The man attacked Luffy, but he quickly dodged. The attack, however, cut off a part of the railing.

"You just got that ship and you're already letting someone tear it up," Franky said in disgust.

Usopp also growled in annoyance. He knew why he was mad, but he shouldn't have taken it out on Merry.

"I've killed countless pirates!" the man exclaimed. "But some no name pirate like you dares to kill my partner!?"

He swung down in another attempt to hit Luffy, but missed. He still managed to break several floorboards.

"What do you mean partner?" Luffy asked, completely lost. "I don't know what's going on, but don't damage my ship!"

Luffy grabbed the man and threw him into one of the walls. The man groaned in pain as he slumped to the floor.

There was a slight pause.

"What was that?" Luffy asked in disappointment.

"That man killed countless pirates?" Brook asked.

"Even if this is East Blue, that was pathetic," Franky said as he sweat dropped.

Zoro took this time to walk out of the kitchen and looked down at the defeated intruder. "Hey, you, aren't you Johnny?"

"Who is it? Calling out my name with no respect!?" the man demanded. When he saw who it was he immediately sat up. "Big bro Zoro!"

"So, it's Johnny," Zoro said with a rare friendly smile.

"Why are you here, bro?" Johnny asked.

"Where's Yosaku?" Zoro asked instead. "You're not together?"

"What, what's going on?" Luffy asked in confusion.

Johnny was near tears as he pointed to the railings. "He's over here!"

He ran to the side of Merry where he tied his boat. Zoro followed shortly behind him. When Zoro looked down he saw a dead-looking man lying on his back in the boat.

"Yosaku is..."Johnny stuttered tearfully.

Zoro put his hand on Johnny's shoulder in comfort.

They brought the limp man onto the Going Merry to get a better look at him.

"He's ill!?" Zoro exclaimed as Johnny began to explain what happened.

Yosaku was extremely pale. His eyes were rolled back and he was breathing hard. He was also bleeding from several different places on his body. He looked to be close to death.

Chopper immediately knew what was wrong with the man. "Scurvy!"

Robin nodded. "He has all the signs. It is in an advanced stage too. He will die in a day or so."

"That man could die at any time if he isn't treated," Chopper said in concern as he watched the memory.

"Yosaku is...he was perfectly fine until a while ago," Johnny stated as he tried to control his tears. "Then he grew pale and started to lose consciousness. I have no clue why. Lately, his teeth have been falling out and his old wounds started to bleed again. I don't know what to do anymore!" He put his head to his forehead. "I took him to that rocky island to let him rest, but then your ship attacked us!"

Luffy and Usopp were horrified to hear this. "I'm so sorry!" they said in unisons.

"If all problems could be solved with an apology, we wouldn't need the police," Johnny said almost bitterly as tears ran down his eyes.

Luffy and Usopp turned blue in dismay.

"They have really bad luck. Ending up on the same rock that Luffy was shooting at," Franky said.

"Actually, they had very good luck," Zoro said.

"What do you mean, Zoro?" Brook asked.

Zoro gestured to the memory. "Just keep watching."

"Isn't that right, partner!?" Johnny asked as he teared up again. He looked desperately at Zoro "Bro, is he...is he going to die?"

Zoro in the memory didn't answer, but he was visibly shaken.

"Are you stupid?" Nami in the memory asked as she walked up to the aligning man.

"What?" Zoro in the memory asked angrily.

Nami did a quick check up by pulling on Yosaku's tongue and opening one of his eyes.

Johnny firmly grabbed her arm. "What are you doing!? What are you doing to my buddy!? I'll kill you!" As he yelled, he spit all over Nami's face.

Sanji growled. "What an uncouth pig."

Nami firmly slapped Johnny away and turned towards Luffy and Usopp, who were both in tears, thinking that they killed someone.

"Luffy, Usopp, there are some limes in the storage room, aren't there?" Nami asked, although it was more of a statement.

Neither answered.

"Are you listening!?" Nami snapped, knocking the boys out of their stupor. "Bring them to me, right now!"

Both Luffy and Usopp quickly ran to the storage room. After a few minutes, the two boys were dripping lime juice into Yosaku's mouth.

"He has scurvy," Nami informed.

"Scurvy?" Johnny questioned.

"We got to him just in time. He should recover in a few days," Nami said in a more compassionate tone.

"Are you sure, sis?" Johnny asked desperately as spit hit Nami in the face. "I'm really graceful, sis!"

Nami pushed Johnny away from her. "Stop spitting on me, please." She wiped her face before continuing. "In the past, it was an incurable illness that plagued sailors, but now it's just minor problem caused by a lack of Vitamin C. In the past, ships couldn't carry enough fresh fruit to avoid it."

"Very knowledgeable, Nami-chan," Robin complimented.

Chopper nodded in agreement. "You saved that man's life."

Nami rubbed her head and blushed. "It was nothing. Everyone who sails the seas should have this kind of knowledge."

"Nami-swan is so sweet and smart," Sanji cooed with hearts in his eyes.

Zoro chose to say nothing. Nami did save Yosaku's life. For that, he was grateful.

Luffy was also impressed by Nami's medical skills. "You sure are something! Just like a doctor!"

"I always knew you were a smart woman," Usopp complimented with a huge smile.

"You should have at least known what this was!" Nami yelled angrily. "It could happen to _you_ sooner or later!"

Suddenly, Yosaku came back to life. Not only was he active, he started to dance around on deck with Johnny. They were both singing as well in joy.

"It's working! He's recovering!" Johnny yelled happily.

"You don't recover that quickly!" Both memory Nami and Chopper yelled in fury.

The two men both stopped dancing and became very serious. "Pardon us for not introducing ourselves."

"My name is Johnny," the tanned man said.

"And I'm Yosaku," the other man said. He was about as tall as Johnny and wore a long green coat with a black shirt. He also wore what appeared to be some sort of headgear.

"We are pirate hunters!" they said together.

"Zoro-bro was one of us too," Johnny said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Yosaku said.

"You hunted with these two? I always saw you as a fly sole type," Franky said.

"It was more of an accident. But after a while we became friends and we hunted together every now and then," Zoro said fondly. He had a soft smile on his face, which was very unusual for him.

Although he would never say it out loud, hunting with Yosaku and Johnny were some of his happier, earlier memories. After wondering the seas alone for months looking for Mihawk, it was nice to have company. He didn't realized how lonely he was until he started to hang out with them. He may have stayed with them if it wasn't for the fact that Johnny and Yosaku were much weaker than him and severally slowed him down. At the time, his ambitions came before anything. That included company and friendship.

Zoro in the memory gave a rare smile. "I never expect to see you guys out here."

"But I'm more surprised. The pirate hunter has become a pirate himself," Yosaku said.

"I guess," Zoro said as he held out his hands.

Johnny happily grabbed his hand. "Big bro!"

Yosaku reached to do the same, but he suddenly went pale again and passed out on deck.

"Hey, partner!?" Johnny exclaimed.

"I told him no one recovers that fast," the present Nami sighed as she rubbed her head.

Chopper silently nodded in agreement.

"Zoro's friends are just as dumb as him," Sanji added.

After that, Yosaku was moved into the lounge to rest, while the rest of the crew and Johnny sat in the kitchen.

"Let this be a lesson to all of us," Nami said in a firm tone.

"Yeah," Zoro agreed. "These kinds of things can happen on a long trip."

"Especially since we don't have much room for food," Usopp added soberly.

"Speaking of which, we should get someone who knows this dietary business," Nami said as she wrote in her journal.

"Dietary, huh," Luffy muttered as he chewed on some bread. "I got it! We need a sea cook!"

This got everyone's attention.

"Let's get a sea cook," Luffy repeated.

Usopp stood up in excitement. "I get it! That way, we would have all sorts of delicious food to eat!"

"Exactly!" Luffy yelled.

Johnny began to smile. "If you're looking for such a cook, I know where you could go."

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Luffy cheered. "So, where would that be?"

"But it's pretty close to the Grand Line and the man that bro has been looking for, Hawk-Eye, is around there too," Johnny said.

Zoro grabbed his sword and grinned in excitement.

"The direction is north by northeast!" Johnny exclaimed as he pointed in the direction. "Our destination is the floating restaurant, Baratie!"

The memory faded into the mist.

"My big scene is coming!" Sanji exclaimed excitedly. "Now Nami-swan and Robin-chwan will see a _real_ man in action."

"And which man would that be?" Zoro asked. "All I see is a..."

Sanji ruthlessly kicked Zoro in the stomach. "I told you before, don't you dare call me princess!"

"Now, now, behave boys," Robin said in a kind, but firm voice.

"Yes, Robin-chan," Sanji cooed.

"I'll kill you," Zoro groaned as the memory resumed.

The Going Merry was now sailing towards the Baratie and the entire crew was gasping in excitement. Even Zoro looked somewhat impressed by the floating restaurant.

"What do you think, guys!?" Johnny asked.

"That's a big fish!" Luffy yelled.

"Isn't it amazing!?" Nami in the memory exclaimed.

"It sure is!" Usopp in the memory yelled.

"So, that was your home, Sanji?" Brook asked.

Sanji gave fond smile. "Yeah. That restaurant was my home for over ten years."

"You learned how to be a cook here?" Brook asked.

Sanji shook his head. "I was a cook before I came here. I used to work on a cruise ship in North Blue."

"Oh, so you were a cook all your life," Brook said.

"Pretty much," Sanji said as he stared at the Baratie. For a moment, he was starting to get homesick. Dammit, he actually missed that shitty old man and those shitty chefs.

The happy mood on the ship was interrupted when a loud honking noise nearly burst their eardrums. They turned to see that a marine ship was sailing right next to them.

"And naturally, the marines spoil everything," Franky said as he rubbed his sore ears with his small mechanical hands.

"It didn't come all this way to attack us, did it?" Usopp in the memory asked fearfully.

Zoro in the memory snorted. "I smell trouble."

"Just out of the blue," Nami in the memory said worriedly.

A man wearing a white pinstripe suit came walking on the deck of the marine ship. He had short pink hair and what looked like metal knuckles on his hands.

"I've never seen your pirate mark before," the man noted dully. "I'm Marine Lieutenant, Iron Fist Fullbody!"

"Fullybody, is that his real name?" Franky asked.

"I thought it was a title or maybe a nickname," Usopp said.

Fullbody looked over the ship with a bored expression. "Hey, who's the captain?"

Luffy quickly stepped forward. "I'm Luffy!"

Usopp also stepped forward. "I am Usopp!"

Luffy side-eyed Usopp for a moment before continuing. "Our pirate mark was just made yesterday!"

"I was the one who made the pirate mark!" Usopp yelled.

Luffy was really infuriated now. He looked only one step away from throwing Usopp off the ship.

"Are you doing that on purpose to piss Luffy off?" Franky asked.

Usopp said nothing as he lowered his head. His pride back in those days was really out of control.

Brook didn't find what Usopp was doing all that funny. It was very disrespectful to Luffy's rank as captain. He knew Luffy wouldn't say anything, given that Usopp was his friend, but such behavior wouldn't be allow on any other pirate ship.

Fullbody smirked at them. "What's wrong with you people?" He glanced to his side and saw Johnny and Yosaku, who were trying to hide themselves. "I've seen those two people before. You claim to be pirate hunters, right?"

"Wh...what!?" Johnny exclaimed.

"It looks like you finally caught yourself some," Fullybody teased.

Johnny growled. "We are..."

"Oh, they're not good pirate hunter?" Franky asked. Given Johnny's performance against Luffy he wasn't too surprise.

Zoro was quiet for a moment. "They do their best and have a lot of heart, but neither Johnny or Yosaku are very strong." He actually wondered how either of them survived so long given their line of work. They couldn't handle bounties over three million.

Fullbody chucked. "This is too good."

From Fullbody's side, a beautiful blond woman walked to his side. "Hey, let's go now."

"Sure," Fullbody said.

Sanji snorted. "That pretty lady was too good for that shit head."

"I'll show you just what we pirate hunters do!" Johnny exclaimed as he reached into his jacket. He pulled out a stack of wanted posters and threw them to the deck.

Fullbody, however, paid no mind to him as he walked off his ship with his girlfriend.

"He simply ignored us," Yosaku growled.

"We'll get him back!" Johnny yelled.

Nami slowly walked up to the wanted posters on the deck. "Wha...what are these?" she asked softly as she carefully picked up one of the posters.

"These are all people with bounties on their heads, Nami-sis," Johnny explained. He stuttered when he saw the bounty she was looking at, but he quickly composed himself. "It means if we get them, we would get the money offered on the wanted poster."

"Don't you think it's good business, sis?" Yosaku asked.

Nami crushed the wanted poster and her eyes became overcast with shadow.

Brook took noticed of memory Nami's reaction. "Nami-san, what got you so upset here?"

Nami folded her arms. "That wanted poster...it's Arlong's."

"The fishman who held you and your villager prisoner. That would explain why you are so upset," Robin said.

"Seeing that poster again reminded me that I had to return to Cocoyashi and earned that one-hundred million belli. I had no time fooling around with these pirates. At least, that is what I thought at the time," Nami said with a note of regret. She unconsciously reached for her tattoo arm.

Franky gently patted Nami's shoulder.

While this was happening, one of the marine ship's cannon holes opened and took aim at the Going Merry.

"This is bad!" Usopp yelled. "They're aiming right at us!"

The cannon was then fired.

"Leave it to me!" Luffy yelled as he wrapped his legs against the railing and stretched his arms to grab Merry's head and the mast.

The cannonball hit his chest, forcing him to stretch backwards. He went so far back that he was off the ship and over the water.

Either it was by fate or bad luck; this was where things went wrong. A piece of Merry's head that Luffy had grabbed broke, making him lose his grip. Luffy began to swing and he was now pointing right at the restaurant.

Luffy's eyes widened in horror. He couldn't stop his body from snapping back and he no longer had enough control to change his direction. He also couldn't let go; otherwise the cannonball would damage the ship. He was stuck.

With nothing to stop him, Luffy's body repelled and he shot the cannonball straight at the Baratie like a slingshot. It hit the roof and a large explosion followed. At the same time this was happening, Luffy slammed into the figurehead of the Going Merry, stunning him.

The memory ended.

"Hm, so that's how that shit head damaged the restaurant," Sanji said. There was a hint of humor in his voice. Looks like Luffy did tell the truth about that incident.

"It was really bad luck," Robin mused.

"Was anyone hurt in that explosion?" Chopper asked in concern.

"Only that shitty geezer," Sanji said with a shrug. "It was nothing serious, given that it would take more than a mere cannonball to kill that crusted old man."

The memory began again and this time they were inside the Baratie. It was a pretty restaurant with chandeliers and a stone staircase in the middle of the restaurants. None of that, however, got the Strawhats' attention.

In the middle of the room, Luffy was laying on the floor next to an older man who had a ridiculously long mustache that was braided with a long chef's hat to match. To add to his oddities he also had a peg leg. From the way they were laying on the floor with the broken debris around them, it looked they had fallen through the ceiling.

Sanji was also nearby and several chefs were holding him. He was standing over a beaten and bloody Fullybody. Sanji was furious and looked ready to smash the marine lieutenant's head in.

"Man, that surprised me!" Luffy exclaimed in shock.

"O…owner, what's going on?" one of the chefs asked in surprise.

"Dammit, see what you did!?" the older man growled as he looked at the ceiling. "You broke my ceiling! It's all your fault, boy!"

"You broke it yourself, old man!" Luffy yelled back.

"Who's that?" Chopper asked as he pointed to the older man.

"That's my old boss, Zeff," Sanji said. It was hard to believe it'd been two years since he last saw that old geezer.

"What are you doing, Boss!?" one of the chefs that was holding Sanji yelled. "Leave him and help us stop Sanji!"

"What's Sanji-san so angry about?" Brook asked. Fullbody was so terrified of the cook that it looked like he was ready to wet himself.

"If I recall correctly, Fullbody wasted food in front of Sanji," Usopp said.

"Oh," most of the Strawhats said in understanding. That was a one way ticket to a butt kicking from Sanji.

Zeff pulled away from Luffy and turned his eyes towards Sanji. "Hey, Sanji! Were you fighting in my restaurant again, you little ingrate?"

Sanji stopped struggling with the chefs. "Shut up, you old fart!"

"What, who do you think you're talking too!?" Zeff exclaimed. "Do you want to destroy my restaurant? You insolent boy!" As he said that, he kicked Sanji in the face with his wooden leg.

"Man, what kind of work relationship did you two have?" Franky asked.

"The shitty one," Sanji answered with a small smile.

"No wonder Sanji is so violent," Chopper whispered fearfully.

Fullbody looked pleased to see Sanji getting his butt kicked.

"You're another one!" Zeff yelled as he kicked Fullbody in the face. "Get the hell out!"

"What a lively restaurant," Brook said.

"He can get away with kicking a marine like that?" Chopper asked in shock.

"That old bag of bones was once a pirate, so he doesn't care," Sanji stated. "Besides, no marine in East Blue can touch the old fart. They have to roll out the big guns from the Grand Line if they want to take him out."

"He's that strong?" Franky asked in surprise.

Sanji casually lit a cigarette. "He was my mentor and he sailed the Grand Line for over a year. He was also one of the few people to refer to the first half of the Grand Line as Paradise."

Brook was surprised to hear this. "Really, not even my old crew lasted a year in the Grand Line."

"Technically, neither did we," Nami said somberly.

"You know, I wonder if he was a New World Pirate?" Usopp suddenly asked.

Sanji shrugged. "I have no clue. The old fart didn't talk about his pirate days much."

"You got that!?" a large man with extra big arms yelled at Sanji in the memory. "Customers are kings!"

"Only the ones who can stand your cooking," Sanji said neutrally.

"Patty, Sanji, if you want to fight, don't do it in front of the customers!" Zeff yelled at the two cooks.

"L...Lieutenant... Lieutenant Fullbody!" a marine screamed as he ran into the restaurant. "We have a problem!"

"This restaurant is crazy," Luffy said as he watched the chaos.

"The Pirate Krieg's man has escape!" the marine yelled.

"What!?" Fullbody exclaimed.

"We thought he could give us a lead on Krieg. We have already lost seven of our men!" the marine went on.

"That's ridiculous!" Fullbody yelled. "When we got him three days ago he was about to starve to death and we haven't fed him yet!"

This got all the customers nervous. They began to mutter among themselves.

"Isn't he the most powerful pirate in East Blue?" someone asked.

"I'm sorr..." the marine attempted to apologize before he was shot in the back.

This really freaked the customers out and they jumped out of their seats in fear.

Standing at the door holding a gun was a skinny man wearing what looked like a gray jump suit. He had dark circles under his eyes and a rag that covered his forehead.

"Another customer has arrived," Patty said nonchalantly.

"He better not cause any more trouble in my restaurant," Zeff added.

"Why is everyone so calm when someone just got shot!?" Chopper exclaimed in disbelief.

"This happened quite often since we served pirates and other lowlifes," Sanji said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"How did you guys stay in business?" Franky questioned. "This place is rougher than most bars I visited."

The man walked slowly in and took a seat at one of the tables. He casually propped his foot up on the table.

"I don't care what it is. Bring me some food," the pirate ordered in a guff, but weak voice.

"Welcome, shitty customer," Patty greeted in a polite voice.

"Sounds like this guy got his manners from Ace when he was younger," Nami said mostly to herself.

"I'll only say this once so listen up, bring me some food," the pirate demanded.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we'll be expecting you to pay for your meal. Do you have any money?" Patty asked as he narrowed his eyes.

The pirate responded by pointing his gun at Patty's head. "Is a bullet okay?"

"So, you don't have any money?" Patty asked, becoming much less polite.

Before the man could react, Patty smashed the pirate's head into the table, breaking the table in half.

"That Patty bastard broke one of my chairs!" Zeff complained.

"Wow, what power!" Luffy exclaimed.

"If you can't pay, you can't eat," Patty said firmly.

The pirate grabbed his stomach in pain and a large rumble could be heard.

The Sanji watching the memory cringed and grabbed his own stomach instinctually.

"Oh, is that your stomach rumbling there, you filthy pirate?" Patty asked in mocked sympathy.

"That was a fart," the pirate said defiantly. "You jerk, hurry and bring me something to eat."

"You're no customer, so you can go to hell!" Patty yelled as he began to beat the crap out of the starving pirate.

Chopper found the scene to be overly cruel. He may have been a pirate, but he was a starving man who was slowly dying. That pirate was literally days away from organ failure.

Sanji in the memory suddenly turned around and left the dining area. Only Zeff and Luffy noticed his departure.

"Alright everyone, please continue your meal!" Patty shouted as the customers applauded him. Patty picked up what was left of the pirate and dumped him out the door. "Please get lost!"

Luffy followed them out and saw the pirate struggle to even move.

"Damn him..." the pirate wheezed, "How dare he...I wouldn't normally let anyone get away with that crap..."

"Hey, you're starving, aren't you?" Luffy asked. He was currently standing on one of the balconies.

"Sh...shut up..." the pirate attempted to yell. "I'm not in the least bit hungry."

The door to the restaurant opened and Sanji calmly came walking out. He was holding a plate of food and he gently sat the plate next to the starving pirate. The pirate's eyes widened in shock and disbelief when he saw the food.

Sanji took a seat next to the pirate and leaned comfortably against the rails, casually lighting a cigarette. "Eat it."

The man was practically drooling, but he couldn't will himself to take the food. "Shut up! Go away! This is worse. I won't accept charity. Take it away!"

"Don't be tough. Just eat it already," Sanji said harshly. "To me, any hungry person is a customer."

"I...I can't pay," the pirate said almost shamefully.

Sanji looked up into the sky with a thoughtful expression. "The vast ocean is very cruel. It's awful not to have any food or water. Just awful..." he said distantly, as if remembering a terrible event.

The pirate's eyes widened again.

"I understand starving people more than anyone. I don't care if you want to die with dignity, but if you eat you would be able to look forward to a new tomorrow," Sanji in a gentle voice.

The pirate gasped at Sanji's words. Finally, with no hesitation, he grabbed the plate and tore into the food. Between each chew, he started to cry.

"This is delicious!" the pirate exclaimed as he ate desperately. "So delicious! Too delicious! I thought I was going to die! I thought I was a goner!" He went back to eating for a moment. "Yummy, so delicious! I never had such a good meal in my entire life!"

Sanji grinned. "You like it, huh?"

Luffy began to laugh. "Well now, I've found my cook." He leaned over the rails. "Aren't you lucky? If he hadn't given you something to eat, it would be all over for you by now." He turned to address Sanji. "Hey, Mister Cook, care to join us?"

Sanji gave him a blank stare.

"You'll be a chef on my pirate ship!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Huh!?" Both Sanji and the pirate exclaimed.

Luffy jumped down from the balcony and sat on the railing next to Sanji. He started to tell the sea chef about himself and his need for a cook.

"That was so sweet of you, Sanji," Chopper said while Luffy was talking.

"It was just like how you acted in Luffy's dream," Brook said, deeply impressed.

Sanji sighed. "I just can't stand to see anyone starve, regardless of who they are. It's as simple as that."

Zoro said nothing, but he couldn't help but respect the cook at that moment. If nothing else, Luffy knew how to choose on character.

"So, you're a pirate?" Sanji asked once Luffy finished talking.

"Uh-huh," Luffy said proudly.

"Is that why you went and did a crazy thing like shoot a cannonball into the restaurant?" Sanji asked. He didn't sound angry or upset. He didn't even sound interested in his own question.

"That was an accident," Luffy said defensively. "It was self-defence that turned into a stray shot."

"A stray shot?" Sanji asked in amusement. It was obviously that he didn't believe Luffy. He grinned at the rubber boy. "In any case, you really don't want to do anything stupid to this place. The owner used to be a cook and a famous pirate captain."

Luffy's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, so the old man used to be a pirate."

"Funny, I think this is the first time I've seen Luffy and you have a civil conversation," Nami noted.

"Well, that was before I got to know that rubber idiot," Sanji mused.

Sanji in the memory stared into the sky again, almost like he was daydreaming. "This restaurant is everything to that crazy old man. It's the only treasure he'll need for the rest of his life. He'll do anything to protect it. On top of which all the cooks who have joined out of respect and admiration are just as hot-headed as any pirate, which helps since pirates are always coming and going out of this place."

"Including you, huh, love cook," Zoro teased with a smirk.

"Save it, shitty swordsman," Sanji growled.

Luffy nodded in agreement as he remembered what he saw earlier. "Yeah, I noticed that. This is a really wild restaurant."

Sanji sighed. "So true, and this is how it is every day. It has gotten so bad that customers are coming just to watch fights between the cooks and the pirates."

"So, it's kind of like dinner and a show," Franky mused. "Have to admit, that's one way to keep getting business."

"It does sound entertaining if today is anything to go by," Robin said with a smile.

Zoro began to chuckle. "Although, it's funny seeing the love cook acting like he's the only sane person when he's one of the worse."

"You're working my nerve, moss head," Sanji said as his temper built.

Zoro side-eyed Sanji. "You're the one who beat up a marine."

"Shit head wasted soup that took three days to prepare over something as trivial as a bug in his soup," Sanji said as he smoked his cigarette. "He deserved the butt kicking I gave him."

He wasn't going to mention that Fullbody was really upset with him for flirting with his date, but that woman was too good for him anyway.

"Every day it's been a new pirate ship and a new rampage," Sanji in the memory continued to lament. "It wasn't long before the waiters got scared and bailed."

"Ah, that makes sense," Luffy said as a light went off in his head. "So, that's why the old man wants me to work for him for a year."

"Huh, what was that?" Chopper asked.

"Because Luffy blew up the roof to the restaurant, that old chef wanted Luffy to pay it off. Since Luffy had no money, he had to work it off," Usopp explained.

"It was the marines who fire on you guys first. Why did Luffy have to pay for everything?" Franky asked. "Was it because they're marines?"

"No, Luffy took sole responsibility for the incident," Usopp answered with a sigh.

Nami shook her head. "He really is too honest."

"I can't imagine Luffy-san working in a restaurant for any period of time though," Brook said in thought.

"For good reason too. That rubber idiot was a complete disaster," Sanji said as remembered Luffy's time at the Baratie. "He broke everything he touched and couldn't even wash dishes. Not to mention, he ate the food we were supposed to serve. The old fart had no choice but to eventually let Luffy go before he destroyed everything."

"Luffy's such a klutz," Nami muttered. She felt so sorry for Zeff.

Zoro smiled at the memory. "Although, seeing Luffy in an apron made the entire incident worth it."

"Are you certain Luffy was not incompetent on purpose?" Robin suddenly asked.

"What?" Nami asked in confusion.

"Is it possible that Luffy acted incompetent so he would not have to stay at the restaurant?" Robin asked, although the question came out as more of a statement. "Luffy may be honorable, but there was no chance he would stay at that restaurant for a year. It would have been to his benefit to make himself a terrible worker."

"I think you're giving Luffy too much credit," Usopp said dismissively. "Luffy's far too honest to deceive people like that."

"I don't even think Luffy can think that way," Nami said.

Robin gave Usopp an odd look. "If you insist."

Zoro was deep in thought as he took in Robin's words. Was Luffy capable of such deceit? A part of him said no, but Luffy was more insightful than most gave him credit. It could be possible that Luffy acted more clumsy than normal to get out of doing certain things. After all, Luffy moves with the grace of a cat in battle, but suddenly develops thumbs when ask to do labor.

Now that he really thought about it, Luffy had no chores on the ship since no one trusted him to do anything without something being broken. Maybe Luffy was smarter than all of them.

"So, you're joining my pirate crew or what?" Luffy suddenly asked.

This earned a scowl from Sanji. "I'm sorry, but I can't. There's a reason why I have to work here in this restaurant, so I can't just walk away from it."

"So, you were working off a debt too?" Chopper asked.

"Well, you could say that," Sanji said vaguely.

Luffy suddenly got into Sanji's face, startling the other man. "No way! I don't accept!"

"What don't you accept!?" Sanji exclaimed.

Luffy moved his head out of Sanji's face and crossed his arms. "It's very simple. I refuse to accept your refusal. You're a good cook and I need one, so it's obvious that we should be pirates together."

"What kind of logic is that?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah, I mean, since when is the love cook a good cook," Zoro said dryly.

This earned a kick from Sanji and the two got into a brief scuffle.

"Listen to what I'm saying, I can't leave here, alright?" Sanji in the memory said in mild annoyance.

"What's your reason for staying?" Luffy asked.

"I don't have to tell you anything!" Sanji snapped.

"What the...but you just told me to listen to you," Luffy said, getting very frustrated.

Sanji stood up and got right into Luffy's face. "I told you my answer was no and that's all you need to hear from me! Now, take your pirate ship and go find a cook somewhere else before I cut you up, Strawhat!"

The argument took some within the crew off-guard. They never heard Sanji call Luffy by his pirate name before. It sounds odd coming from his lips.

"It's such a shame that Luffy didn't take your advice," Zoro sighed as he broke away from his fight with Sanji. "We could have gotten a real cook."

"Are you trying to get me to kill you!?" Sanji asked, now very annoyed at Zoro.

Luffy narrowed his eyes and got into Sanji's face again. The two were so close that they were nearly touching noses. "You listen to me, jerk! No one makes fun of my hat unless they're ready for a beating!"

It looked like they were going to fight right there on the deck.

"They're fighting like Zoro and Sanji," Nami said in awe. Despite all the time that Sanji had beaten on Luffy, he never once got into a fight with the cook.

"My vote goes to Luffy kicking your ass," Zoro told Sanji in amusement.

Sanji said nothing. He knew his past counterpart was overreacting to Luffy's offer because of the debt that he owed that shitty old geezer. Truthfully, he was happy that Luffy asked him to join, although he barely knew the rubber bastard. It was a chance to achieve his dream to find the All Blue.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," the not-so-starving pirate said. The pirate was sitting forgotten on the deck.

"What is it!?" both Luffy and Sanji yelled in irritation.

"My name is Gin and I'm a crew member of Don Krieg's pirate fleet," Gin stated as the memory faded.

"Well, that an odd place to stop," Usopp said.

"It isn't so odd once you know more about Gin," Sanji said. He wondered if he was still alive.

A new memory appeared and the Strawhats stood outside the Baratie. The cooks were all outside and looked to be ready for some kind of battle. Sitting beside the restaurant was a galleon that was in terrible condition. It had hundreds of cuts and was broken in several places. It had definitely seen better days.

On the broken ship were at least one-hundred pirates being led by a large man wearing golden armor with huge shoulder pads and a cape. He looked fierce against the back-drop of the shattered ship. He had a different aura to the pirates the Strawhats had seen so far.

"What happened to that ship?" Franky asked in shock. "That's like no sea creature I've ever seen before."

"Those are sword marks," Robin informed, not quite believing her own eyes. Only one man could have done that.

"It had to be a large sword to do that amount of damage," Brook said. "Even scarier, the skill behind that sword must have been beyond human."

Chopper pointed to golden armored man. "Who's that?"

"The King of East Blue, Foul Play Krieg," Nami stated. "If I remember correctly, he has a bounty of seventeen million."

Chopper's mouth dropped. "King of East Blue!? And his bounty is five time higher than the average pirate here!"

"Yeah, he was the strongest pirate in East Blue before Luffy came along, if you don't count Arlong," Sanji said. "He had an Armada of fifty ships and over five-thousand pirates at his command. With his military might and love for trickery, he all but ruled East Blue."

Nami nodded. "They were also known as the Pirate Armada."

Franky whistled. "Well, he sounds pretty up there. Not too many pirates can build a fleet that big."

"He sounds more dangerous than Arlong!" Chopper yelled in awe as he continued to stare at Don Krieg.

Nami almost rolled her eyes. "Don Krieg was nowhere near Arlong's level. The reason why Krieg was so dangerous was because he was very active. Arlong kept a low profile in East Blue as he built his empire."

Robin nodded in agreement. "By the standards of East Blue Don Krieg is powerful, but he means very little in term of the Grand Line pirates like Arlong."

"The supposed King of East Blue only lasted seven days in the Grand Line before he had to run back with his tail between his legs," Zoro said.

"Only seven days!?" Brook exclaimed in disbelief. "Either he was under prepared or he ran into some really bad luck."

"It was a little bit of both," Sanji said as he knocked some ashes off his cigarette.

"Speaking of which, why is this guy attacking your restaurant?" Franky asked. "Was he that upset about how Gin was treated?"

"He wanted the Baratie to replace that pile of timber," Sanji said as he pointed to the ruin galleon. "He figured our restaurant would be the perfect replacement given how unassuming it is. He also wanted to steal that shitty geezer's journal of the Grand Line."

Robin put a hand to her chin. "He has a point. No one would expect a ship like that to harbor pirates. Stealing Zeff's journal is also a very clever move given he was in the Grand Line for a year."

"He's call Foul Play for good reason," Nami said as she remembered all the rumors. "When Krieg started out as a pirate, he hijacked a marine battleship and used it as a guise in order to pillage villages. This guy even went as far as to pull the white flag to get people to drop their guard."

"How dishonorable," Brook said in disgust. He was especially upset that Krieg would steal another pirate's log. Those logs were in honor of the crew who wrote them and their adventures. It wasn't something to be taken by some selfish individual.

"Attack!" Krieg ordered his men.

The pirate started to make their move. Before they could get off their ship, the galleon began to shake violently. Then, the entire galleon was spilt down the middle and collapsed into the sea, stunning everyone.

The pirates screamed in horror as they attempted to abandon ship before they got sucked into the water. The waves the ship made also shook the Baratie, nearly sinking it too.

"What the hell was that!?" Krieg shouted in disbelief.

Chopper screamed in terror at the sight. "THE SHIP WAS CUT IN HALF!"

"What just happened!?" Franky shouted, equally shocked. "What the hell did that!?" Even if it was a wreck, a galleon shouldn't split apart that easily.

"Was it hit by a bomb?" Brook asked.

Zoro shook his head. "What hit Krieg's ship is more dangerous than any bomb."

Robin rubbed her chin. "It looked like a blade sliced it."

"A blade...a mere blade shouldn't be able to do that to that type of ship!" Franky shouted in disbelief.

Robin glanced at Franky. "It can if it belongs to a Warlord."

"Warlord...?" Brook repeated before his empty eye sockets widened. "You mean..."

Robin just nodded.

Luffy ran outside in a near panic, knowing that his own ship was in danger. Still, he was struck dumbfounded by the giant ship suddenly splitting in half.

"Bro, bro!" Johnny and Yosaku screamed frantically as they swam towards the restaurant.

Luffy ran towards the two pirate hunters. "Johnny, Yosaku! Are you okay!?"

"Where's the ship!?" Zoro asked in a near panic. "What happened to Nami!?"

Johnny began to sob. "She's...I'm sorry, bro! She left! Nami-sis, she..."

"Took off with all the treasure!" Yosaku continued for his partner.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?" Luffy, Zoro, and Usopp yelled together.

"You jacked their ship!?" Franky exclaimed in shock. One thing after another was happening.

"I had to get back to Cocoyashi and stealing the Merry was the quickest way," Nami said. "Leaving during the chaos of Kreig's attack was just go timing since it distracted everyone."

"Stealing a pirate ship right from under its captain's nose. Something only you could get away with, Nami-chan," Robin said in amusement.

Nami turned her head. "Stealing from Luffy is never hard. He's too trusting. Thinks everyone is honest like him." Although the words were somewhat harsh, she spoke each word with deep affection. She couldn't help seeing Luffy's innocent as cute.

Zeff stepped onto the deck and his eyes widened. For the first time since the crew saw him, he looked truly unnerved. "It's him."

"You son of bitch, you followed us!" Krieg yelled in fury.

On a small raft lit by a candle with a green flame sat a man that was dressed like a vampire. He had a huge cross-shaped sword on his back and a hat that covered most of his face. Nothing, however, could hide his piecing golden eyes.

Franky's mouth dropped when he saw the man. "That...that's Hawk-Eye! I see...that who tore that ship apart."

"Him!? What power! He cut a galleon in two!" Chopper yelled in awe.

"So, that's Hawk-Eye Mihawk, the greatest swordsman in the world and one of the Seven Warlords," Brook said as he looked over the swordsman. Despite having no tongue, skin, or moister, Brook felt his mouth go dry. "He does look fierce. He's nothing like any swordsman I ever encountered."

"Seeing his skills never ceases to amaze me," Zoro said. Although, he took great pride that he could now split a galleon just as easily.

"So, he was the one who crushed Don Krieg just days after he entered the Grand Line," Robin mused.

"Man, what rotten luck. Running into a Warlord so soon after going into the Grand Line," Franky said shaking his head.

"That is one of the primary purposes of the Warlords. Terminate or scare away the weaker pirates in Paradise," Robin said. "Don Krieg should have prepared for this possibility before even considering going into the Grand Line."

Sanji nodded. "Yeah, that old geezer said it best. Expect the unexpected."

Luffy, however, was more concerned about Nami than the incoming Warlord.

Johnny and Yosaku explained how Nami was looking at a wanted poster for a pirate named Arlong. She then tricked them and threw them off the Going Merry. Once they were in the water, she stole the ship and sailed off.

"Damn!" Zoro in the memory cursed as he punched the ship, not having taken notice of Mihawk yet. "She took advantage of us!"

Usopp within the memory was equally pissed. "That ship is a present from Kaya!"

Sanji growled at his memory crew. "Don't talk badly about Nami-san!"

Luffy got on the railing and searched over the sea. "Hey, I can still see Merry!" He turned towards Yosaku and Johnny. "Where's your ship?"

"We still have it, but..." Yosaku started to say.

"Zoro, Usopp, leave right away!" Luffy ordered. "Go after Nami using their ship!"

"Never mind, let it go," Zoro said dismissively. "There's no need to chase after that woman."

"How dare you call Nami-swan that woman!" Sanji yelled at their Zoro. "I have a good mind to gut you!"

Zoro side-eyed the cook. "Like I was going to call her by her name after she stole from us. She's lucky we didn't go after her to kill her."

"You dare threatened Nami-san!?" Sanji growled as he lite on fire.

"Oh will you two save it. This was years ago. It's over and done with," Nami said in annoyance.

"Not just Nami. Without the Merry, none of you could move on to the Grand Line," Robin pointed out.

"Yeah, that's true," Zoro said. "I was just so upset with Nami that I never wanted to deal with her again."

Sanji snorted at him. "Good thing you're not the captain."

Luffy was also mildly annoyed by Zoro's statement and looked directly at the swordsman. "She's the only one I will accept as our navigator," he said, leaving no room for argument.

Sanji nodded. "Damn straight! Luffy is one-thousand percent correct!"

Zoro rolled his eye at the cook.

The conviction in Luffy's voice moved Nami. Luffy had so much faith in her, despite the fact that she robbed him blind and took advantage of him. He was such a trusting fool; yet, she admired him because of that.

Robin also smiled at the scene, sharing the same feeling as Nami.

Zoro in the memory looked very frustrated. For a moment, it seemed like he would challenge Luffy on his decision. It was a couple of seconds before he sighed in defeat

"Fine! What a pain in the ass captain." Zoro then looked at the sniper. "Usopp, let's go!"

Johnny and Yosaku quickly went to get their boat and sailed it close to the restaurant.

"Zoro-bro, the ship is ready!" they yelled.

"Luffy, what about you?" Zoro asked.

"I haven't fully repaid the restaurant back, so I can't go," Luffy said.

"Be careful," Zoro warned. "Things are abnormal here."

Luffy nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Don Krieg, it's the man who destroyed our fleet!" one of the pirates suddenly yelled, getting Luffy and his crew's attention.

Zoro looked straight at Mihawk and paled. "That man is..."

"Zoro, who the heck is that?" Luffy asked as he glanced towards Mihawk.

"The man I've been searching for, Hawk-Eye Mihawk," Zoro said in a strained voice. "The strongest swordsman in the world." He started to grin in delight and loosened one of his swords.

"I've never seen you so flustered before," Chopper said.

Zoro grunted, but said nothing. It was not a good feeling to see just how foolish he was.

"Can you blame him?" Franky said. "Hawk-Eye is the envy of all swordsman. Anyone who so much touch a blade know of him."

"Even during my time trapped in the Florian Triangle I had rumors about him," Brook said. "A man who eyes pierces into your very soul and moves a sword with such grace that he's not even considered human. He's the only swordsman in the world who has the title of being undefeated."

"Wow..." Chopper mumbled in awe. And this was the guy Zoro wanted to surpass.

"Bastard, why did you attack us!?" one of the pirates yelled at the Warlord. "What did we ever do to you!?"

Mihawk gave the man a very bored glance. "Just killing time."

"Is that his real reason?" Brook asked.

"With Mihawk, I wouldn't be surprised," Zoro said. "He has a dark sense of humor."

"Because of his inhuman skill with a sword, Mihawk becomes bored very easily," Robin said. "He is the Warlord who is known to chase after pirates until he eliminates them, just to alleviate his boredom."

Usopp shook his head. "What a ruthless guy."

"Bullshit!" the pirate exclaimed as he stood up and shot at Mihawk several times.

With one graceful motion of his sword, Mihawk deflected the bullets with barely twisting his wrist.

"What graceful movements," Brook said in awe. "In all my years, I have never seen a sword handled like that before, especially given the size of the blade. Truly worthy of being called the best."

Franky whistled. "The rumors about him were definitely not exaggerated. To think he could move so smoothly with such a big sword. Good thing we're on friendly terms with him."

Usopp and Chopper nodded in agreement.

"W…what, I missed!?" the pirate stuttered in shock. "I'm sure I was right on target!"

While the pirate was talking, Zoro appeared behind the man.

"It was deviated," Zoro said, startling the pirate. "He redirected it with just the tip of his sword."

"That's ridiculous!" the pirate yelled in disbelief. Zoro casually walked past the shell-shocked pirate. "Hey, who the hell are you!?"

One of the pirates saw Zoro's three swords. "Swords, three of them! Could it be..?"

"I've never seen such graceful skill," Zoro complimented the fellow swordsman.

"There is no strength in swordplay based on force," Mihawk said neutrally.

Brook nodded in agreement. That was one of the fundamental rules of swordsmanship.

"So, this ship was split apart by that sword as well?" Zoro continued to question as his smile grew wider.

"Of course," Mihawk stated in a matter-of-fact voice.

"It's clear now, you're the strongest!" Zoro exclaimed excitedly.

Mihawk said nothing as he kept glaring at Zoro.

"I set sail for only one reason. To meet you," Zoro said as he wrapped his bandana over his forehead.

"And what is your goal?" Mihawk asked.

"To be the best!" Zoro exclaimed.

Mihawk smirked at him. "How foolish."

Zoro took out his swords. "You got time to spare. Let's have a duel, shall we?"

Chopper's mouth dropped. "You challenge Mihawk here!? But he's a Warlord who just split a galleon!"

"Gotta say bro, you're bold," Franky said. If Hawk-Eye was anywhere near as strong as Moriah, then Zoro was biting off more than he could chew. Moriah, with the help of Oars, nearly killed all of them and they were much stronger than Zoro in the memory.

Robin watched with interest. Very few challenged Mihawk and lived to tell about it.

The Krieg Pirates and the cooks from the restaurant muttered in shock and disbelief as they recognized Zoro. In their eyes, they were going to see a fight that would rock the heavens. There was no swordsman in East Blue who was equal to Roronoa Zoro.

Even Don Krieg leaned over to get a better view of the fight. He was greatly interested. "Really, a pirate hunter."

Sanji in the memory was very surprise by these developments. Zeff stood stoic with his arms crossed. It was easy to tell that he already knew how this fight would end.

Zoro folded his own arms and watched the memory dispassionately. He knew this was coming, his greatest humiliation. He learned many hard lessons this day.

"Hey, things are getting worse, Luffy!" Usopp yelled at his captain. "Going Merry is about gone from our sights!"

Luffy paid no attention to Usopp. He was too focused on Zoro.

"Hey, Luffy!" Usopp yelled.

"A duel?" Mihawk questioned. He had a tone that suggested scepticism. "You are a weak, pitiful creature."

Zoro's face was blank, but all the Strawhats knew the swordsman was angered by Mihawk's words.

With one graceful jump, Mihawk appeared on the remains of Krieg's ship. "If you are in fact a competent swordsman, you should be able to judge the difference in our skills before you even unsheathed your sword. I must ask you, why have you challenged me? Could it be your courage? Or, is it simply your ignorance?"

Zoro grinned at him. "My ambition drives me!" he declared as he put his precious white sword in his mouth. "And for a promise to my fallen friend."

All the Strawhats, except Chopper, looked at each. What fallen friend was Zoro talking about?

"No one can beat big bro!" Yosaku yelled in excitement.

"Bro, do your best!" Johnny encouraged.

Luffy said nothing, but he had a strange expression on his face. It was very similar to the look that was on Zeff's face.

Zoro knew by looking at Luffy now that his captain knew the results of his battle with Mihawk before the fighting even started. Luffy had known from the start that he was going to lose and didn't try to stop him in honor of the promise he made not to stand in the way of his ambitions.

Luffy had once again proven why in many ways he was smarter than him. He knew when to sense a battle he couldn't win. It was undoubtedly a skill harnessed by all his training with his brothers and even his grandpa. They had all given Luffy a taste of the real world at a young age.

Mihawk casually grabbed the cross he had around his neck and pulled until the string snapped. He pulled out a tiny blade from the cross. It was smaller than a butter knife.

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "Hey now, what's the meaning of this?"

"Unlike some idiots, I do not use a cannon to kill a fly. Although you seem to be skilled and have quite a reputation, that does not mean much to me. East Blue is the weakest of all seas," Mihawk stated before he frowned and gave Zoro an apologetic look. "Unfortunately, I do not carry any blades smaller than this one."

"Damn, that's deep burn," Franky said.

"I've never seen anyone talk to Zoro like that," Chopper said. Even in his weakest moments, all of Zoro's opponents respected his skill to some extent.

"More like someone who talks that way and got away with it," Nami corrected.

The Zoro in the memory was pissed by Mihawk's words. "Don't mock me!" He charged Mihawk. "Just don't regret it when you die!"

"You are just someone who has not experienced the real world," Mihawk said.

"Oni Giri!" Zoro yelled.

With barely trying, Mihawk easily caught all three swords in mid-slash, freezing Zoro's movements.

"He caught them!" Chopper exclaimed in shock.

"I...I didn't quite see that coming..." Franky muttered.

"To point pin the weakness in that technique is impressive. Catching them so perfectly was just masterful," Brook said in complete awe.

"W..what the...!?" Zoro in the memory exclaimed in shock. The Strawhats had never seen him so surprise.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled worriedly, but stood in place.

"Bro's Oni Giri was stopped!" Johnny yelled in disbelief.

"But it always worked one-hundred percent of the time!" Yosaku shouted, not believing his eyes. "What in the world happened!?"

Zoro couldn't move at all as Mihawk held him in place. His eyes were shaking in disbelief. After a few more seconds, Zoro finally broke away and began to swing viciously at Mihawk, who was barely trying as he parried all of Zoro's techniques.

"The world shouldn't be this far off!" Zoro yelled as he attacked. His normal calm demeanor was completely shattered. "I'm not this far behind the world's strongest!"

Except for the ones who had witnessed this event at the first time, none of the Strawhats had ever seen Zoro breakdown. He almost came across like a child having a tantrum.

With a flick of his wrist, Mihawk pushed Zoro back, causing him to fell onto the deck remains with an ungraceful thug.

"This can't be happening, bro!" Yosaku screamed. "Please fight seriously!"

"Big bro!" Johnny screamed, near tears.

Zoro was completely enraged now. "You can't _possibly_ be this much better than me!"

Mihawk gave him an impassive look.

Zoro got up and started to attack Mihawk wildly. His eyes were completely crazed as he seemed to throw skill and technique to the wind.

Zoro growled in frustration as he watched how foolish his younger self was. He was swinging his swords with the grace of a baseball bat, while Mihawk was making baby movements. In his desperation to win, he throw away all of his discipline and skill. Why couldn't he sense before the fight how badly matched he was? Was it arrogance? Or denial? Most likely, it was little bit of both.

Zoro glanced at Luffy again who kept watching the fight. He was shaking and looked like he wanted to run in to help, but stayed put. He could only imagine the anger and frustration Luffy must have felt. To watch what he knew was a losing battle and knew it could cost his crewmate their life.

Worst yet, the fight was completely avoidable. Luffy was watching him get killed in a match that he actively started because he couldn't sense how overmatch he was. In this fight against Mihawk, he was the dog without teeth. Dammit, he was so blind.

"Such ferocious swordplay," Mihawk mused as he blocked another slash from Zoro.

This ticked Zoro off even further as he became even more violent and reckless.

"How can he defend against Zoro's three-sword style with such a small knife!?" one of the Krieg Pirate yelled in disbelief. "He's even more of a monster with a blade than even the great Zoro!"

"Zoro is losing badly," Chopper said softly as Mihawk karate chopped Zoro in the back of the neck after evading a sword swing. The young doctor gritted his teeth, knowing that Mihawk could have easily broken Zoro's neck.

"Not a match at all," Brook spoke softly.

"It's not too surprising," Franky said as he watched the one-sided beat down. "He is a Warlord, after all. Badass is literally in their resume. Even the weakest of them can beat any normal pirate."

Brook nodded in agreement.

Brook was more surprise by how sloppy Zoro's sword style was. Zoro was so rough and clumsy with his movements that even he could have defeated him. Zoro was nothing like the fighter he witnessed at Thriller Bark. He had really grown in such a short period.

"Even if Mihawk is a Warlord, I didn't think there was such a different in their skill," Nami said. The only time she had seen Zoro this helpless was against Kuma and he was exhausted from fighting Oars. There were also the admirals and Eneru, but they were all logias and untouchable by normal means.

Zoro forced himself to stand up after Mihawk's last attacked nearly knocked him out. He was breathing hard and his eyes were bloodshot as he glared at the Warlord. He stumbled forward and attempted to cut Mihawk, but Zoro's movements were slow and sluggish. He collapsed again after Mihawk moved aside from his attack.

Mihawk looked as impassive as ever as he stared down at Zoro. "What is it then? What weight do you carry upon your shoulders? Speak up, weakling!"

Zoro growled in anger as he stood up. "No, I won't lose! I refused to be defeated!

The fight was becoming too much for Chopper to handle. He knew the weight Zoro carried. He knew that Zoro didn't fight for himself alone in this duel. He was also fighting for the sake of a friend and rival's dream.

Mihawk was unimpressed.

Zoro moved in to attack again. "Tiger Trap!"

Mihawk grew bored with toying with Zoro and thrust the tiny blade into Zoro's chest when he got close. The sword was right at his heart.

Everyone gasped in horror and shock.

"Zoro!" Chopper screamed in instinct. If that blade were just an inch longer, it would have pierced his heart.

This was more than enough for Johnny and Yosaku. They attempted to join the battle to save their friend, but Luffy grabbed them and held them firm.

"Don't interfere," Luffy growled, although he was not happy as well.

"You are defeated, yet you will not step back. Do you wish for this blade to pierce your heart?" Mihawk asked.

"I don't know," Zoro answered honestly as blood rained down his chin. "But if I step back, I believe all the important oaths, promises, and many other deals I made until now will all go to waste and I'll never be able to return before you ever again."

"That is what defeat is," Mihawk stated.

Zoro chuckled. "That's why I can't step back."

"Even if it means death?" Mihawk questioned.

"Death would be better," Zoro answered with no hesitation.

Mihawk glared at Zoro for a moment before he pulled his sword out. He carefully sheathed the blade. "Boy, state your name."

"I am Roronoa Zoro!" he exclaimed as he got his swords into position.

Mihawk grabbed his true sword. "I will remember it! It has been a while since I have seen such a strong will. As a reward, a gesture to a fellow swordsman, I will wield this Black Sword. The most powerful sword in the world, to end your life."

"I appreciate the gesture," Zoro said.

With all words gone, the two swordsmen did their final attack. Despite Zoro using his strongest technique, it was all in vain. Two of his swords shattered against Mihawk's Black Sword, leaving only his precious Wado Ichimonji intact. The battle was decided.

Without a word, Zoro carefully sheathed his blade and turned to face Mihawk. He spread his arms wide opened and smiled, surprising Mihawk.

"Scars on the back are a swordsman's shame," Zoro explained, accepting his fate.

Mihawk returned the smile. "Indeed."

With that, he split Zoro's chest opened, causing a fountain of blood to gush out. The impact of the sword strike also sent him tumbling into the sea.

"ZORO!" Luffy screamed in horror.

"Zoro!" Usopp in the memory screamed, just as shock as everyone.

"Big bro!" Johnny and Yosaku yelled in tears.

"Oh god!" Nami exclaimed in shock as she put her hands over her mouth. Did a person really live through such a vicious strike?

Chopper's mouth hung open in shock.

Brook's eyes (if he'd had eyes) would have been wide at the brutality of the finishing blow.

Robin stared expressionlessly at the memory. "So, that is how he got that scar." She'd thought it looked like Mihawk's handy work.

"He cut him with a sword that split a galleon in half!" Franky yelled in shock. How the hell was Zoro even still alive!?

"That's even worse than I remember," Usopp mumbled. He got physically sick from the sight of all the blood.

Zoro watched his defeat blank-faced.

"Don't be stupid!" Sanji in the memory suddenly yelled as Zoro hit the water. "Give up your ambitions and live!"

Sanji stared at his past self for a moment. How he had changed so much. To think, not even a year later he would attempt to give up his life and his own ambitions to save a certain rubber idiot and cabbage head swordsman.

"Damn you!" Luffy screamed as he stretched his arm to the remains of Krieg's ship.

Luffy attempted to hit Mihawk as he flew towards the ship, but the swordsman easily sidestepped the attack, causing Luffy to land face first into the rubble.

"Are you that young swordsman's comrade?" Mihawk questioned calmly. "I am impressed with you for not interfering."

Those words got Zoro's attention. So, Mihawk sensed it as well. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised.

After Luffy managed to get his head free of the rubble, he turned to face Mihawk.

"There is nothing to be upset about. Your friend will live," Mihawk informed.

Luffy turned to see Zoro being fished out of the water by Johnny and Yosaku.

"Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed in shock and relief.

The two pirate hunters swam Zoro to their boat while Usopp helped them bring the injured swordsman on-board.

"It is still far too early for you to die," Mihawk said as he faced Zoro. "My name is Hawk-Eye Mihawk! You are strong, but there is still much for you to learn! Find your true self, the true world, and become stronger! No matter how many years it takes, I will await you in your strongest form! Until that day you must hone your skills! Then, seek me out! Surpass this sword, Roronoa Zoro!"

Everyone was taken aback by Mihawk's proclamation. Zoro may have lost the duel, but he had earned the greatest swordsman's respect. That in itself was a victory.

Once he was finished with Zoro, Mihawk turned his eyes towards Luffy. "You, what is your goal?"

"To become the Pirate King," Luffy answered with no hesitation as he stared Mihawk right in his sharp eyes.

Mihawk smirked at him. "That is a harder goal than surpassing me."

"I don't care. I'm going become one anyway," Luffy said defiantly. For good measure, he stuck his tongue out at Mihawk.

"He's alive!" Usopp exclaimed happily.

Luffy turned to look at the boat Zoro was in.

"He just lost consciousness!" Usopp yelled in assurance.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled worriedly.

There was a moment of silence before Zoro suddenly lifted his Wado Ichimonji into the air. "Luffy...can you hear me..?"

"Yeah!" Luffy shouted.

"I'm sorry for disappointing you," Zoro said in a strained voice. It sounded like he was using all his strength just to speak. "If I don't become the greatest swordsman in the world, it would be a disgrace to you, right? I've let you down, please forgive me."

Luffy was baffled by the apology.

"You're the idiot who nearly gets himself cut in half and you're apologizing to Luffy," Nami whispered in disbelief.

"I swear...from this moment forward...that I will never lose again!" Zoro declared. He sounded like he was crying. "Until I defeat him and become the greatest swordsman, I will never be defeated! Do you any problems, Pirate King!?"

A huge smile spread over Luffy's face. "None."

Mihawk also smiled as he turned to leave. "You are a good team. I hope to see you again someday."

With that, the memory faded.

 

 


	13. The Strawhats Pirates

All the Strawhats stood silent for a moment as they reflected on what they had seen.

"So, that was how the fight with Mihawk went," Nami whispered.

She had heard of the battle from Usopp, but it was something completely different to actually witness it. It was also odd since this was one of the few stories that Usopp didn't exaggerate.

"That wound should have killed you!" Chopper yelled at Zoro. "How could you be so careless!?"

"It's in the past, it doesn't matter anymore," Zoro said dismissively, although he was fingering his scar under his jacket.

"You really do owe Mihawk for his mercy," Sanji said. "If you hadn't impressed him with your stubbornness, he would have gutted you to the point where you wouldn't have recovered."

"Zoro-san, no offense to you or your skill, but you really couldn't sense the different between you and Mihawk?" Brook asked.

Zoro said nothing for a moment. "I was too blinded by my own ambitions to see the truth. Mihawk was right. I wasn't a very good swordsman."

Brook was silent for a moment. "What's interesting, though, was that Luffy knew you would lose."

"He did?" Usopp asked in surprise.

Brook nodded. "It was very evident by his face. What more, he couldn't have known that Mihawk would have spare Zoro. He was literally letting his crewmate go to their death."

"He was honoring his vow to Zoro. He did nothing to interfere with his dream, even if it meant watching Zoro get killed," Robin said.

"You men and your pride," Nami moaned as she rubbed her forehead. She would never understand it.

"Yeah, what was the point of just letting Zoro get himself killed? Luffy could have least warned him or something," Usopp said. "There's no honor to be had in a fight you can't win."

Sanji blew out some smoke. "It wouldn't have mattered if Luffy had warned that moss head. That idiot swordsman would have fought Mihawk regardless of any admonishments. He was, after all, so determining to fight Mihawk that he disobeyed a direct order from his captain."

All the Strawhats, except Zoro and Robin, stared at Sanji.

"Disobey an order, what are you talking about?" Usopp asked in confusion.

"Did you already forget? Luffy ordered Zoro and you to go after Nami-san," Sanji said. "Instead of obeying his orders, Zoro went out and picked a fight with Mihawk, putting his own ambitions before his captain's command."

This caused most of the Strawhats to stare at one another. They never thought of it that way, but Sanji had a point. It was strange to even consider that Zoro ignored one of Luffy's orders since he was usually the most faithful to any command Luffy gave, no matter how silly it was.

Zoro said nothing to counter Sanji's argument. As much as he hated to admit it, the love cook was right. If Luffy had interfered, even if it was just to warn him of his impending defeat, he would have resented Luffy and may have even called on him to fulfil his vow. It was shameful thing to admit, but he knew in his heart that it was true.

Soon, the next memory came and they were back at the Baratie, except now only Luffy, Sanji, and the chefs were left to fight the Krieg Pirates.

"I'm surprised Krieg still wants to fight after what just happened," Chopper said as he watched the armor pirate lay out his plan to take the ship and steal Zeff's logbook.

Sanji calmly smoked his cigarette. "That's because that moron is too dumb to live. That shit head attempted to attack Mihawk before he left."

Franky snorted. "Is he a moron or something?"

"That is what happens when you have an inflated idea how strong you are," Robin said as she watched the battle.

Luffy was easily handling the pirates, knocking several of them over with his ability. It was obvious to see that the Krieg Pirates were terrified of Luffy. That had never once seen a human fight like him. It probably didn't help that they were still shell-shocked from seeing Mihawk manhandle the strongest swordsman in East Blue.

"It's hard to believe. The Grand Line is crawling with guys like these," Sanji in the memory muttered in disbelief.

"You sound scared, love cook," Zoro teased.

"Like you weren't crapping yourself when you first saw Luffy's ability," Sanji countered as he side-eyed Zoro.

"It is funny how normal Luffy is when compared to some of the freaks we've met on our journey," Nami mused.

To their credit, the Krieg Pirates were stronger than the foil that the Strawhats had seen so far in East Blue given that they were easily handling the battle chefs. Still, they were little match for Sanji who could easily take all their numbers by himself.

Luffy attempted several times to attack Krieg directly, who remained on the broken remains of his ship, overseeing the battle.

The rubber captain, however, was at a severe disadvantage since there was very little footing for him to fight on. Krieg was easily able to repel all of Luffy's advances by breaking the battlefield around Luffy, forcing him to retreat back to the Baratie.

"This is one of the worst kinds of battlefields for a Devil Fruit user," Robin observed.

"Yeah, one slip and it would be over for Luffy," Franky said.

This was one of the reasons why he never wanted an ability. Power meant nothing if you could be crippled or beaten by something as simple as water.

Some time into the fight, one of Krieg's strongest men, Pearl, joined the battle. He looked somewhat formable given that he was covered in what looked like circular iron plates, but he proved to be somewhat of an idiot.

He talked way too much and completely lost his mind when he got a nosebleed from Luffy, who accidentally landed on him when Krieg broke the mast Luffy was holding on to with a ball-and-chain. He went as far as to set himself on fire, nearly burning the restaurant and his own cremates.

Nonetheless, Sanji didn't have too much trouble dealing Pearl since the battle chef was able to withstand the heat. Although, it was still a fairly even match since Sanji couldn't break Pearl's armor.

To keep the entire restaurant from burning up, Krieg used his ball-and-chain to attempt to destroy the fin.

The spike ball could have killed Sanji and Pearl if Luffy hadn't suddenly run through the flames and pushed the ball back with his bare hands.

"He tossed that thing right back!" Sanji in the memory exclaimed in shock. It wasn't every day that someone pushed a ball-and-chain like it was a beach ball.

Luffy was too busy trying to brush the fire off of his butt to listen.

The ball-and-chain hit one of the masts of the broken galleon and landed on Pearl's head, knocking the man out.

"This battle is so ridiculous," Zoro said in a bored voice. "I see I didn't miss much.

"I'd forgotten that Krieg had more weapons than a Swiss army knife," Sanji said. "Where the heck did he get that ball-and-chain from anyway?"

The battle turned in Krieg's favor when Gin managed to get behind Zeff and disable him by breaking his peg leg. He then threatened to kill the old man if Sanji fought back against a rejuvenated Pearl. The beat down that followed was brutal.

"I knew you couldn't do anything right, crap cook," Zoro teased.

"What was I supposed to do, shitty swordsman?" Sanji challenged angrily. "If I fought back, that old fart would have his head blown off. Are you telling me you would have done something different?"

Zoro didn't answer.

Chopper cringed as he watched the fight. He was certain that Sanji had more than a few broken bones. "How did you guys survive as long as you did without a doctor?"

"I was wondering that too," Usopp said.

As the beating from Pearl continued, Sanji explained that he owed Zeff because he saved his life when he was a boy. When Zeff and his crew attacked the ship that Sanji was working on, it sank during a giant storm.

They were then marooned for over eighty days on a desolate island and nearly starved to death. Some time during those eighty days, Zeff ate his own leg to survive.

"That old man did that!?" Franky exclaimed in shock.

"He did what was needed to survive," Robin stated, although she too was taken aback. Not too many people would go that far to stay alive. Not to mention, the pain Zeff must have experience cutting off his leg.

"Still, going eighty days without food, I would had starved after the first month," Usopp said. He couldn't help but find it ironic that he ended up on an island where he nearly ate himself to death.

"I would have been nothing but bones going that long without food," Brook said before he paused for a moment. "Oh wait, I am nothing but bones." He began to laugh.

Zoro had to admit, he was impressed. He thought he was going to die after only going three weeks without eating. No wonder the cook doesn't want anyone to starve.

Luffy finally got tired of the one-sided beating and decided it was better for the restaurant to be destroyed than to let Krieg have it. Sanji wasn't please.

"And what do you know about this!?" Sanji in the memory yelled angrily at Luffy. "What do you know about the immensity of my debt to this place!?"

"So, you're going to die for it?" Luffy asked in disbelief. "Are you stupid?"

"What did you say?" Sanji growled.

Luffy grabbed Sanji by his jacket and pulled him right into his face. "It's not about death! Dying isn't paying him back! That's not what he put his life on the line for! He saved you so you could live, yet you want to die!? Only weak people would act like that!"

Current Sanji flinched as he watched the memory. Now that he had seen Luffy's past, he knew that Luffy spoke from his own experience. His debt to Shanks was just as deep if not deeper than the debt he owed Zeff. For a moron, Luffy had a knack for cutting out the bullshit.

Pearl, being the jerk that he was, bragged to Sanji about how he couldn't do anything as long as Zeff was their hostage. Before he could do more damage to Sanji, however, Gin interfered and broke Pearl's armor in one attack.

It was revealed that Gin was Krieg's Battle Commander, essentially his right hand. Among his crew and the marines, he was called a Cold-Hearted Demon who showed mercy to no one even if they beg for their lives.

"So, that guy was actually someone important," Zoro said.

"He sure didn't seem like much when we saw him," Usopp said.

"He was most likely shell-shocked from his experience in the Grand Line. Just one person killed almost all of his crewmates before his eyes. I think almost anyone would go into shock," Nami said, feeling somewhat sorry for Gin.

"Sanji, I wanted you to get off this ship so I wouldn't have to hurt you, but it looks like that isn't going to happen," Gin said with a note of regret.

"Yeah, I won't go," Sanji confirmed casually. "This restaurant, I won't give it to you even if I die."

"Then, at least let me kill you with my own hands," Gin said. "I can't make this right or wrong either way."

"Geez, thanks," Sanji in the memory said as he lit a cigarette. "Eat shit."

This caused some of the Strawhats to snicker.

"The same with you, chore boy," Gin said as he turned to address Luffy.

"Does anyone actually call Luffy by his name around here?" Usopp asked.

Franky chuckled. "Yeah, it's kind of funny hearing everyone just call him chore boy."

"Not necessary," Luffy said nonchalantly to Gin. "I won't lose to a bunch of weaklings like you."

Some of the Strawhats snickered again.

This caused Gin to grit his teeth. The rest of the Krieg Pirates were also not happy by the comment.

"You bastard!" one of them yelled. "How dare you talk to our Battle Commander like that! Calling him weak to his face!"

"We are the Krieg Pirates, the strongest in East Blue!" a pirate yelled.

"Only because you outnumbered the other pirates in the East Blue," Luffy stated.

There was a pregnant pause before all the pirates started to growl at Luffy.

Most of the Strawhats couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"He got them there," Zoro said in amusement.

"Luffy just burned all those pirates," Franky laughed.

"That does appear to be the case," Robin said with a slight chuckle.

The battle eventually resumed, and Gin proved to be an equal to Sanji. He was fast, strong, and able to tank one of Sanji's kicks. He also nearly broke Sanji's ribs during the course of the fight. It had gotten to the point where Sanji couldn't even withstand the force of his own kicks anymore.

Almost all the Strawhats winced when they heard the sound of Sanji's ribs crack just from the force of one of his kicks.

"If Sanji keep fighting like this, the broken bones will puncture his organs," Chopper said as he put his hooves to his mouth.

"This guy is good," Usopp said in awe. He had rarely seen Sanji on the ropes like this.

"The fool allowed that Pearl idiot to soften him up," Zoro said. "He would have won, or at least put up a better fight if he didn't allow himself to get so injured."

"To his credit, Gin is quite strong," Robin said as she watched the battle. "He took two of Sanji's kicks and is barely injured."

Gin now had Sanji pinned and posed to finish him.

Luffy looked like he wanted to interfere, but wasn't sure if he should, given the complex relationship between Sanji and Gin. Also, despite Luffy being pragmatic in battle, one of the few rules of engagements he did believe in was to never interfere with someone else's fight.

Then the unexpected happened. Gin actually began to cry and couldn't land the finishing blow. Sanji was the first person to ever show kindness to Gin and saved his life when he was on the verge of starving to death. Despite believing and following Krieg's every order until that point, killing Sanji was simply a command he couldn't fulfil.

"It would appear your good deed has come full circle, Sanji," Robin observed with smile.

"It shows that even someone called a demon has a heart," Brook said.

Sanji was not too happy as he watched the memory. Although he appreciated Gin sparing him, he still didn't like that he lost that fight. It was all that overgrown iron plate's fault. He would never hear the end of this from moss head.

Gin's show of mercy towards Sanji did not go over well with Krieg, especially when Gin pleaded with him to leave the Baratie in peace.

"You little son of a bitch!" Krieg yelled furiously as he stood up. "Not only did you disobey my orders, but then you tell me what to do!"

Gin could say nothing as tears continued to flow down his eyes.

"It's pathetic. Morality, sympathy; weaknesses I never expected to see from you!" Krieg yelled.

Brook scowled at Krieg. "Since when it is a weakness to be a decent person?"

"I'm very disappointed in you. Didn't I always say that I detest those feelings of principle!?" Krieg continued to yell as he grabbed one of his large shoulder pads and began to point it towards the restaurant. "The rest of you go to one side." The skull on the shoulder pad started to open its mouth.

"No, not the gas!" Gin exclaimed in shock.

All the other pirates freaked out as well. "MH5!"

"Get the masks on!" several pirates yelled in panic.

Chopper's eyes widened when he heard the name. "That...he can't be thinking of using that!"

"What's MH5?" Usopp asked.

"It's a very potent poisonous gas," Chopper explained. "If inhaled, it can kill a person within minutes by reputing the vessels in the lungs, causing a person to drown in their blood. It's a very painful death."

Usopp screamed in horror.

"How cowardly. He used that against unarmed civilians," Brook said in disgust.

"And he's using it now just to kill one person who was his own Battle Commander! How horrible!" Nami exclaimed.

"As you said before, Nami-san, he isn't called Foul Play Krieg for nothing," Sanji growled as he remembered the bastard. Even with all the shit heads he met on the Grand Line, Krieg still ranked as one of the worst captains ever.

Gin reached for his mask, which was hidden in his jacket.

"Throw away your mask!" Krieg ordered. "You're not one of mine anymore!"

Luffy charged Krieg, determine to stop him.

"I won't let you shoot that poisonous gas!" Luffy yelled.

"Stop interring, chore boy," Krieg said as he casually destroyed part of the mast Luffy was running on, causing him to lose his balance. He shot at Luffy with a spike machine gun, forcing him to retreat again.

"Gin!" Luffy yelled at the older man. "I've never heard such cowardly words. You don't have to listen to him, because I'm going to kick his ass."

Gin gritted his teeth. "Do not mock Don Krieg! My captain cannot be defeated! He's the strongest man alive! And I respect his punishment."

"You idiot!" Sanji in the memory yelled. "Open your eyes! This guy is trying to kill you!"

"Of course," Gin answered, almost serenely. "Obeying my emotions and then betraying my captain. If I were in his position, I would have done the same. Now...death is the only honor I have left." He threw his mask into the water.

"Such loyalty," Zoro whispered before his eye narrowed. "That bastard doesn't deserve it."

"Gin!" Luffy screamed in horror.

"Why?" Sanji asked in disbelief.

Krieg chuckled. "So, you realized this in the end? But it's much too late. Die together with that cook!" He fired the gas bomb.

Luffy acted fast and stole two gas masks from the Krieg Pirates who were floating in the water. He gave the two to Gin and Sanji. Problem was, Luffy couldn't find a gas mask for himself and the remaining pirates had dived underwater.

Luffy was understandably panicked, not sure what to do.

"He was so busy thinking about Gin and Sanji that he didn't think of getting a mask for himself first," Brook said. Luffy was honorable to a fault.

"Hope he can hold his breath," Franky said as the bomb got closer to hitting.

A loud clatter caught Luffy's attention and when he looked down he saw a gas mask lying on the fin. He didn't care where it had come from as he dived and slammed his face into the mask.

He didn't act a moment too soon before a giant explosion rocked the area and a wave of purple gas filled the air. It took several minutes for the gas to completely clear. When it did, Luffy slowly pulled the mask off.

Luffy heard Sanji yelling something and turned to see that Gin was smashing a gas mask into Sanji's face.

Gin, however, had no mask and had taken the full impact of the gas. He was deathly pale and bleeding heavily from his mouth and nose. His eyes were rolled back and he was wheezing badly. He looked only seconds away from dying.

"Your...your mask?" Luffy asked as he realized that Gin had given him his gas mask.

Gin collapsed as a fountain of blood spilled from his mouth. Sanji quickly caught him and lowered him gently to the fin.

"No!" Luffy yelled as he ran towards the dying pirate.

Krieg started to laugh cruelly, stopping Luffy in his tracks. "What an idiot. This happened because you made a big deal about food. I guess an idiot won't learn until he dies."

"What a dishonorable thing to do. Poisoning his own man like that and then mocking that loyalty towards him," Brook growled.

Zoro narrowed his eye in disgust. "A captain who abuses the loyalty of his crew does not deserve to be called captain."

The rest of the Strawhats nodded in agreement.

Sanji in the memory was shaking in anger as he held Gin's shivering form, still calling his captain's name between breaths. "So, it seems...Don Krieg wasn't the right man for you to follow." He glared at the armored captain as he spoke that last part.

Krieg laughed in response. "It figures that you would still feel for that pathetic scum."

"Scum!?" Sanji exclaimed in rage.

"That's right. Anyone who loses focus and betrays my ship is worthless to me," Krieg said as he grinned. "He would almost certainly do it again. Putting him out of his misery is an act of mercy to keep him from dishonoring himself in the future and endangering my crew."

"What an asshole," Franky said as he crossed him arms.

"Pirates in general are assholes," Nami said coldly. "Krieg is just acting the part of a typical pirate."

Robin said nothing as she watched the scene with emotionless eyes. She was too used to these acts of cruelty to be surprise or really angry. She could not even really feel too much sympathy for Gin.

Patty and another chef took charge of Gin's care. He was given a gas mask since it had a little antidote within it and was taken to the upper deck of the Baratie where the air was fresher. Nonetheless, his chances were not good.

Chopper shook his head as he watched Gin be taking away. "Even if he does somehow survives, his life has been severally shorten. Not to mention, his lungs will be permanently damage and he may never be able to fight again."

Sanji gritted his teeth. "Gin really did follow the wrong man. Krieg stepped all over his loyalty. I really wish I deep fried that bastard."

"Scum like that bastard doesn't deserved to be in command of dogs," Zoro said, having a rare agreement in Sanji.

"Don't you dare die, Gin," Luffy said fiercely under his breath. "You can't let someone like him win. He isn't worth dying for!"

"Damn right!" Sanji declared.

"Kick that bastard's metallic ass!" Franky yelled. "Show him how a real pirate captain acts!"

Krieg grinned cockily at Luffy.

Luffy, like all his crewmates, had more than enough of Krieg and made one final charge toward the ruthless pirate. This time, he wouldn't be turned back.

Krieg threw several small bombs into the water to stop Luffy, but that didn't slow him down. Krieg took out his spike machine gun again and shot Luffy as he ran through the water that had splashed up when the bombs exploded.

Instead of retreating like last time, Luffy tanked the bullets. For his efforts, several spikes impaled him, although none of them were fatal. When Luffy got close enough to Krieg, he jumped and stretched his arm back.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy yelled as he moved to hit the armor pirate.

Krieg grinned and revealed that he had a metal, spiked cape. He used the cape to shield his body. No sane person would have dared hit it. Unfortunately for Krieg, Luffy wasn't sane.

Without even a moment of hesitation, Luffy slammed his fist into the metal spikes, hitting Krieg dead in the face and impaling his own hand.

"Did he just hit a spiked cape!?" Nami exclaimed in shock. She should have expected it, but what the heck was Luffy thinking?

"He could have permanently damaged the muscles in his hand doing a stunt like that!" Chopper yelled in horror. Not to mention the spike bullets sticking out of his body. He was lucky that Krieg was such a bad shot.

"Oh, that's gotta to hurt!" Usopp yelled as he sympathetically rubbed his own hand.

"I still can't believe he did that," Sanji said. His hand hurt just thinking about it.

Zoro grinned in approval.

Luffy ruthlessly pulled all the spikes out of his body, while Krieg recovered from the punch. The Strawhats could hear bone crack as he did it, causing most of them to cringe.

When Krieg was able to stand up again, he charged Luffy and slammed his shield into Luffy's chest. He shot Luffy point blank, but the rubberman avoided the blow. He latched his foot onto Krieg's shoulders and pulled him down to the deck, knocking Krieg over again.

The Krieg Pirates were really going crazy now. They had never seen their 'invincible' captain knocked down. They all began to vocally wonder if Krieg was going to lose. They all knew if Krieg lost to this mere boy, his reputation would be forever shattered. After all, the King of East Blue couldn't be beaten by some no-name brat.

Krieg was now really pissed as he stood back up. He tore his shoulder pads off and merged them together, causing a large spear to pop out. He then pulled out a long handle.

Krieg quickly lifted his newly assemble spear and attempted to smash Luffy with it. When he missed, the deck of the ship remains exploded.

"A spear that is merged with a bomb, that's pretty awesome," Franky said. He had to make one of those.

Krieg hit the deck again; causing more of the ship remains to explode. Luffy was quickly losing his footing. He also appeared to be having problems standing.

"It would seem Luffy lost too much blood," Robin observed.

"I guess he would after purposely taking all those hits," Nami said.

Krieg jumped to the section of the ship Luffy was resting on and attempted to impale him with his spear. Despite his weakened state, Luffy was able to successfully evade each of the strikes.

After a few more seconds of dodging, Luffy punched the spear, causing it to explode in his face. He was knocked back several feet and was turned a nice shade of black.

"Why did he punch the spear?" Usopp asked.

"Even as tough as Luffy is, the explosion could kill him," Chopper said in worry.

Zoro looked on with interest. Luffy had a plan.

Regardless of the damage, Luffy was able to stand back up.

Krieg swung again, and Luffy hit the spear a second time. Just like before, it exploded, burning Luffy all over his body.

This continued for several more minutes. Luffy took more damage as he persistently hit the spear with his fists.

Nonetheless, he took every bit of it, while Krieg continued to brag about being the strongest man in the world. After the fifth time Luffy punched the spear, it cracked and then broke, much to Krieg's surprise.

"The Great Battle Spear!" Krieg yelled in disbelief. "What the hell did you do?"

Luffy grinned at him. "I just punched it five times in a row."

"Just as I though, those attacks were not random," Robin said. "Luffy specially hit the exactly same spot each time until the spear could no longer withstand his attacks."

"Very clever," Brook said, impressed by his captain's forward thinking. Although, he wished Luffy came up with a plan that caused less bodily damage.

"I'm more surprised that he was able to take all that damage," Usopp said as he looked over Luffy's burnt body. "I mean, he pretty much took five bombs to the face."

Then again, Luffy did get kicked several times by that bomb Devil Fruit user back in Little Garden. Krieg's bomb spear couldn't be more powerful than that guy's ability.

"You ready for this? Because that was all I needed," Luffy said with a huge grin. "Now that your little toy's broken, you're nothing to me."

"Pretty bold words," Usopp said.

"It's all but true," Zoro said causally. "Krieg himself isn't all that great. He's physically strong, but that's just about it. It's only his weapons that make him any real threat to Luffy. That, along with Luffy being limited in his movements."

Krieg was annoyed to hear Luffy's bragging. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, without the blade, it's just a bomb on a stick. And let's face it, that's pretty lame," Luffy stated.

Franky nodded in agreement.

Bomb on a stick or not, it was still dangerous as Krieg blew up more parts of his ship up.

Luffy was able to jump away from the bomb-stick and grabbed one of the broken masts like a little monkey. He threw the mast's remains at Krieg, who promptly disintegrate them with a flamethrower he had hidden in his wrist.

That didn't stop Luffy from hitting Krieg with his Gum Gum Gatling. Krieg's armor, however, withstood the attack.

"You know, I think this guy has more weapons than you, Franky," Usopp said to the cyborg.

"Don't be ridiculous. No one has more weapons than me," Franky said, deeply offended. "Besides, he doesn't even have a laser."

"Hmm, that's true," Usopp admitted.

When Luffy finished his Gatling, Krieg hit him with his bomb-stick, sending the rubber captain flying across the deck.

Luffy quickly recovered, but when he looked up, Krieg had disappeared from his sight.

Krieg called to him, revealing that he had moved to one of the remaining mast and naturally started to brag. Luffy wasted no time running up the mast and stretched both of his arms behind him.

When Luffy got close enough, Krieg hit him with his bomb stick. That, however, didn't stop Luffy from completely his Gum Gum Bazooka. The armor pirate was sent flying into the air, but Luffy was left stunned by the last explosion. Krieg also dropped several small bombs as a farewell gift.

"It's no use!" Krieg bragged as he hovered in the air, slowly descending. "This is the limit of your strength!" Before he could say anything further, his 'invincible' armor began to crack. "What!? My armor is breaking!?" He regained his confidence when he saw that Luffy was still stunned in place. "But it's too late. Farewell, chore boy!"

The bombs Krieg's dropped exploded and destroyed the rest of the battlefield.

Luffy was able to regain his senses at the last moment, however, and jumped into the air.

"Gum Gum Bazooka!" Luffy yelled as he flew towards a surprise Don Krieg.

"What!?" Krieg screamed in utter shock.

Luffy hit the cracked armor with both of his palms and shattering it into pieces. Krieg started to fall even quicker to the sea below. It seemed Luffy's victory was assured.

Krieg, however, still had one last trick. A steel net suddenly shot off from his bracelets and wrapped around Luffy. He was now trapped.

Krieg laughed in triumph as he as he pulled Luffy towards the sea. "You can't run away from this steel net!"

"Dirty!" Usopp exclaimed.

"He's going to dragged Luffy into the sea!" Chopper shouted in terror.

"Aw, that rubber idiot can handle it," Sanji assured.

Despite the disadvantage Luffy was in, he managed to free his limbs from the net and that was all he needed. He began to spin his legs rapidly and managed to lock his feet around Krieg's head. Now Krieg was the one trapped.

Luffy turned his body towards the restaurant's fin while his legs spun Krieg around like a top. "Gum Gum Sledgehammer!"

With that, Luffy slammed Krieg's head into the fin of the Baratie, effectively ending the battle as all the Strawhats heard Krieg's skull crack and his eyes go white.

Luffy grinned in victory as he fell into the sea where the memory ended.

"So, that was the King of East Blue," Robin mused.

Krieg put up a decent fight. He was the first pirate so far to seriously hurt Luffy. Too bad he was too dependent on his weapons and gimmicks. In many ways, his Battle Commander was stronger given that he used pure skill to overcome Sanji. It was a pity Gin stunted his own growth by following such a weak man.

"What a little weasel. Luffy would have won sooner if he had better footing," Zoro said before he yawned.

"I still can't believe he punched through spikes," Nami muttered as she rubbed her hand.

"Luffy's really something. He took all those hits like they were nothing," Chopper said in awe.

"I'd say. Is he immune to explosives or something?" Franky asked.

When the new memory started, the Strawhats were standing on the balcony of the Baratie. When they looked around they saw Luffy and Sanji sitting on the railing overlooking the peaceful sea. They were both quiet, like they were just enjoying each other's company.

"Hey, have you ever heard of All Blue?" Sanji suddenly asked Luffy excitedly.

He had a huge smile on his face that made him look like a little boy. It was the most giddy the Strawhats had ever seen Sanji when he wasn't flirting with woman. He looked so innocent.

"Nope," Luffy answered bluntly.

"What, you haven't!?" Sanji asked, still never losing his smile. "It's a mystical sea!"

Luffy's eyes widened in wonder.

"In that sea, fish from all the Blues can be found there!" Sanji explained animatedly. "It's like a wonderland for cooks like me and it's in the Grand Line!"

Sanji talked for almost an hour about the wonders of All Blue. His face was lit up the entire time and Luffy took in each of his words with equal excitement. They stood on that balcony until lunchtime.

The memory soon ended and the Strawhats were back in the void.

"Sanji, you look so young when you were talking about All Blue," Robin said with a small smile.

Sanji couldn't stop himself from smiling. Although he would never admit it, that was one of his fondest and most intimate memories with Luffy. He was one of the few who didn't laugh at his dream. No, he took in every word he said as if it was the truth, never once doubting him. He didn't want to admit it at the time, but he knew at that moment that Luffy was the only person he would ever call captain.

In a flash, the Strawhats were in a new memory. This time, they were on an unfamiliar ship. They looked around and saw it was a sailboat. The strange thing was, the ship was moving at a rapid speed, but the sails were rolled up.

"Where are we?" Brook asked.

"Hey look, haven't we seen that sea monster from somewhere?" Chopper asked.

In front of the boat was a giant sea creature that looked like a cow. It was white with green spots covering it. The thing that stood out the most, however, was the huge red bump that the cow-like creature had on top of its head.

"Hey, isn't that the sea monster we saw heading towards Fishmen Island?" Franky asked, tilting his head slightly.

Nami eyes widened. "Mohmoo!? What's he doing here?"

"Oh, it's that giant cow," Sanji said nonchalantly.

"Look at that!" Chopper exclaimed.

Ahead of them was a large building that was several stories high. It was red and yellow and had a giant shark's jaw at the roof of the building. There also appeared to be a pirate flag flying at the top.

"Is that Sabaody Park? How can it be here?" Brook asked in confusion.

"No, that isn't Sabaody Park," Nami said darkly. "That's Arlong Park."

"Yeah, I remember that place," Sanji said as he smoked his cigarette.

"I guess it was only a matter of time before we ended up here," Nami whispered as her eyes lowered.

Robin looked at the younger woman in worry. "Nami-chan..."

"I can see it, Arlong Park!" Luffy yelled excitedly.

The Strawhats turned around to see Luffy, Sanji, and Yosaku standing behind them.

Luffy ran up to the front of the ship and got on the wooden pole that was sticking out at the front.

Mohmoo gave a loud groaned.

"Hey, don't get tired, you cow!" Luffy yelled at the poor sea creature.

"It has to be," Yosaku said with his hand on his chin. "Sanji-bro's kick affected it."

"What exactly did you do to Mohmoo?" Nami asked.

"The cow attacked us when I was making Luffy and Yosaku dinner," Sanji stated casually.

"You gave him that giant bump just for that?" Usopp asked in disbelief.

Sanji snorted. "Of course not. If that cow just wanted to eat my food, I would have fed it. Problem was, that cow wanted to eat me along with the food I cooked. So, I kicked his scaly ass."

"Still, poor thing," Chopper said, feeling sympathetic towards the poor sea monster. No wonder it had a panic attack when it saw Sanji.

Nami shook her head. "Really, Sanji, did you have to get that rough?" Then again, she should be thankful that the cook didn't kill the sea cow.

Mohmoo suddenly began to turn away from Arlong Park.

"Hey, that's the wrong way!" Luffy yelled.

Mohmoo ignored him and kept going in the wrong direction. He was soon heading right for the shoreline. When the sea creature hit the shore, Mohmoo flung the boat into the air like a slingshot.

"Dang, that cow sent this ship flying!" Franky exclaimed as they flew along with Luffy and the others. "It like riding Sunny after a Coup de Burst."

Sanji sighed. "Oh, this brings back many terrible memories."

"It's like flying in the sky!" Luffy exclaimed happily as the boat flew across the island.

"You would enjoy this!" Usopp yelled at his captain.

"No it's not!" Yosaku screamed in terror.

"It's really flying, you...!" Sanji in the memory yelled.

"We're falling!" Yosaku screamed.

Luffy gave a scream of delight as they descended into the forest and started to slide across the ground like an out of control roller coaster. "Landing complete!"

Yosaku and Sanji could only scream in response.

Brook laughed. "It's like that ride at Sabaody Park! My stomach would have dropped...if I had one!" He laughed louder at the skull joke.

As Luffy laughed, he suddenly stopped when he saw someone familiar ahead of them. He knew who it was by the green hair.

"Hey, Zoro!" Luffy greeted, before the boat slammed into the swordsman at full speed.

The boat slid for another couple of yards before crashing into a high cliff.

When the dust cleared, Luffy casually dusted himself off. "We've arrived!"

Franky, Brook, Usopp, and Chopper laughed as they looked at Zoro's disheveled state. They were closed to rolling on the ground.

"How could I forget we ran your sorry ass over?" Sanji laughed, nearly doubling over.

"Shut up," Zoro groaned. He hurt looking at that memory.

"Really, can't you guys make a _normal_ entrance?" Nami muttered as she rubbed her head. Although, she too was smiling. Zoro's expression just before the ship hit him was classic. She wished she had a camera.

"You bastards, what the heck are you doing?" Zoro in the memory growled as he pulled himself out of the remains of the boat. Despite being railroaded by a ship, he was only mildly injured.

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked innocently. "We've come to get Nami back. Still haven't found her?" He paused in thought. "Oh yeah, where are Usopp and Johnny?"

"Usopp!" Zoro exclaimed as he stood up. "That's right, this isn't the time to be standing around!" He started to run off.

"What happened?" Luffy asked.

"Usopp was caught by Arlong," Zoro explained quickly. "If we don't hurry, he'll be killed!"

"You got caught by Arlong? How did that happened?" Franky asked their sniper.

Usopp rubbed the back of his head. "Well, it kind of just happened. I was hiding from the fishmen when Arlong started bullying this guy because he hid weapons. I mean, he was going to kill him so...I acted."

"Wow, that was really brave of you, Usopp!" Chopper cheered with stars in his eyes.

"Too bad I didn't run fast enough and got myself caught," Usopp said sheepishly. "I thought I was dead."

Nami folded her arms. "And you would have been if it wasn't for me." Although she tried to sound harsh, she was forever grateful towards Usopp for saving Ganzo.

"He's dead," someone said bluntly, knocking the crew out of their current conversation.

"What!?" Zoro in the memory exclaimed in shock and disbelief.

The group looked to see Johnny stranding some distance away from them. He fell to his knees and burst into tears. He was dirty and out of breath.

"It's too late," Johnny continued numbly. "Usopp-bro is dead."

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"He was killed! By Nami-sis!" Johnny exclaimed.

Now everyone was truly stunned.

"Huh, Nami killed Usopp?" Franky asked as he glanced at Nami and then Usopp. "What's he smoking?"

Brook was quiet for a moment. "I honestly don't think Nami-san has what it takes to kill." Although, that wasn't a bad thing.

"She doesn't," Zoro said bluntly.

"But Johnny said Usopp died. He wouldn't lie about something like that," Chopper argued.

"Yeah, but Usopp obviously isn't dead either," Franky said before he gave an evil grin. "Unless he's really a zombie."

Chopper freaked out when he heard this and looked at Usopp in fear.

"I'm not a zombie!" Usopp yelled in annoyance.

"Just keep watching," Zoro said, trying to tune out the circus around him.

Luffy was the first to react in the memory group. "That's a lie!" he all but growled.

"It's the truth!" Johnny exclaimed as he walked towards the group. He fell back to the ground and sat cross-legged. "It was horrible...that woman's a witch. In order to obtain some hidden treasure in Cocoyashi Village for herself, she was kissing up to Arlong! For that purpose, she killed without even thinking! She's a rotten-hearted, low-life! We were fooled the entire time!"

Now, Franky, Brook, and Chopper were really lost. Robin kept a blank expression as she watched the unfolding events.

"Bastard!" Luffy screamed as he grabbed Johnny by his jacket collar and shook him violently. "Say that one more time and I'll kill you!"

Luffy's reaction stunned Nami. Even when he knew nothing, he still defended her to the point that he would threaten death to his own ally.

"Stop it Luffy, this has nothing to do with Johnny," Zoro said in a calm voice.

Johnny turned his head. "You don't have to believe me, but I saw it with my own eyes! I saw what she did to Usopp-bro!"

"You're making up crap!" Luffy yelled as he shook Johnny again. His eyes were filled with rage that the Strawhats rarely saw. "There's no way Nami would murder Usopp! We're friends!"

For a moment, some of the Strawhats thought Luffy really was going to kill Johnny.

"But I..." Johnny started to say.

"Who's your friend, Luffy?" a voice asked almost mockingly.

"Nami!" Luffy exclaimed as he dropped Johnny. All his previous rage was gone like it was never there.

Nami stood before the group wearing a green tank top and she was holding her wooden pole loosely in her hand. Strangely, one of her hands was bandaged up like she had hurt herself.

She looked at the group with complete disdain and coldness that was very unlike her. Nami was many things, but emotionless wasn't one of them. It reminded most of the Strawhats of how Robin looked back in Enies Lobby.

"Nami-san..." Brook said softly. What happened to her to turn her like this?

"Why did you come here?" Nami in the memory asked coldly.

"What are you talking about? You're my crewmate," Luffy said. "I came to get you." He picked up his hat, which had falling off when he was yelling at Johnny.

Nami scoffed at him. "How annoying."

"Nami?" Luffy questioned.

"Friends? Don't make me laugh," Nami said in a bored tone. "You're more like a pathetic group of co-operators."

"Why...why are you being so mean to everyone, Nami?" Chopper asked nervously. Nami was scaring him more than usual.

Nami chose to say nothing as she looking at her counterpart. It was surreal to see herself like this. It felt like a lifetime ago, but she knew exactly what was going through her past self's mind. She was trying to save them from Arlong. Despite seeing their power, she thought for certain that they stood no chance against Arlong and the fishman pirates from the Grand Line. After seeing Bellmère murdered before her eyes, she didn't want to witness anymore blood spilled on her behalf. If it meant seeing no one die, she would have worked for that monster forever.

Luffy stared at her, completely confused.

"Why you, I saw it with my own eyes!" Johnny yelled angrily. "How…how dare you kill Usopp-bro!"

"And your point is?" Nami asked almost sarcastically. "Do you want to kill me to avenge him?"

Johnny lost his nerve when he heard the question. "What!?"

The dispassionate tone in Nami's voice made Franky, Brook, and Chopper cringed.

Usopp, who missed all of this, felt a chill run down her spine. Nami really did sound like a witch.

"I'll tell you one thing. Right now, Arlong wants to kill Roronoa Zoro and all his companions. All because Zoro did something stupid," Nami in the memory informed.

"What did he do?" Brook asked.

Nami sighed. "That moron attacked Arlong's men, murdering several of them. Arlong is a monster towards humans, but he deeply cares for his fellow fishmen. He was so pissed that he was ready to burn down the island."

Zoro side-eyed Nami and smirked. "It was your own fault for cutting me free. If you were so worry about my actions, you should have let me drown."

Nami growled in annoyance. "You're lucky that no innocent people were killed. I swear, do you think through your actions?"

The other Strawhats could only listened to the back in forth in confusion. They weren't really sure what Nami and Zoro were arguing about.

Nami in the memory twirled her pole, looking almost bored at the ground. "You guys may be monsters, but you're no match against _real_ monsters. Hang around this island long enough and you guys will be killed." She paused to glare at each of them. She looked closed to being disinterested. "Well, it doesn't concern me."

Zoro in the memory growled at her.

Sanji in the memory looked like he had fallen in love. "Her cool look is charming." He waved his arms excitedly. "Hi Nami-san, it's me, it's me, remember me! Let's go on a cruise together!"

"Well, that's one way to lighting the atmosphere," Franky muttered. He almost got mood whiplash.

Chopper and Brook nodded in agreement.

"Nami-san can murder as many people as she wants and I would still love her," Sanji said in absolution.

All the male Strawhats stared at Sanji like he was crazy.

Nami blushed at Sanji's statement. She wasn't sure if she should be flattered or disturbed.

"You stay out of this!" Zoro in the memory yelled in annoyance at his new crewmate. "You're just complicating things!"

"What did you say!?" Sanji in the memory challenged. "My love is always like a hurricane!"

Chopper turned towards Sanji. "What does that means?"

Sanji coughed nervously. "It's an adult thing."

"More like an idiot thing," Zoro said, which earned a glare from Sanji.

Zoro in the memory turned his back on Sanji and he stared at Nami again.

"Hey, listen when I'm talking!" Sanji in the memory yelled angrily.

"Where's Usopp?" Zoro demanded.

"The bottom of the sea," Nami answered nonchalantly.

"Wow, Nami," Usopp muttered. Was she trying to get Zoro to kill her?

"Why you!" Zoro in the memory yelled as he took out his sword. "Quit the bullshit!"

He attempted to charge her, but was intercepted by Sanji, who nearly kicked him in the face.

"Do swordsmen attack woman too?" Sanji questioned coldly.

"What did you say!?" Zoro growled. "You don't know what's going on here so don't interfere!"

Sanji chuckled at him. "After an emotional loss, of course you would be irritable."

"Low, bro," Franky said.

"Well, that was a little under the belt, but it seemed appropriate at the time," Sanji said as he rubbed his chin.

Zoro in the memory became extremely pissed off about being reminded of Mihawk. "You better watch what you say."

"Mind you own business, bastard," Sanji in the memory growled.

"Bros, don't be bickering at this important time!" Yosaku yelled, getting between the two.

"That's right. If you're going to fight, do it off this island," Nami said in annoyance. "You outsiders, quit sticking your noses in this island's business. You still don't get it? The only reason why I got close to you was for your money. Nothing more. Now that you guys have nothing, you're of no use to me. Return to your ship. So, why don't you find another navigator and head to the Grand Line. Go find the One Piece, or whatever." She pointed her pole at them. "Just get the _hell_ off this island!"

Johnny and Yosaku growled furiously at her.

Nami hid her eyes under her bangs. "Goodbye."

The Strawhats in the memory gave Nami a blank stare.

The members of the crew who knew nothing about this incident collectively held their breaths. They could feel the tensity.

"Nami," Luffy said softly. He neither sound angry or even confuse. His voice was completely neutral, betraying no emotion.

They stood in silent for several seconds before without warning; Luffy closed his eyes and fell to the ground.

"Big bro Luffy!" Johnny exclaimed in surprise.

"I'm going to sleep," Luffy informed as he relaxed.

"Sleep!?" Johnny exclaimed in disbelief.

"Right _now_ , in the middle of the road?" Yosaku questioned.

"I don't feel like leaving this island," Luffy said as he yawned. "I don't care what happens here. I'm bit sleepy. So, I'm sleeping."

Yosaku's jaw dropped in plain shock.

"Bro..." Johnny stuttered.

Zoro face-palmed.

Nami's calm and cold composure completely shattered as she shook in rage. "Then...DO WHAT YOU WANT! GO AHEAD AND DIE!" She then ran off.

The memory went black, but it didn't end since the Strawhats could still hear voices around them.

"That was some acting, Nami-chan," Robin said after a second of silence. "You almost had me fooled for a moment."

Nami sighed. "I did my best to make myself as obnoxious as possible, but Luffy wasn't fooled. Somehow, he saw right through me and it pissed me off."

"Luffy's very good at reading people," Usopp said softly. "Especially his friends."

"Yeah, he is," Sanji said with a nod.

Amazing how someone who was so simple-minded could be so insightful at the same time. Luffy just understood the human heart.

"I knew that bastard wasn't really asleep," Zoro said as he heard himself talk in the darkness.

As time passed, however, the voices became dimmer and soon it was silent, showing that Luffy had either fallen asleep or the memory had ended. It wasn't long before a familiar voice began to talk in the void.

 _"I'll do whatever you ask,"_ the voice said in a broken tone. _"I'll live just as you tell me to, so...don't hurt these two. That's all I ask. Please...they are my irreplaceable brothers."_

"Sabo?" Sanji questioned in confusion. "Why are we hearing his voice?"

 _"I want to go get Sabo too, but I don't know what would really make Sabo happy,"_ they heard Ace's voice say. _"Let's see how things go. He's strong. If he isn't happy, he's sure to come back to us."_

 _"Sabo is dead!"_ they heard Dogra exclaim. _"He...he was out at sea and his boat crossed paths with the noble's ship that was coming to visit the kingdom today. Without any reason, they fired on his ship. After only two shots, the ship was completely destroyed. There was nothing left of Sabo."_

 _"Shut up!"_ Ace's voice screamed in rage. _"Sabo went back to his noble born parents! There's no way he would sail out to sea!"_

 _"Outlaws like us understand how he must have felt!"_ Dogra yelled. _"We all have places we really don't want to go back to! Do you really think he would go to sea if he was actually happy? Do you really think he would fly a pirate flag and set out on his own!?"_

 _"Sabo...he wasn't happy at all!"_ they heard Luffy's childish voice screamed.

 _"Why...Why didn't we go back for him!?"_ Ace's last words echoed the most.

A loud crash shattered the voices and the world returned. The image was a little hazy for a moment, but soon everything came back into focus.

Luffy's eyes were snapped opened and he quickly sat up. He was shaking a little and he had sweat on his forehead.

"A dream...?" Luffy whispered as he regained his bearings.

"Huh, what _was_ all that?" Franky asked in bewilderment.

"That was kind of scary," Chopper said.

Robin put her hand on her chin. "I think...I think what we witnessed was a memory within a dream."

"But why would he be thinking of Sabo?" Brook asked.

Robin's eyes widened in realization. "Because Sabo and Nami's situations are similar."

This confused most of the Strawhats.

"Did you forget? Sabo was taken from Luffy and Ace because he sacrificed himself for their safety and happiness. Nami is doing much the same thing by sacrificing her own dream and happiness to protect all of us from Arlong," Zoro explained.

Sanji nodded in understanding. "Makes sense."

"I believe there is more to it. I also think the reason why these events trigger that particular memory is because Luffy regrets never going back for Sabo," Robin said in thought. "Luffy and Ace left Sabo alone, thinking he would return on his own if he was not happy. He ended up leaving at the wrong time and getting killed. If Luffy and Ace had gone after Sabo, he may have survived, or at the very least not gone out to sea the day the World Noble arrived."

Nami's eyes widened. "I...I never thought of it that way."

"Is that why Luffy never takes no for an answer when one us insists we don't want to be saved?" Chopper asked.

"Usopp!" Luffy screamed in horror, stopping all conversation.

They saw Luffy standing over a dead looking Usopp. His face was smashed in from the sides and blood ran down his mouth and nose.

Chopper gasped in shock as his hooves flew to his cheeks. "Usopp!"

"Damn, looks like his face got crush in," Franky said as he looked over the damage.

"My bones hurts looking at you, Usopp," Brook said as he rubbed his face.

Usopp growled under his breath. He had forgotten this happened.

"Did Nami do this to you!?" Luffy shouted in panic as he shook his friend, who continued to lay limp in his arms.

Nami rolled her eyes. "Like I'm physically capable doing that much damage."

All the men, save for Sanji, side-eyed Nami for a moment, but chose to say nothing.

Sanji in the memory blushed as he pointed at Zoro. "Sorry, that was me and him."

"It was just you," Zoro in the memory muttered as he side-eyed Sanji.

"What happened!?" Chopper exclaimed. That was a serious injury.

Sanji coughed timidly. "Zoro and I hit Usopp by accident while we were fighting."

Usopp rubbed his face and glared at their Zoro and Sanji. "I hurt just remembering it, you bastards."

Usopp in the memory slowly regained consciousness and stared at his captain with daze eyes. "Luffy...you're here."

"Yeah, a while back," Luffy answered, relieved that his friend was still alive.

"I'm here too. Nice to meet you," Sanji greeted.

Usopp in the memory immediately stood up and glared at Sanji. "I'll kill you one day!"

"I still need to make good on that promise," Usopp grumbled.

"Huh, you're still fine after that," Sanji in the memory said, greatly impressed.

"Shut the hell up!" Usopp yelled.

"Oh yeah, Nami killed you, right?" Zoro asked.

"Damn him, Johnny lied after all," Luffy growled.

"Actually, there's some truth to that," Usopp said, losing his previous anger. He explained to everyone how Nami saved his life from Arlong. She made it appear that she had killed him by stabbing her own hand and telling him to fall into the pool.

"I see, that's why you had that bandage on your hand," Brook said in realization.

"You were lucky Arlong didn't catch you. If he did, there's no telling what he would have done," Franky said to Nami.

Nami shook her head. "Arlong wouldn't have killed me. I was too valuable to him."

Sanji gave Nami a sympathetic look. "He may not have killed you, but he would have made your life hell."

"Indeed, he could have killed your remaining family or destroyed your village," Robin said.

Nami lowered her head, covering her eyes. "I knew that. But...I couldn't just stand back and watched Usopp be killed. Especially since...he was caught saving Ganzo."

"Nami..." Usopp whispered. He was closed to tears.

Once Nami's innocence was established, there was some debate about what to do next.

"So, what do we do?" Zoro in the memory asked as he touched his sword almost eagerly. "Storm Arlong Park?"

Nami rolled her eyes. "That would be your first idea."

Usopp in the memory held up his hands. "Hold up! Before that, we should ask Nami for a better explanation!"

"Either way, it's useless!" a feminine voice said, getting the group's attention.

Behind them stood a woman who was a little taller than Nami. She had short purple hair and tan skin. She had a tattoo on her arm and generally had a rough appearance.

"No matter what you guys do, you can't end Arlong's reign," she informed them.

"Nojiko!" Usopp in the memory exclaimed.

"Who's she?" Luffy questioned.

"Nami's older sister," Usopp stated.

Sanji immediately fell in love. "Nami-san's older sister? She's so pretty!"

"I wonder if I can see her panties?" Brook asked in thought, earning a slap upside the head from Nami.

"What do you mean, it's useless?" Zoro in the memory questioned.

"Do us a favor, don't meddle in this village's affairs," Nojiko said bluntly. "Leave Nami alone. I'll tell you the reason why."

"The reason?" Sanji questioned.

"You mean why she stays with the fishmen?" Usopp asked.

"Yes," Nojiko said. "Once you hear the reason, you must leave this place."

"Alright, tell us the reason," Usopp said as curiosity over took him.

"I'll pass," Luffy said as he walked past Nojiko. "I don't care about her past."

"Where're you going, Luffy?" Sanji asked.

"A walk," Luffy simply answered.

The memory stopped there and faded.

"He didn't care for the reason," Nami whispered.

"I think Luffy only wants to hear about people's pasts from their own mouth," Robin said. "He may have felt he was doing an injustice to you by hearing your story from a stranger's mouth."

Nami nodded. "That could be true."

The next memory came and the Strawhats found Luffy relaxing under a pine tree. He looked intense in thought about something.

"A pinwheel," Luffy muttered to himself almost in a daze. He smiled to himself. "I just thought of a cool new technique."

"What's he talking about?" Chopper asked.

"Sounds like he's being whimsical as usual," Sanji said dryly.

A commotion got their attention and they saw people gathering in the middle of town. They looked and sounded upset.

"Doctor, doctor!" someone called from the crowd.

"What happened, Genzo?" someone asked.

"Nojiko's been shot," Genzo said.

"By whom?" one of the townspeople demanded.

"The marines," Genzo growled.

"The marines!?" a townsperson exclaimed in disbelief.

Franky blinked when he heard this. "Huh, Nami's sister was shot by the marines? What the hell is going on?"

"Shouldn't they be going after Arlong? What business did the marines have with Nojiko?" Brook asked, just as lost as Franky.

Sanji's eyes became shadowed as dark rage filled his veins. "Nami-san was betrayed."

Chopper turned towards the cook. "Betrayed?"

Luffy was also confused by what was going on, but smiled when he saw Nami. He quickly got up to greet her. Nami looked very upset. One could even say her expression was murderous.

"Nojiko?" the doctor asked as he checked her.

"I...I'm okay," Nojiko assured weakly as she clenched her injured arm.

"Arlong collaborated with the marines," Genzo said in a low voice filled with rage.

"What!?" the doctor exclaimed.

"He turned his back on Nami eight years ago and never intended to keep his promise," Genzo stated in contempt.

"What!?" Franky asked in outraged. "You mean..."

"That bastard bribe a marine to steal all the money Nami spent eight years collecting. He did it so Nami would worked for him for the rest of her life drawing maps," Sanji explained as he balled his fists. Seeing this all again made him want to beat the crap out of that traitorous fishman.

Brook shook as anger filled everyone bone on his body. "Despicable... Nami did all of that only to be betrayed. This Arlong fellow...he has no conscious. How could he used a young girl's heart like this?"

"How could he do something so mean?" Chopper asked in tears.

Robin said nothing, but she understood the feeling. It was exactly what Spandam did to her. She did everything to fulfill her end of the deal, including betraying her precious crew, and she was rewarded with a knife to the back. People like Arlong were the worst kind of scum.

The villagers had much the same thought as the Strawhats.

"What!?" a villager yelled. Their voices were also filled with disbelief and anger.

"That means..." someone else said.

"That bastard, our little Nami!" someone shouted.

Nami slowly removed Nojiko's head from her lap and stood up.

"Nami..." the doctor muttered.

"Hey Nami," Luffy greeted happily. "What's up? Can I help you with something?"

Nami turned around and glared at Luffy. If looks could kill, Luffy would have been melted into a puddle of latex.

"You're still here?" Nami growled. She forcibly grabbed Luffy's vest, causing him to cry in fear. She was so close to Luffy that he could see her blazing brown eyes. "This is none of your business! Get off this island!"

She ruthlessly threw Luffy to ground and ran off.

Luffy picked himself up off the ground and slowly walked back towards the pine tree he was under earlier. He sat down roughly and pouted.

"What's her problem?" Luffy muttered like a child who had just been unjustifiably scolded by his parents.

None of the Strawhats said anything as they watched the memory. They knew that they were looking at a major event. Even the ones who were not members back then could feel the weight of the situation.

Nami stared at the memory, unable to look away. It was this moment when her life changed forever.

While Luffy sat by the pine tree, his other crewmates arrived in the village. They all sat a little outside the town, waiting for their captain's order. It was like they too knew that something was going to happen.

The crowd in front of the town got bigger and people now held weapons. There was a fire in their eyes and an unbreakable resolved in their stance. They stood like people preparing to go to war. A war that they knew they were going to lose.

"This is as far as it goes!" Genzo told the townspeople. "Eight years ago, we said we would never throw away our lives! That no matter how badly they abused us, as long as Nami was fine, we were going to continue our fight of endurance! But they went back on their word! Now that there's no way for this village to be freed, we have no goal to survive for! Furthermore, we will not forgive them for preying on Nami's kindness! Are there any objections!?"

"No way! Let's go!" someone yelled.

"We're already prepared to fight!" someone else yelled.

"We're not going to take this anymore!" a towns person exclaimed.

"Yeah!" they all yelled.

"Wait, everyone!" Nami shouted as she approached the villagers. She had a forced smile on her face and attempted to speak in a calm voice. "Just...just wait a little longer! I'm going to try again! I'll get the money again!"

Chopper was about to cry when he heard the pain in Nami's voice.

Brook was also shaking and was gripping his fists so hard that his bones cracked.

Franky growled and his eyes were narrowed in anger.

Robin's face remained blank, but her crewmates could see the intense anger in her eyes. Nami's situation mirrored her own life too much.

Even the Strawhat members who had seen this all before had to fight the urge not to cry or run to Arlong Park to kill Arlong.

"It will be easy this time, I have a lot of experience," Nami attempted to assure everyone, including herself. "It's okay. You don't have to worry. Compared to that time...everybody, I'm fine."

Genzo couldn't take it anymore. He walked over to Nami and gave her a firm hug. "That's enough, Nami. We know what futility is like. You fought well for our sake. It must have been more painful for you to join that crew, more painful than it is to cut yourself. You fought well."

"Genzo..." Nami whispered in a broken voice.

Genzo pulled away from her. "Now, leave this village."

Nami was stunned by the words. "Genzo!"

"Do it, Nami!" Nojiko encouraged.

"I can't!" Nami yelled as she attempted to hold her tears.

Nojiko smiled at her. "You've got brains, and you have a dream."

"Nojiko, everybody!" Nami yelled desperately. "I won't let you!" She pulled out a knife. "Stop it, everyone! I don't want to see anyone get hurt anymore!" Her hands were shaking badly. "You're going to die."

"We know," Genzo said in resignation. He grabbed the knife; making the palms of his hands bleed.

"It's useless," the doctor said in a gentle, but firm voice. "We've already decided in our hearts."

Tears flowed down Nami's cheeks.

"Out of the way, Nami!" Genzo ordered firmly.

This made Nami back away.

"Let's go, everyone!" Genzo yelled as he took out his saber and led the charge. "Even if we can't win, we will show them our pride!"

"Yeah!" they all yelled as they ran towards Arlong Park.

Nami could only numbly watch them leave. She dropped her knife and slumped to her knees. She was completely defeated. Tears freely ran down her face and her eyes shook with rage and hate.

She turned her head to the tattoo on her left arm and grabbed it with scorn and hatred. It looked like if she could, she would have ripped it off with her bare hands.

Something inside Nami snapped and she grabbed her knife again. She began to repeatedly stab herself in the arm, screaming Arlong's name to the heavens as she continued to sob. Each stab came faster and she screamed Arlong's name with even more intensity.

Chopper's eyes widened and he instinctually looked at their Nami's left arm. Hidden away by the tattoo of the pinwheel and tangerine laid a vicious scar, one of the worse he had ever seen. He wondered how Nami got such a dreadful scar. Something, however, always kept him from asking. Now, he almost wished he didn't know.

Nami may have continued to stab the wretched tattoo until her arm fell off if Luffy hadn't grabbed her hand and kept her from hurting herself further.

Nami slowly turned around and stared at Luffy.

His face was blank, betraying no emotion. He seemed to be waiting. Waiting for her to give him permission.

"Luffy..." Nami whispered softly. She dropped the bloody knife. "What do you want? You don't know anything. You don't know what has been happening on this island for the last eight years."

"Yeah, I don't," Luffy answered honestly.

Nami shook as silently sobs wreck her body. "This is none of your business! I told you to leave this island!"

"Yeah, you told me," Luffy said.

"Go away!" Nami yelled as she threw dirt behind her, hitting Luffy. "You! Go away! Go away! Go away! Go away! Go away! Go away!" She stopped throwing dirt behind her and began to openly cry. She had nothing left.

Luffy completely stood still.

"Luffy...help me," Nami all but whispered through her tears.

Those were the words Luffy had been waiting to hear. Without saying anything, he took his precious hat off and firmly placed it on Nami's head.

The gesture was a complete shock to her. That hat was his treasure. He let no one touch it.

Luffy turned around and walked a couple of steps before he took a deep breath. "OF COURSE I WILL!" he shouted.

"Luffy..." Nami whispered. The light of hope had returned to her eyes.

Luffy approached his awaiting crew. They all stood ready.

"We're going," Luffy ordered.

"Right!" they all yelled.

With that, the band of pirates began their slow march towards Arlong Park. Not a word was spoken on their journey and none were needed. They were going for a singular purpose. Nothing would turn them around until the job was done.

It was then that the newer Strawhat members realized that this was the moment. This was the moment where a ragtag group of misfits who had nothing in common except improbable dreams became a pirate crew. From that day on, they were truly the Strawhat Pirates.

Soon, they were within sight of Arlong Park. Johnny and Yosaku were holding off the people of Cocoyashi Village at the gate, preventing them from raiding Arlong Park.

"Move," was all Luffy said.

The people parted before him, none putting up a struggle. It was like they could feel the moment too.

Johnny and Yosaku also move aside and allowed Luffy to walk towards the locked gate.

Luffy reeled his fist back and punched the door several times. By the third punch, the door exploded opened, leaving a giant hole in its wake.

"What the...?" Arlong exclaimed in shock.

"Which one of you is Arlong?" Luffy asked simply.

The fishmen all glared at him.

Arlong didn't bother to even side-glance Luffy as he leaned back in his lawn chair. "I'm Arlong."

The fishman at first glanced didn't appear that intimidating. It was probably because Arlong had a very relaxed stance and seemed to have a more easy-going personality compared to the other East Blue pirates the Strawhats had seen.

However, even the Strawhats who had never seen Arlong before could feel how dangerous he was. This was definitely someone who has been hardened by the trials of the Grand Line.

Luffy walked towards Arlong as he cracked his knuckles. "I'm Luffy."

"Luffy?" Arlong repeated. "And who are you?"

"A pirate," Luffy answered simply.

Hatchan was also there and pointed at Luffy. "Oh, it's him! He's here! The guy who likes to take walks!"

"Not so fast," one of the fishmen said as he and his partner attempted to cut Luffy off.

Luffy simply clocked their heads together, knocking them out. "Out of the way!"

"And what does a pirate want with me?" Arlong asked in a false calmness.

Luffy stopped right in front of Arlong and grabbed his right arm. He swung it back and punched Arlong so hard that he was sent flying to the other side of the park. He only stopped when he hit a wall that surrounded the park area.

Arlong was not badly hurt, but he got the message nonetheless. "Who the hell _are_ you?"

Luffy's face was filled with rage so rarely seen that it made him look almost demonic. "DON'T YOU DARE MAKE MY NAVIGATOR CRY!"

The memory ceased and the Strawhats were left speechless for a moment.

"Nami...I didn't know you suffered that much," Chopper whispered.

"No wonder you carried such deep wounds for the fishmen," Brook said.

"Nami-chan..." Robin started.

"It's okay, really," Nami said with tears in her eyes. They weren't tears of sadness, but ones of gratefulness. "It's all in the past."

A new memory appeared and the Strawhats were now standing in a room that was filled with books, maps, and charts.

Nami gasped when she saw the room, nearly falling over. Many old and terrible memories came rushing back to her. She was physically shaking.

"What is this room?" Zoro asked as he looked around.

"It appears to be a map room," Robin observed.

"Someone had to do a lot of drawing," Franky said in awe. "I mean, there must be hundreds...no, _thousands_ of maps in this one room."

Robin turned to Nami and noticed her shaking. "Nami-chan..."

At that moment, Luffy came crashing through the window. He rolled several times as he attempted to regain his bearings. Luffy was bleeding from several places and he had what appeared to be bite marks from a shark all over his body. He was also breathing heavily as he sat on the wooden floor. He had definitely seen better days.

"That was close," Luffy said as he attempted to catch his breath.

Arlong came walking through the broken window and glared at Luffy. Arlong was also beat up and his eyes were like those of a sea king. He truly looked like a monster, especially with the Kiribachi he had in his hand.

"There's nowhere else to run," Arlong said in a low voice, dripping with hatred. "This is the top floor of Arlong Park. Looks like your moment has come."

Luffy looked around in confusion as he took in his surroundings. "What's this room? It's full of paper."

"This isn't ordinary paper! This is the map room," Arlong explained. "This is the room where that girl draws her maps."

The Strawhats looked at Nami in shock. Now they understood why she became so pale when they came to this place.

"Nami-san," Sanji whispered. He wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how.

"Nami's room?" Luffy questioned as he got a closer look around.

"All of them are sea maps Nami drew for me." Arlong paused for a moment. "Impressive, isn't it? Her eight years of work, my treasure."

Nami shivered in disgust. Even after all these years and all of her growth, Arlong still had that effect on her.

"We know the sea like the backs of our hands, but it's hard for us to make maps," Arlong explained. "We needed a skilled cartographer. Then, I found that girl with her talented eye. That girl is a genius. The accuracy of her charts is beyond comparison. She's too good for human trash like you!"

Luffy continued to blankly look around.

"Her talent exist to serve us fishmen forever! Now listen, Nami belongs to me. Nami is _my_ companion!" Arlong exclaimed as he grinned.

Arlong using that word to describe her made Nami shiver even more. It didn't help that Arlong refered to her as mere property in the previous sentence.

"Sis, are you alright?" Franky asked worriedly.

"Companion?" Luffy repeated softly.

"Just stay out of the way. You're interfering in our business," Arlong said smugly. "You human scum!"

Luffy narrowed his eyes.

Arlong pointed his Kiribachi at Luffy's head. "She's not your friend!"

"I don't care. I don't care what you say," Luffy answered as he stared directly at Arlong.

Arlong looked slightly annoyed by Luffy.

"Because Nami is our navigator!" Luffy exclaimed.

Nami could feel chills run up her spine as Luffy spoke those words.

"Damn straight," Sanji said in approval.

Arlong chuckled. "Oh, you want her to navigate that pathetic little ship of yours. Heh, I guess you truly have no idea what a giant waste of talent that would be." He pointed to the maps in the room. "Look around, how many people in the world can draw such prefect maps? That young lady has a gift."

Luffy kept looking around as a pen suddenly fell off a nearby desk and rolled towards him. Luffy carefully picked it up and stared at it.

"And there isn't really anything as ultimately regrettable as wasting natural talent. For that girl, it is for the best that she continues her work here. Her greatest happiness," Arlong went on.

"Happiness..." Sanji growled. How he wanted to kick this bastard.

Usopp sneered. "How can she possibly be happy with the monster who murdered her mom in cold-blood?"

Zoro was also getting tired of hearing Arlong's self-righteous bullshit as he grabbed the sheath of his sword. When was Luffy going to kick this guy's ass?

Luffy seemed too busy playing with the pen. "This pen...is stained with blood," he observed softly.

Arlong paid no mind to Luffy's comment. "For me to rule the world, Nami's maps are absolutely vital!" He took his Kiribachi and held it to Luffy's neck. "She will keep drawing maps for the sake of my ambitions. And once I have the maps of all the seas in the world, no one will be able to stand in my way! The world will be mine!"

Luffy still didn't bother to move.

"Geez, doesn't this guy ever shut up?" Franky asked. "He's about as annoying as that Hordy guy."

"Even with maps, he can't possibly think he can rule the world. Not with the marines in the Grand Line and the pirates," Brook said.

Robin nodded in agreement. "He can certainly take over East Blue, but he is delusional if he thinks he can rule the world. Numbers alone makes that impossible."

"Why isn't Luffy fighting him?" Chopper asked as he looked at his captain. He still had the bloody pen in his hand.

"And it all starts right here on this island in East Blue. Then, we'll move onto the whole of East Blue," Arlong continued to rant. "You can never use her like me. She would be wasted on you!"

Luffy immediately stopped twirling the pen and his shoulders stiffened. Even if it was a memory, Zoro could feel the change in his captain's aura. It was something he never quite felt before.

Luffy calmly put the pen down and gently grabbed one of the blades on Arlong's Kiribachi. His head was down and no one could see his eyes.

Arlong kept smiling until he noticed something was wrong. He appeared to be trying to move his sword by the way his hand shook, but it wouldn't budge. Then, without warning, the blade that Luffy was holding shattered like glass.

"What!?" Arlong exclaimed in shock.

Luffy picked his head up and what the Strawhats saw startled them. Zoro was unnerved by the look and Robin's eyes widened in shock. In all the time they had known their captain, they had never seen him that pissed off. Even stepping on his hat didn't invoke this strong of an emotion. It reminded the crew of Shanks when he saved Luffy from the mountain bandits.

"Luffy..." Nami whispered.

"USE!?" Luffy shouted as he shook in rage. "You bastard! What the hell do you take her for!?"

Arlong didn't seem to get the message not to anger Luffy further and began to laugh. "She is an inferior creature, but she has risen far above her peers. If the rest of you humans are sewer rats, then she's a cunning little kitten. And she's cute to boot."

Nami cringed. She was going to need a shower.

"Funny how Arlong is heaping praise on Nami, yet insulting her all at the same time," Franky observed humorlessly.

Sanji sneered. "To Arlong, Nami-san's nothing more than a prize pet. Something he can use, abuse, and eventually throw away."

"She has her place and it's here beside me. Can't you understand that? I can give her everything she needs," Arlong said with a wide grin on his face. "As long as she lives, she will have nothing to worry about. As long as she keeps drawing maps for me, it's all good. So, Nami will forever be my tool. No, my family." He laughed again.

Faster than Arlong could blink, Luffy stood up and kicked the desk in the room through the wall, stopping Arlong in mid laugh. Before Arlong could react, Luffy turned and kicked a bookshelf through the wall.

The sudden movement startled many of the Strawhats.

"I understand. That's how that desk got thrown out of the room," Sanji muttered more to himself.

"Why you!" Arlong screamed in fury. "What the hell are you doing!?"

Luffy completely ignored Arlong as he continued to kick and throw stuff through the walls and out the window.

"He's attacking the room," Usopp said as Luffy destroyed everything in sight. Now what they saw two years ago made sense.

Nami watched the entire scene in shock.

"Stop it!" Arlong screamed as he attempted to slice Luffy with his Kiribachi.

Luffy dodged the blade and Arlong ended up cutting his own maps, much to his horror.

"The charts!" Arlong shouted.

As if to add further insult, Luffy kicked an entire stack of maps through the wall.

"My sea map!" Arlong continued to yell as his dreams and ambitions were being torn apart before his eyes. He quickly rammed Luffy and pinned him to a nearby wall. "Damn you, it took eight years for her to draw these and you're destroying them along with my ambitions!"

Luffy continued to ignore Arlong and stretched his arm. He backhanded another stack of sea charts out of the room.

Arlong finally had enough of Luffy and bit down on his neck, close to his arteries.

"Luffy!" Chopper screamed in horror. If those teeth go any deeper, Luffy would bleed to death in seconds.

Luffy grunted in pain, but he stood firm.

"You've gone too far, you rubber bastard!" Arlong yelled as blood sprayed everywhere.

Luffy gave one loud grunt and grabbed Arlong by his nose and started to push on it. "I don't give a damn about how great you fishmen are, or about your stupid sea charts. I don't understand anything about that stuff, but I finally figured how I can help her!"

With one huge heave, Luffy snapped Arlong's nose like a twig, causing the fishman to reel backwards in pain and fall on his back.

"It's this room. This room she never wanted to be in. There's only one way for Nami to escape," Luffy hissed as his eyes once again took on that demonic look. "I'LL DESTROY ALL OF IT!"

Arlong turned around in shock at Luffy's proclamation.

Luffy lifted his leg and stretched it as far as it would go. He broke through the ceiling in Arlong Park and stood there a moment as he prepared for his final attack. "Gum Gum..."

"Impossible!" Arlong yelled as he straightened his nose, causing a loud snap to fill the room. "Arlong Park cannot be brought down by some inferior human. Especially not by some rubbery freak like you!"

Luffy prepared to finish his attack.

"Shark On Tooth!" Arlong exclaimed as he spun around like a drill towards Luffy.

"Battle Axe!" Luffy screamed as he brought his foot down.

Just as he did, Arlong rammed Luffy's side, biting deeply into it. Luffy's foot, however, came down hard on Arlong's back. The force was so great that an audible crack could be heard as Luffy shattered Arlong's backside, causing the fishman to scream and cough up blood.

With a loud battle scream, Luffy kept pushing down until the floor gave and Arlong went through every floor in Arlong Park. He only stopped once Arlong slammed into the ground floor, completely knocked off and broken.

Luffy retracted his leg and fell backwards to rest. He took several deeps breaths as he stared down the hole. His anger was completely spent.

All the Strawhats were left speechless at what they had just seen.

They didn't have time to think long before the room began to shake and the walls around Luffy collapsed.

Luffy quickly rolled into a ball to protect himself as he floor fell under him. He rode the debris down to the ground. The noise was deafening.

The memory went black for a moment.

"What...is Luffy-san okay?" Brook asked in worry.

No one answered.

The memory came back and Luffy was pulling himself out of the remains of Arlong Park. He was bloody and dirty, but he still stood strong among the rubble. No one in the area spoke as they stared at him.

Luffy took a deep breath and yelled. "NAMI, YOU ARE ONE OF US!"

His declaration echoed to the heavens and the memory faded.


	14. Grand Line

No one spoke for several minutes. They were each replaying the scene that they had just been shown in their heads.

"So...that's what happened in that room," Usopp muttered, breaking the silence.

"I have never seen Luffy-san in such a state," Brook said slowly. "He was like a different person."

"Neither have I," Sanji said as he folded his arms. "I've been thinking about it and I can't remember a time that even came close. The closest I can recall is when we were fighting Shiki. Yet, even that..."

"I knew that guy's nose wasn't unbreakable," Zoro suddenly said.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything!?" Sanji yelled at the swordsman.

Robin turned towards the navigator. "Nami-chan, are you alright?"

Nami nodded. "I have always been grateful for what Luffy done for me that day. He freed me and my village from eight years of oppression. But to see Luffy do it, to see how well he understood everything despite knowing nothing...it just makes me want to cry in happiness." She began to tear up as fresh tears fell from her eyes. "When this is over, I want to thank him again."

Robin took Nami in her arms and gently hugged her.

After a few minutes, the next memory came to them.

Nami knew just by looking that they were still in Cocoyashi Village, except now they were on a cliffside. Genzo was there and he had his head bowed at a wooden cross grave. The moon was full, giving an earthly light to the scene.

Nami knew where they stood and she too bowed her head in respect.

"Who's grave is that?" Brook asked dutifully.

Nami didn't answer for a moment. "…It's my mother's."

When they heard her words, all the Strawhats gave a moment of silence to the fallen woman. Even if they didn't know her, any person that Nami would call mother deserved their admiration.

"Where're the tangerines!?" Luffy yelled, shattering the peaceful scene.

Genzo looked equally shocked as he turned to face the strawhat captain.

"Oh, there's nothing here," Luffy said in disappointment. He was holding three stacks of meat in each hand and had two in this mouth, which made him look like a walrus. "Guess I'll go back." He turned to leave.

"Wait, boy!" Genzo shouted, stopping Luffy in his tracks.

"Huh, a grave?" Luffy questioned as he turned his head. "Someone died?"

Genzo turned around and sighed. "Yes, a long time ago."

"Oh, that's unfortunate," Luffy said sadly, although it was hard to take him serious with the pieces of meat still in his mouth. "Then I say, my deepest sorrows. Or, was it my deepest apologizes?"

"Condolences," Genzo corrected.

"Yeah, that was it," Luffy said.

"Listen boy, I know Nami is going to sail with you as a pirate. It's a dangerous journey, and I know it can't be helped. That's okay," Genzo said, not turning to face Luffy. "But if you _ever_ take away Nami's smile, I will hunt you down and kill you."

"Genzo," Nami whispered, near tears.

"Well, I don't plan on stealing anything, so…" Luffy started to say.

"Understand!?" Genzo shouted as he turned towards Luffy, startling the boy.

Luffy quickly nodded in agreement. "Got it."

The memory faded.

Nami started to smile. "Thank you, Genzo. I hope you and Nojiko are doing okay. And know that Luffy can _never_ take away my smile."

The next memory appeared and they were now in a strange town. It appeared to be the main square of the city given the wide-open space and the amount of people walking around.

"Where are we?" Chopper asked.

It took only a moment for Zoro to realize where they were. "This is Loguetown."

Sanji's eyed widened in realization. "You're right."

"Loguetown?" Brook asked. The name sounded vaguely familiar.

"It's the final town in East Blue that pirates go before entering the Grand Line," Nami explained.

"Ah," Brook said in understanding.

Robin put her hand to her chin. "Loguetown, is that not the same city Gold Roger was born and executed in?"

Nami nodded. "Same one. Luffy was driving us all crazy for days the moment he learned what this city was."

"Wow, this is the hometown of the Pirate King!" Chopper exclaimed in excitement.

"Hey look, someone's on the platform!" someone yelled.

All the Strawhats looked up to see Luffy standing on a platform that was raised high in the air. He appeared to be overlooking the city.

"So, it was twenty-two years ago, huh?" Luffy asked in awe. "That the Pirate King died here!"

"What's that platform?" Chopper asked.

"Looks like an execution platform," Franky stated.

"That's exactly what it is," Zoro said as dread built in his stomach. He knew the events that they were about to witness. "The Pirate King himself was executed on that platform."

"Yeah, I remember Luffy yelling about wanting to find this place," Usopp said.

"Seems kind of morbid to want to go to a place where someone was killed," Chopper said. He had never seen an execution and he never wanted to.

"It is seen as a gesture of respect to travel to the place where a great person dies, especially since Gold Roger was never given a grave," Robin said as she stated at the platform. "In this town, over twenty years ago, a new age was born."

"Hey, you up there!" someone screamed through the loudspeaker, catching Luffy's attention. He was obviously an officer given his uniform. "Get down from there, right now!

"Why!?" Luffy shouted back.

"This is a historic landmark under the preservation of the World Government!" the officer yelled. "So, get down from there right now!"

"Oh, come on! Why do you have to be such a spoilsport, officer-pops!?" Luffy yelled in good good-nature.

"If you don't come down, I will arrest you!" the officer yelled. Before he could make good on his threat, a giant iron mace suddenly clobbered him. Needlessly to say, he was out cold.

"Sheesh, you guys can't go anywhere without something happening," Franky said as he looked at the knocked out officer.

Nami sighed and shook his head. "Tell me about it. Luffy just attracts trouble."

"Like vultures to a corpse," Usopp said as he rubbed his head.

The person who had hit the officer stood next to the fallen man and smiled at Luffy. She wore a revealing outfit with a large hat and had silky smooth skin. She was quite beautiful and strangely familiar.

"Oh, I remember that beauty!" Sanji exclaimed with hearts in his eyes. "She looks as lovely as I remember!"

"Strange, I think I've seen her before," Franky said as he rubbed his chin.

Brook tilted his head. "That mace looks very familiar."

"You'll have to wait your turn, little man," the woman said in a sweet voice.

Sanji raised his hand. "I want to be next!"

"Shut up, eyebrow!" Zoro yelled in annoyance.

Luffy was completely baffled by this turn of events.

"I've missed you, Luffy," the woman cooed. "It's been awhile."

"How does she know Luffy? Did we miss that memory?" Chopper asked.

"I swear I've seen her before," Usopp said as he rubbed his chin. It was just in the back of his mind.

Luffy raised an eyebrow. He didn't recognize the person at all. Then again, one had to make a strong impression for Luffy to remember someone.

"Now don't tell me that you've forgotten this face?" the woman asked sweetly.

"I can never forget you, my lovely angel!" Sanji cooed.

Zoro reached for his sword. He was going to kill the cook and put him out of his misery.

All the people in the square had hearts in their eyes like Sanji. They muttered about how beautiful she was. Even the women were taken by her beauty.

"Oh come on, she's not that hot," Nami said as she put her hand on her waist.

Luffy still didn't know who this person was. "I've never met anyone who looks like you. Who are you?"

"I will never forget. You were the first man to ever strike me," the woman said fondly.

"Luffy, how dare you hit a woman!" Sanji screamed in anger at his captain. "I'll kick your ass the moment you get down!"

Everyone in the square also scowled at Luffy.

"Huh, I hit you?" Luffy asked in disbelief. He was sweating hard as the crowd continued to give him glares that shot daggers at him.

The woman began to rub her stomach affectingly. "At that time, your powerful fist...it moved me."

"Oh, she's one of those types of girls," Franky murmured.

Zoro looked very unnerved by the woman.

Luffy also looked ready to run for it.

"My dears, who is the most beautiful person on these seas?" the woman suddenly asked the crowd, snapping her fingers.

"It's you, madam!" everyone in the crowd yelled gleefully as they pointed at her.

Nami's eyes widened in recognition. "No way... Alvida?"

"Huh, that fat, old hag that Luffy one-shot? That's the same girl!?" Franky asked in disbelief.

"My, she has cleaned up nicely," Brook said in awe. "I wonder if her panties also got prettier."

"Yes, it's me," Alvida said with a smirk. "There is not a man in the world that will not kneel before my beauty. And I love strong men."

Luffy looked very disturbed.

"How did Alvida change so much!?" Usopp exclaimed in shock.

"Maybe...a Devil Fruit?" Chopper suggested with uncertainty.

"There are some Devil Fruits that can alter the appearance of the user," Robin stated in thought.

"She either did that or went through some extreme surgery," Franky said.

"I don't think any surgery in the world could fix her up that well," Usopp said.

Chopper put his hoof to his chin in thought. "It would take a world-class surgeon to do that much change. Not to mention the months she would have to spend in recovery."

"You shall be mine, Luffy," Alvida cooed.

"Shut up! No way! Who are you!?" Luffy shouted, completely disturbed by what was going on.

"Luffy, don't talk to a woman like that!" Sanji yelled at his captain. He was so lucky to have such a lovely lady eyeing him like that. Who cares if she used to be a fat tub of jelly.

"You still haven't realized!?" Alvida exclaimed in annoyance, losing her patience.

"This is the police!" several officers yelled. "Ma'am, come along quietly."

"For openly assaulting an officer, you're under arrest!" another officer yelled before he turned towards Luffy. "And you, get off that damn platform!"

"My, my, who are you going to arrest?" Alvida asked smugly.

"Y...you!" the officer stuttered, taken in by Alvida's beauty.

"My dears, I wonder if you can?" Alvida asked sweetly.

Hearts appeared in the officers' eyes.

"Inspector, I can't. She's too beautiful!" one of the officers said.

"What a bunch of morons," Zoro muttered.

"So what if she's beautiful!" the inspector yelled with hearts in his own eyes. "Arrest her!"

They didn't have a chance to move before a cannonball nearly him them and destroyed the fountain they were standing in front of. The remains of the fountain hit Alvida, but the rubble slid off her like she was made of soup.

"What the heck!?" Luffy exclaimed in shock.

"Wasn't that a bit dangerous, honey?" Alvida asked a cloaked man walked beside her.

"Flashy apologies," the cloaked man said. "But with that Smooth Smooth skin of yours, you were completely unscathed. No worries, my fair Lady Alvida"

"Smooth Smooth Fruit, so that is her Devil Fruit," Robin noted.

"Huh, did that man say flashy?" Brook asked.

Franky gritted his teeth. "Don't tell me that asshole's back?"

"Alvida?" Luffy repeated in shock. The Strawhats saw a flash of Alvida's original form in the memory. "I don't see Alvida anywhere."

"It's me of course, you numbskull!" Alvida yelled angrily.

"You're kidding. You don't look anything like her," Luffy muttered.

Alvida smiled. "I changed somewhat after eating a Devil Fruit." She removed her heart cloak to fully reveal her new body. "It was the Smooth Smooth Fruit. Regardless of what kind of attack I come up against, my body won't suffer even a scratch."

"Sounds like a powerful ability," Nami said, taking note.

Robin nodded. "It would be troublesome to hit her."

Zoro snorted. "She went from a Class E pirate to a Class D with an ability."

"However, I'm sorry to say that I didn't become even more beautiful as a result," Alvida sighed in disappointment as she touched her cheek. "The only noticeable change was, yes, my freckles had disappeared."

This caused a round of silence from the Strawhats.

"More than just your freckles disappeared," Usopp muttered as he sweat-dropped.

"Yep, there were definitely no mirrors on her ship," Franky concluded.

"I think there's a name for this kind of disorder," Chopper stated, wishing he had his medical book.

"Uh, that's not the change I was thinking of," Luffy whispered as he stared at Alvida. The Strawhats saw another flash of fat Alvida.

"I was reborn," Alvida went on. "And in order to find you again, I joined forces with this gentleman." She pointed to the cloaked man.

From the cloak, a large red nose could be seen.

"Oh, it's Buggy," Brook said in a deadpan voice.

"Yes, it's Buggy," Nami and Zoro said together in annoyance.

Buggy laughed as he threw off his cloak, along with the rest of his crew. "The final act. My super flashy return! Monkey D. Luffy, starting from the day you sent me flying, I set out to seek revenge on you! But to do that, my crew and I suffered together. It was truly a great adventure!"

"That we don't give a damn about, you shitty clown," Sanji said in a bored tone as he smoked his cigarette.

Buggy started to sob along with his crew about the pains they went through together.

Luffy stared blankly at Buggy. "Uh, now who was it again...Boggy? No, Buggie? It's not Buhii. Oh yeah, Buffoon!"

All the Strawhats chuckled.

"Yes, Luffy, I agree," Nami snickered.

"Buffoon!?" Buggy screamed, enraged. "Watch your mouth! You're as cheeky as ever, you little bastard!"

"It's Buggy the Clown!" one of the people yelled in fear.

The people ran for their lives when they realized that pirates were in the square. They were stopped, however, when the Buggy Pirates pulled guns on them, trapping them within the square.

"I will now display my full terror and you will be watching!" Buggy proclaimed.

"Got it, you're Buggy!" Luffy yelled proudly.

"It took you that long to remember!?" Buggy screamed in frustration.

"Dude, you're not worth remembering!" Franky yelled.

Brook nodded in agreement.

While Luffy was distracted by Buggy's antics, a wooden board was suddenly slammed on top of him. Before Luffy knew what had happened, he was entrapped in stocks that firmly held his head and hands.

"What the...?" Luffy questioned in surprise and shock.

"Long time no see, rubberman," Cabaji greeted mockingly as he sat on the stocks. "Is Roronoa Zoro well too?"

"Luffy got caught!" Chopper exclaimed. He was closed to panicked.

"How did that guy get behind Luffy-san?" Brook asked.

"That idiot let his guard down," Sanji growled as he watched how this event unfolded.

Nami sighed as she face-palmed. "That moron. Getting trapped by _Buggy_ of all people."

"Luffy seems to get caught quite often," Robin mused.

"Good, well done, Cabaji," Buggy praised as he began to laugh. "Behold, billions of people of the world! A most super flashy public execution is about to begin!"

Luffy attempted to pull his head out of the board, but the hole around his head was just a little too small to slide his rubbed head through. He also lacked the momentum and space needed to forcibly pull his head through.

When he realized that pulling himself free wasn't an option, he attempted to push the stocks off of him, but somehow Cabaji managed to embed the stocks into the executing platform. Luffy couldn't move it an inch.

"How's that holding Luffy down anyway?" Franky asked as he scratched his head. "What that guy do, _super glue_ it down?"

"Must be some strong super glue," Usopp said as he watched as Luffy struggled to free himself.

"Monkey D. Luffy, you won't be able to squeeze yourself out of this!" Buggy bragged. "You should feel honored, Strawhat! You get to die in the same place as the Pirate King!" He laughed.

"He's going to kill Luffy in the same place as his own captain?" Brook asked. Something about that left a bad taste in his mouth. If he'd had taste buds, anyway.

"Buggy's an asshole, what more needs to be said," Nami stated dryly.

"He's going to execute Luffy!" Chopper shouted in fear.

"Like that idiot could kill Luffy," Franky said as he folded his arms.

Usopp nodded. "Yeah, Sanji and Zoro saved Luffy before Buggy could do anything."

Both Zoro and Sanji glanced at each other out the side of their eyes. There was an unspoken shame in their eyes.

Robin saw the looks the two men were given each other and became concern. She chose, however, not to say anything. Events would soon reveal themselves.

Luffy attempted to escape for a few more seconds before he finally gave up and looked annoyed. Above him, storm clouds began to rapidly form.

"That's one nasty storm coming," Brook noted. "It's so sudden too."

Nami nodded, remembering the fear she felt when she sensed the sudden storm. It was probably one of the worst storms in East Blue's history.

Soon, the sky was completely black and Buggy was now standing next to Luffy in triumph. Thunder could be heard growing closer in the distance.

"Pirate Monkey D. Luffy, I sentence you for the crime of laughing at my misfortune and pissing me off to a flashy death!" Buggy yelled as he lifted his arms.

The Buggy Pirates celebrated and shoot their guns into the air like it was festival.

Luffy, strangely enough, looked amused and excited. "Ah, this is the first time I've ever seen an execution!"

"It's your execution," Buggy informed him in annoyance.

Luffy's face became blank as he took in Buggy's words. It finally hit him. " _What!?_ You're joking!"

"You're the one who's joking!" Buggy screamed at Luffy.

Luffy started to panic and call for help as he struggled to free himself.

"That idiot," Usopp and Nami said together in a deadpan voice.

"How dense do you have to be not to realize that you're about to be executed?" Franky asked in slight amusement as Luffy screamed for help.

Despite this being a suppose execution and Luffy was screaming for help, it came across as mostly amusing to most of the Strawhats. Luffy's cries for help sounded very childish and not particularly serious, making the entire scene humorous. It was sounded like a child asking for help because they were in trouble with their parent.

Sanji and Zoro were the only ones who were tormented by Luffy's cries. Luffy was calling for their help and they weren't there.

"And now, our main event!" Buggy yelled to the trapped crowd. "The flashy execution shall commence!"

Luffy eventually stopped struggling again and had a look that seemed to be a mixture of annoyance, boredom, and some sadness.

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again. Please spare me," Luffy said in a monotonous voice. He obvious meant nothing that he said and sounded like a child forced to apologize after being caught doing something stupid.

"I'm not saving you, you idiot!" Buggy yelled in frustration.

"This is the price you pay for making us your enemies," Cabaji said with arms crossed.

"So, this is the end of the man I have searched for," Alvida sighed almost sadly.

Buggy took out a sword and stared at Luffy with a wide grin. "Any last words? We have quite a crowd here."

Luffy said nothing as Buggy stepped on his head.

"Well, well, looks like you're speechless," Buggy mused. "You're about to die, after all!"

Luffy said nothing for a moment as he took a deep breath. "I AM THE MAN WHO WILL BE THE PIRATE KING!" His voice ringed across the square and echoed through the sky.

The crowd stared at him in disbelief and began to muttered to themselves.

"It's about time to end this, don't you think?" Buggy asked in amusement. "Shitty rubber kid."

Luffy tried one more time to free himself, but it was in vain. There was nothing he could do now.

"You know, where are Zoro and Sanji?" Usopp asked, getting worried as he watched the memory. "Shouldn't they be here by now?"

"Well, we were pretty far from the square when we heard about the execution," Nami said in thought. She was also starting to get worried.

"Did they reach Luffy in time?" Robin suddenly asked.

"Of course they did," Nami said, surprised by Robin's question. "Luffy being alive is proof of that."

Zoro and Sanji both became more uncomfortable.

"This execution is cancelled!" Zoro in the memory yelled in the distance.

Everyone turned to see Sanji and Zoro standing near the edge of the crowd. They were both sweating hard, showing that they ran all the way there.

"Zoro, Sanji!" Luffy yelled in relief.

Chopper sighed in relief as well. For a moment, he thought Luffy was going to be killed.

"You really know how to make a ruckus," Zoro in the memory teased. "Aren't you taking this joke a little too far, Luffy?"

"If it's time for the sideshow, I guess I'll debut well," Sanji said in humor. "It looks like we just have to get past these shitty pirates."

Zoro was annoyed with his past self and the cook. Luffy was about to have his head chopped off and they were joking about the situation. Sure, they didn't actually believe Buggy could kill Luffy, being the moron that he was, but that wasn't the point. Even fools get lucky, after all.

The people screamed Zoro's name in fear and hastily abandoned the square, leaving only the Buggy Pirates.

"Huh, they're more afraid of Zoro then all the Buggy Pirates," Franky humored.

"Sanji, Zoro!" Luffy screamed again happily.

"Here at last, Zoro!" Buggy yelled cockily. "Pity you're just a tad too late!" He raised his sword over his head, ready to cut Luffy's head off.

Now, Zoro and Sanji were taking the situation seriously as they rushed towards their captain. They had one goal; destroy that execution platform.

What was simple in theory, turned out to be race against time as the Buggy Pirates mercilessly attacked them.

The two monsters of the Strawhat crew easily mauled over the Buggy Pirates, but they were still greatly outnumbered. Even if they could easily beat the pirates, they did their job of slowing them down.

Buggy laughed victoriously as he held his sword high. The thunder grew louder in the distance. "Try all you want, you can't stop me now! This is the end of your captain!"

The look on Luffy's face changed. It went from happiness, and relief, to pure horror as he realized that he was about to be killed.

The Strawhats watching the memory looked at the distance between memory Sanji and Zoro and the execution platform and they all came to the same realization.

"They're not going to make it in time," Nami whispered in disbelief.

"No way..." Usopp muttered. That couldn't be right.

"Unless one of them learns to fly or Zoro learns his projectile attacks, Buggy will behead Luffy before they can reach the platform," Robin stated in a matter-of-fact voice. Despite the coldness of her voice, even she sounded worried.

Sanji and Zoro in the memory were becoming desperate as they continued to fight through the horde of Buggy Pirates. They both looked scared and Zoro's eyes were bloodshot as he ran to save his captain. He actually looked close to crying.

Sanji in the memory wasn't much better, as his kicks became more frantic. This was one of the few moments that the Strawhats had seen Sanji so concerned over a male crewmate.

Zoro shook as he watched the memory. This was a failing. This was an absolute failing on all their parts.

Sanji felt the same way as he looked at Luffy, who was awaiting his death at the hands of an idiot. How he wished he knew Sky Walk back then.

Luffy looked down at his crewmates as he fully accepted that he couldn't be saved. Here, on this platform so close to the Grand Line, he was going to die. The look of absolution on Luffy's face was one that the Strawhats had never seen.

Their captain had faced danger and death many times, all with a laugh or a smile most of the time. This was the first time, however, that Luffy's death was a real thing. It was inevitable at this moment.

All the other times the Strawhats had seen Luffy close to death, he has been unconscious or least able to defend himself to some capacity. Here, he was completely unable to stop his own dismays and he was fully aware of it.

As Luffy came to accept his end, he lowered his head, covering his eyes with his hat. His body became relaxed and his face took on an almost serene look.

"You goddamned bastard!" Sanji in the memory screamed as he ruthlessly kicked pirates aside.

The thundering rumbling got closer as Buggy laughed again. He began to bring his sword down.

"Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Nami!" Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs, catching both the present and past Strawhats' attention. "I'm sorry, but...I'm dead," he informed them with a huge grin on his face as Buggy's sword came down.

It wasn't one of his usual smiles. It also wasn't a vacant, forced smile either. This smile seemed almost haunting. Luffy was about to die at this moment and he was alright with his fate. Even though he hadn't even reached the Grand Line and a moron was killing him, he was satisfied with coming this far.

The smile also came across as almost a thank you to his crew for supporting him up to this point. It was like he was telling his crew not to be sad for him because he died in peace fighting for his dream.

Perhaps the most unnerving aspect of the smile was that Luffy looked sincerely happy.

Robin's eyes widened when she saw that smile. Immediately, she saw Saul in her vision.

For the other Strawhats who had never witnessed this event, they all couldn't believe that Luffy was smiling like that in his final moments.

"No!" Zoro in the memory screamed in disbelief, realizing that he had failed.

"Don't say that!" Sanji yelled as tears filled his eyes.

Buggy's blade was just inches from Luffy's neck when the memory suddenly went white and the sound of thunder roared across the memory, causing the Strawhats to cover their ears. When the thunder began to die, they heard what sounded like a crashing noise.

When the white faded and the memory returned the execution platform was in shambles. It was torn apart and lying on the ground in a twisted heap of metal and wood. Lightning was now filling the sky and it was raining heavily.

Everything was quiet as the crowd stared transfixed, like they had just witnessed a holy event. Even Sanji and Zoro were standing perfectly still and stared at the ruined platform in utter astonishment.

From the sky, the Strawhats saw something beginning to fall. It took them a moment to realize that it was Luffy's strawhat.

It floated easily to the ground and landed next to its owner. Luffy stood in front of the rubble of the execution platform with his head still attached and completely unharmed.

He easily reached for his prized hat and placed it back on his head. In front of him was Buggy, who looked like he had been badly burnt by something and was clearly knocked out.

Luffy's carefree laughter broke the silence. "Hey, I'm alive! That's nice!"

"The...the hell just happened!?" Franky exclaimed when he finally found his voice. "What was that white light!?"

"Lightning," Zoro answered softy. "The platform was struck by lightning."

"Just moments before Luffy would have been beheaded, a giant lightning bolt came out of nowhere and struck the platform, saving his life," Sanji explained as he lowered his head. "We...had nothing to do with it."

"What, a lightning bolt hit the platform!?" Chopper exclaimed in disbelief.

"What...what are the chances of that happening?" Brook asked. If he had eyes, they would have undoubtedly popped out by now.

"Low...really, really low," Nami whispered, not quite believing what she just seen. "He...he should have died. He was also doubly lucky since he's largely immune to lightning." It was miracle. There was no other way to describe it.

Zoro nodded somberly. "Yes...he should have." He didn't believe in god, but he was forever thankful to whatever saved his captain that day.

"It is like fate itself intervened," Robin said softly mostly to herself.

Luffy walked up to his dumbfounded crewmembers, still talking about how lucky he was in a cheerful and childish voice. One would never have guessed he was just moments away from death.

Sanji in the memory was so stunned that his cigarette fell out of his mouth. He was literally trembling. "Hey, do you believe in God?" he suddenly asked Zoro.

"This isn't the time to ask about that. We have to escape," Zoro said, trying to regain his composure. He was obviously, however, shaken up by what he had just witnessed. "Looks like the danger isn't over yet."

The memory faded there and the Strawhats were back among the mist.

It took a moment of reflection before anyone could think to speak.

They had all seen Luffy near death, or close to dying before, but at that moment in Loguetown it was certain. Luffy should have died at that very moment. There was nothing that should have been able to save him, but he somehow lived. Whether it was through luck or divine intervention, no one knew.

"He…he smiled," Chopper whispered, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Did he know?"

"No, he knew at that point that he was going to die. He saw no chance of being saved," Zoro answered softly. His regret from that day returned in full force. "He braced himself and fully accepted his end without a trace of fear or regret. If anything, he only felt sorry for leaving us behind."

"I know Luffy doesn't fear death, but...how could anyone smile like that?" Nami asked as she hugged herself.

She remembered that her mom smiled just before Arlong killed her, but that final smile was filled with sadness and regret. Luffy showed none of that. He appeared happy. So happy and completely at peace that it was surreal that anyone could face death with that amount dignity.

"I supposed for someone like Luffy-san, death is just another adventure," Brook said in a soft voice. His crew died happy and smiling to the very end. But they died among friends doing what they love, not surrounded by those who wanted to kill them.

Usopp shivered, wanted to banished what he saw from his mind. "Let's...let's hope we never see that smile again." Seeing Luffy's death smile had unnerved him to his core. He was used to his crew staring defiantly at death, but never welcoming it with open arms when it did come.

The other Strawhats nodded in agreement, except Robin.

Robin was too deep in thought to speak. " _Those who carry the Will of D. Why do they all smile at their point of death? It is like they sense they had fulfilled their purpose in life._ "

The somber mood was broken when a new memory engulfed the Strawhats and they were on-board the Going Merry. It was raining hard and the ship rocked violently against the waves.

"It's strange. It's been raining so hard, yet we're not getting wet," Chopper said as he held his hooves out.

"It feels like the ship is going to turn over!" Luffy yelled as excitedly as he looked over the side of the ship.

Despite the absolutely terrible weather, Luffy was practically jumping for joy. Even the memory Strawhats were unusually happy given what was happening.

"Look at that!" Franky exclaimed as he pointed to a light ahead.

In front of the ship was a lighthouse, flashing brilliantly in the storm.

"Look at that light!" Nami in the memory yelled.

"The island lighthouse?" Usopp in the memory questioned. He was holding the mast of the ship for dear life.

"That's our guiding light," Nami explained with a huge smile. "That light points to the entrance to the Grand Line!"

"The Grand Line is over there," Luffy said in a soft voice. This was the moment he waited ten years for.

Nami smiled and looked at her captain. "What now?"

"Are you really going to go in a storm like this?" Usopp asked worriedly.

Zoro nodded with a smirk on his face. Sanji smiled with his cigarette still lit in the storm, giving them a thumbs-up. Luffy just grinned as he held his hat. Nami returned his smile.

"Alright, let's have a little launching ceremony to mark the importance of our voyage!" Sanji yelled happily.

"Yeah!" Usopp exclaimed, excited by the idea.

"Good idea!" Luffy yelled.

"Let's do it!" Nami also shouted.

Within moments, a large barrel was placed on the deck of the ship and the Strawhats surrounded it.

Sanji was the first to go as he put his foot on the barrel. "To find All Blue!"

Luffy was next to put his foot on the barrel. "To become the Pirate King!"

"To be the world's strongest swordsman!" Zoro declared as he put his foot in.

Nami happily put her foot up next. "To draw a map of the world!"

Usopp hesitated, not sure what to say. "I'm..." He slowly put his foot on the barrel. "To become a brave warrior of the sea!"

They stood there like that for what felt like minutes, united together in their goals and dreams as the rain poured on them.

"Let's go to the Grand Line!" Luffy yelled.

"Yeah!" the Strawhats shouted in unison as they all smashed the barrel.

The memory closed in a fog of mist.

"Aw, that was so beautiful!" Franky cried as he wiped his nose with his small hands.

"You are all so close," Chopper also sobbed.

Sanji smiled in fondness. He forgotten about that ceremony. "Those were some good memories."

"A ceremony worthy of one's first journey into the Grand Line," Robin said with a smile.

"Indeed!" Brook sobbed as he began to play music on his violin. "I wish I was there to play you a song to send you off, like I did with my old crew."

Nami paused in thought as she listened to Brook's words. "We should have another one."

Everyone looked at her.

"We should have ceremony that includes everyone. To celebrate our return and our journey into the New World," Nami suggested with smile.

"Super idea, sis!" Franky exclaimed excitedly.

"Nami-swan comes up with the best ideas!" Sanji exclaimed with hearts in his eyes.

Chopper jumped up and down in excitement. "Yeah, let's do that!"

"We need to save our captain first," Zoro said, not forgetting their mission. "Otherwise, his dream will never come true."

"We will save him," Nami said confidently. They couldn't afford not to.

Chopper suddenly looked towards Usopp. "Why did you hesitate telling everyone your dream?"

Usopp coughed nervously. "Well, truth is...I didn't really have a dream when I set out with Luffy. I just wanted to go to sea and become a pirate and meet up with my old man." He looked down shamefully. "I made that dream up on the spot. It didn't seem right not to say anything after hearing so much conviction from the others."

"Does it matter?" Brook asked, getting the younger man's attention. "Whether a dream is desired for years or just a few moments doesn't matter as long as one has the heart and desired to achieve it."

Robin nodded. "It is a wonderful dream regardless if you just thought it up."

Usopp started to blush.

A new memory engulfed the Strawhats again and they were back on the Going Merry. This time, they were going up what looked like a waterfall.

Luffy was on Merry's head, laughing crazily as he held onto his hat.

Before the Strawhats could brace themselves, they felt their stomachs drop as the Going Merry suddenly descended rapidly. It took them a moment to regain themselves and their lunch once things started to settle down.

"What was that?" Usopp asked. It felt familiar.

"I think we just dropped down from Reverse Mountain," Robin informed, looking better than the rest of her crew.

"Reverse Mountain?" Chopper asked.

"It's the entry way into the Grand Line from the Blues. It's the only way to enter the Grand Line if you don't have a marine ship," Nami answered.

"The greatest sea in the world, the Grand Line!" the Strawhats heard Luffy shout from the figurehead. All they could see was white clouds in the distance. It was like a whole new world was opening up to them.

They quickly accelerated down the mountain.

"This brings back so many memories," Brook said as he looked over the side of the ship. "Hard to believe. It has been over fifty years since I've been down this mountain."

"It's hard enough to believe it has been two years since this happened," Nami said with a wide smile. "It feels like it only happened yesterday."

Zoro smiled at the memory. He was beginning to feel nostalgic.

They hit a patch of white clouds, which engulfed the entire Going Merry.

"This is the greatest!" they could hear Sanji in the memory yelled. He sounded like a little kid.

Even Usopp was laughing in the distance.

Nami also joined in. The entire crew sounded like small kids.

Robin smiled at the tender scene. It was moments like these that reminded her of how young and innocent her crew was. One would had never suspected that this was the same crew who decremented every strong pirate in their home sea.

A distance wail suddenly caught the current Strawhats' ears. Their counterparts in the memory, however, didn't seem to notice except Zoro.

"Did you just hear that just now?" Zoro in the memory asked.

"Huh, what?" Nami in the memory asked, still too busy enjoying herself to notice anything wrong.

"I heard a strange noise," Zoro said over the roar of the sea.

"Must have been the wind!" Nami said dismissively. "There are a lot of strange rock formations here that could have caused it."

The wail came again, it was even louder.

Brook's eyes, if he had any, would have widened in disbelief. "I know those wails!"

A mountain began to appear in front of Going Merry.

"Nami-san, I see a mountain!" Sanji in the memory yelled to the navigator.

"A mountain? It can't be!" Nami yelled.

"But I see one right there!" Sanji screamed.

"Who cares!?" Luffy yelled, completely in his own world. "Let's go!"

"After Twin Capes, there should be nothing but ocean!" Nami screamed back at Sanji.

Another wailed was heard. It was much longer and louder than before.

Now Luffy began to look concerned and he squinted his eyes.

When they cleared the thick white clouds, the form of the 'mountain' came into view. It was huge and a bluish-gray. Whatever it was, it was no mountain.

All the Strawhats in the memory screamed in panic.

"It's a black wall!" Luffy screamed in fear.

"You're wrong! It's..." Nami in the memory shouted in horror.

"Then what is it!?" Sanji in the memory cut off.

"It's a whale!" Usopp in the memory screamed.

"It...It's Laboon!" Brook yelled as tears his non-existent eyes.

Laboon gave a thunderous wail, shaking the entire mountain.

"So, that's Laboon," Franky said. "Wow! He is huge!"

"He is just like those pod of whales we saw when we were going into the New World," Robin said. No wonder Brook was so moved.

"It sounds so sad," Chopper observed as he became teary-eyed. "He's crying. He's crying in loneliness."

Brook started to sob. "Laboon..."

The memory Strawhats were all screaming in a panic.

"W...wha...what do we do!?" Usopp screamed in blind fear.

"Fight it?" Luffy asked.

"Idiot, we can't fight that thing!" Nami screamed at her captain.

"The current is taking us right to it!" Usopp screamed in horror. "What're we going to do!?"

"Wait a minute, we've gotten this close and it's still just a wall," Sanji observed. "Where's its eye?"

"You're right, it may not have noticed us yet!" Nami yelled.

"If they do not act fast, they will smash into the whale and die," Robin observed bluntly.

Chopper screamed in horror. They were going to die!

Zoro in the memory agreed with Robin. "At this rate, we'll hit it dead on! Hey, there's an opening on the left side! Port! Hard Port!"

"The helm is broken!" Usopp yelled.

"How did you guys break the helm?" Franky asked.

"We broke it coming into Reverse Mountain," Usopp explained. "We nearly died coming here because we had problems steering Merry into the mountain's opening. We only survive because Luffy inflated his body and kept Merry from crashing into the rock face. "

Franky nodded. "Makes sense. This ship wasn't built to handle such rough waters."

"Hey!" Usopp growled.

"It's true, bro," Franky said as he held his arms up. "The Grand Line is no joke and this ship was obviously designed to never leave the Blues."

Usopp didn't want to admit it, but he knew the shipwright was right. It was still, however, a bitter truth to accept.

"Hard to believe we nearly died twice just getting into the Grand Line," Sanji humored. They really had some lousy luck.

"We have to do something, dammit!" Zoro in the memory screamed.

"Ah right, I've got an idea!" Luffy yelled as he jumped off the figurehead and ran into the ship's hull.

"Luffy!" Nami in the memory yelled after him. "What are you doing!?"

The current Strawhats followed Luffy and watched him as he quickly began to load the front cannon on Merry.

"What's Luffy-san up to?" Brook asked.

"Is he..." Robin started to question.

Zoro smiled to himself. When it counted, Luffy knew how to get things done.

Soon, everything was ready and Luffy waited until they were close enough to the whale. At the very last second, Luffy fired the cannon.

The impact of the cannon jolted Merry, but it did stop them from ramming into Laboon.

"Whoa, did we stop?" Luffy asked with a hint of relief.

A loud crack was suddenly heard from outside. Luffy turned around just in time to see Merry's head hit the deck next to the door.

Chopper screamed when he saw the decapitated sheep's head.

Luffy also screamed in horror as if someone has been murdered. "My Special Seat!"

The other Strawhats used this opportunity to start rolling Merry away from Laboon, who began to wail again, completely unaware of the small pirate band.

Everyone had to cover their ears to keep their eardrums from busting.

"Laboon, it has been too long," Brook muttered. He wished this wasn't just a memory. He truly wished that this were the real reunion between him and his dear friend. "You've become such a big boy."

Chopper attempted to listen to Laboon's cries, but listening caused his ears to bleed.

The memory Strawhats kept rolling until they were under Laboon's huge eye.

"Laboon, it's me!" Brook screamed at his friend, unable to control himself anymore. "It's me, Brook!"

"It's a memory," Zoro said softly. There was an air of tenderness in the other swordsman's voice. "He can't see or hear us."

Brook knew that, but he didn't care.

Luffy walked onto the deck, looking especially pissed. The Strawhats could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

"Luffy?" Nami in the memory whispered, knowing something bad was going to happen.

"Damn you," Luffy yelled as he balled his fist.

"Oh, I remember when he did this," Sanji said dryly.

"Did what?" Chopper asked. He didn't have to wait long for the answer.

"My favorite seat, how dare you break it!" Luffy screamed as he punched Laboon right in the eye.

"Luffy, what are you doing to Laboon!?" Brook yelled angrily.

"You idiot!" all the Strawhats in the memory yelled.

Zoro began to laugh. Looking back at it now, it was quite funny.

Laboon's massive eye suddenly looked down at them.

"It sees us!" the crew screamed in horror.

Luffy was not in the least bit scared. "How you like that!? I'll kick your ass, jerk!"

"Don't talk to Laboon like that!" Brook growled at his captain. He sounded like an over-protective father.

Both Usopp and Sanji in the memory kicked Luffy in the head. "Shut up, dumbass!"

Laboon groaned before he opened his massive mouth.

"W…what?" Nami in the memory questioned near tears.

Merry drifted into Laboon's mouth. There was nothing the Strawhats could do to stop it. The sudden jolting of the ship sent Luffy overboard.

"Luffy!" Sanji in the memory yelled.

Luffy nearly went into the water, but he used his powers to save himself. He stretched his arms and wrapped it around one of Laboon's teeth. He swung himself around until he was on top of Laboon' scar nose.

"I'm not dying here!" Luffy growled as he held on for dear life. He began to climb his way up.

After a few moments, Laboon closed his mouth, swallowing the Going Merry whole.

"Did you guys just get eaten by a whale?" Chopper asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, we did," Sanji sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "It was one of our more awkward experiences."

"That's putting it lightly," Usopp sighed.

"That was so scary," Nami said. She thought they were dead.

"Not to mention strange," Zoro remarked in a bored tone.

"You all had quite an adventure even before you got into the Grand Line," Robin chuckled.

Nami shook her head. "Tell me about it. And to think, this was just a prelude to the strangeness to come."

Luffy sat on Laboon's head, breathing heavily and almost appearing to be in shock. Once he had regained his breath, there was a look of real fear on his face.

"What do I do?" Luffy asked, barely controlling his panic. "Everyone was eaten!"

Luffy punched Laboon repeatedly, demanded that he gives his crew back. All his efforts proved futile since Laboon barely felt him. Luffy was no bigger than a flea to the whale.

Whether out of spite or just bad luck on Luffy's part, Laboon began to submerge.

Luffy punched the whale harder and more frantically, telling Laboon that he was dirty for going under water and demanding him stop. None of that worked.

"We're going on an adventure together!" Luffy yelled, truly enraged now. "They're important to me! Give them back!"

"He's more concerned about us than he is about going under water," Nami said.

"That's just how Luffy is," Zoro said softly.

During his screaming, Luffy noticed that there was a hatch on Laboon's head.

Not sure what to make of it, Luffy ran to the hatch and quickly opened it before Laboon could fully submerge and kill him. He jumped in and quickly closed the hatch.

Luffy sighed for a moment when he was safely inside. Before he could fully rest, the entire area started to shake. As a result, Luffy was sent bouncing like a rubber ball all over Laboon, who strangely enough had a metal interior. He bounced around for a few seconds before he came to a sudden stop.

He slowly sat up and his eyes were spinning. He began to regain himself.

"Where am I?" Luffy asked himself. He looked around and saw what appeared to be a river next to him. "An ocean? A river? A pipe?"

The area shook again and the room tilted upwards. Luffy attempted to stop himself from sliding down, but it was all in vain. He fell down the hallway.

Eventually, the hallway straightened enough to stop him from falling, but it was too steep to stop him from running once he hit the floor. He literally couldn't stop himself as he rapidly picked up speed.

Luffy screamed in panic as he attempted to regain control of himself. He kept running and soon, he saw two people standing in front of a large metal door. They both were shocked to see him.

Within moments, Luffy slammed into them and pushed the metal door open with the force. They all went flying in the air.

On the way down, Luffy saw his crew, much to his relief.

"Luffy," Zoro in the memory muttered in disbelief as he watched his captain fly.

"You guys are okay!" Luffy yelled in relief before the graveness of his own situation hit him. "By the way, save me!" he yelled just as he plunged into Laboon's digestive juices, ending the memory.

There was a long silence among the Strawhats.

"Well...that was interesting," Franky said slowly.

"I didn't know Laboon gave you all such a hard time," Brook said. "I apologize. This wouldn't have happened if we were able to keep our promise."

"It's not your fault," Sanji said in comfort.

"Why was there metal hallway inside a whale?" Chopper asked. "Is Laboon a robot?"

Nami shook her head. "The person taking care of Laboon did it. He was the doctor of the Pirate King that Rayleigh talked about. He put all those metal tubes and passages inside Laboon so he could take care of him. He said it was the only way to treat Laboon given how big he is."

Chopper nodded. "Makes sense."

"Gotta say, that's one dedicated doctor," Franky said as he folded his arms. "I mean, it must've taken him years to build all these tunnels inside such a huge whale. He must have some shipwright skills."

"That woman that Luffy ran into, that was Princess Vivi," Robin suddenly said.

"You're right. Vivi was there when we met Laboon," Nami said, remembering her old friend. "She was still spying on Baroque Works at the time."

"Who's Vivi?" Franky asked.

"A princess from the kingdom of Alabasta that we helped," Nami explained with a fond smile. "She's also an honorary member of our crew."

"Really?" Brook questioned in interest.

"Yeah, Vivi's great!" Chopper exclaimed, excited to see his old friend again. She was, after all, one of the first humans to befriend him and not see him as a monster.

"You should see her in Luffy's memory soon," Nami said, also excited to see her other sister again.

Sanji began to dance happily. "I can't wait to see Vivi-chan again." He bet she became even more lovely these past two years.

A memory appeared and the Strawhats saw Luffy and their counterparts talking to Crocus.

He was telling them Laboon's history and how he was taken in by a group of pirates when he was separated from his family. He told the Strawhats that since the pirates were going to the Grand Line, Laboon couldn't go with them because of the dangers. They attempted to leave him in West Blue, but the whale followed them because Laboon saw the pirates as his family.

After staying at Twin Capes for a few months to repair their ship, the pirates left for the Grand Line. They had asked Crocus to take care of Laboon for a couple of years until they returned. They never came back. Fifty years had passed since then.

What made the story even worse for Brook was that Crocus believed that they purposely abandoned Laboon. That they fled the Grand Line using the Calm Belt. The story for the most part was true, but it was only _half_ of the truth.

"Laboon has been waiting for those guys for fifty years?" Usopp in the memory asked in disbelief when the story ended.

"So, that's why he bellows and rams his head against the wall," Nami in the memory said sadly.

By this time, Brook was in tears and sobbed restlessly throughout the entire story. The Strawhats spent the entire time trying to comfort him, without much luck.

"Laboon, I'm so sorry I hurt you like this," Brook said between tears. "You've waited patiently for fifty years, while..."

"Stop talking like that!" Sanji growled. "It isn't _your_ fault that you died!"

Chopper patted Brook's shoulder. "It's okay now. You're here and soon you'll be reunited with Laboon again."

"I know that. But it doesn't make it hurt any less," Brook sobbed. "Especially seeing how Laboon has hurt himself, and he could have died. All because he didn't lose hope in us. We failed him. Death is no excuse for what I put him thought!"

The Strawhats, save for Robin, were so busy consoling Brook that they were not paying much attention to the memory.

"Luffy is doing something," Robin suddenly said, getting everyone's attention.

Luffy was running up Laboon's head with what looked like a giant mast on his back. It took them a moment to realize that he was carrying Merry's mast.

"Did...did he just break a part of the ship off!?" Franky asked angrily. He turned towards the mast to confirmed his fear. It was indeed torn in half.

Did Luffy have any respect for his own ship? No wonder the Going Merry was practically torn apart by the time they reached Water 7.

"Oh, so it's this part," Zoro mused as Luffy planted the mast into Laboon's nose, causing blood to gush everywhere.

"LABOON!" Brook screamed in horror.

"How could he do that!?" Chopper yelled angrily, going straight into his doctor mode. "After all Laboon been through, he doesn't need more wounds!"

Since Luffy had impaled Laboon in an area that was already injured because he had rammed his head earlier, Laboon felt the blow.

Laboon dropped into the water and cried in pain.

Luffy kept Laboon from flinging him off by holding onto the mast for dear life. Laboon, completely enraged, jumped out of the water and slammed Luffy into the coast. If Luffy weren't rubber, there would only be paste left of him.

Luffy got up and smiled cockily at the whale as Laboon came in again, prepared to smash him. Luffy jumped out of the way, but was nailed by Laboon's tail. The giant whale attempted to hit him again, but Luffy evaded the tail swing.

Luffy ruthlessly punched Laboon in the eye, causing him to flinch in pain. Laboon paid back the gesture by head-butting Luffy into the lighthouse on the coast. Luffy quickly recovered, however, and jumped into the air. He delivered a powerful kick to Laboon's head, stunning him again.

Laboon moaned for a moment before he once again rammed Luffy into the lighthouse. Luffy slumped to the ground and didn't get up this time.

Laboon moved in for the finishing blow.

"It's a draw!" Luffy suddenly yelled, surprising Laboon. He stopped in his tracks. "Pretty tough, aren't I?"

Laboon just stared at him.

"You want to beat me, don't you?" Luffy mocked as he sat up. "Our battle isn't over, so we have to fight again someday. Your family may be dead, but from now on I'm your rival! We'll fight against someday to see which one of us is the strongest! Once we finished sailing the Grand Line. I'll be back!"

Laboon was moved to tears by the declaration, along with most of the Strawhats.

"He..." Chopper said, unable to form words. He did all of that to give Laboon something to live for.

Franky began to cry. "That Luffy! What a guy! He just knows what to do make you feel all warm inside!"

Brook couldn't speak as tears rain down his bony face.

Robin smiled proudly at her captain. He may have a rough way of doing things, but he saved Laboon's life.

Nami and Usopp were also in tears. Although they've seen all this before, this scene felt so much more powerful now that they knew the full history.

"Then, we'll finish the fight!" Luffy declared.

Laboon cried and began to bellow again. This wasn't, however, a bellow of sadness and loneliness. It was a bellow of a challenge accepted.

Luffy smiled and some time later, he managed to 'draw' his pirate mark on Laboon's head. It was an ugly thing, but it wasn't like Laboon could actually see it.

"Looking good," Luffy said with a huge grin. He was covered in paint, but wasn't too bothered by his messy state. "This is our Fight Promise! So, until I get back, don't go hitting your head and rubbing the mark off!"

Laboon grunted in acknowledgment and the memory faded.

Brook stared blankly into the void for several seconds. He slowly put his hand over his chest and lowered his head as more tears fell. "Luffy-san...thank you..."

A new memory was upon them and the Strawhats were standing in some town in the dead of night. The bright moon cast a harsh shadow on everything, giving it a foreboding feel.

"Where are we?" Chopper asked.

"Whiskey Peak," Zoro answered. There was no mistaking it.

"What happened here?" Franky asked as he looked at the bodies scattered across the ground. All of them looked dead. "Looks like a war happened."

"No, just Zoro," Nami said dryly.

Brook looked towards the navigator. "Zoro?"

"Whiskey Peak was a town run by Baroque Works," Robin explained. "We used this town to trap pirates who enter the Grand Line by intoxicating them with alcohol and other forms of entertainment."

"Why did you guys trap pirates?" Chopper asked.

"Whiskey Peak was a bounty hunter town," Zoro said, getting straight to the point.

Robin nodded. "One-hundred bounty hunters from Baroque Works were stationed here. We used the bounties to fund our organization."

"Have the World Government fund a criminal organization, very clever," Franky praised. "I can only imagine the looks on their stupid faces when they learned the truth."

"But that doesn't explain what happen to them," Chopper said as he pointed to the unconscious bounty hunters.

"Zoro beat them up," Nami answered.

"Zoro, by himself?" Brook asked, greatly impressed.

"Pretty much," Zoro said with a shrug. "The rest of the crew was completely fooled and were out like lights."

Sanji growled under his breath. He hated being indebted to that moss head.

"Huh, _I_ wasn't asleep," Nami said as she pushed her hair out her face. "I was out making us some money off a business opportunity." She went no further than that. She really didn't want to say that she tried to exploit Vivi out of one-billion belli.

"I found you!" Luffy's screams echoed in the air.

The Strawhats looked to see Luffy, who was extremely fat, confronting Zoro.

Zoro was standing between Vivi, who was on a spotted duck, and two other people. One of the people was a dark-skinned man with spiky black hair, wearing sunglasses and a long reddish-brown trench coat. His partner was a woman wearing a yellow dress with lemons on it along with a bizarre hat to match. She held an umbrella opened over her head, which matched her outfit.

Zoro in the memory grinned when he heard his captain.

Luffy, however, looked less than pleased to see Zoro. In fact, he looked outright pissed. "Zoro!"

"What is it now?" the female agent asked in mild annoyance.

"Luffy, thanks for coming, but I got his one," Zoro in the memory assured. "Unless that greedy brat dragged you into this too."

"You're talking about Nami-san, aren't you!?" Sanji accused their Zoro as he got right in the swordsman's face.

"And what if I was, eyebrow?" Zoro challenged.

Luffy huffed angrily. He would have looked intimidating, if he didn't look like an oversize balloon that was going to explode at any moment.

"How much did Luffy eat?" Chopper asked. Luffy usually burnt fat at an outrageous rate. Normally, he could compact and digest food in a span of a few minutes.

"Enough to put him a food coma," Nami answered in a deadpan voice.

"He ate until he fell asleep!?" Chopper asked in disbelief.

For a normal person, it was normal to feel sleepy after eating a huge meal. Luffy wasn't normal. He became energized from eating large quantities of food. For Luffy to eat to the point of falling asleep, he had to consume massive amounts of food. More than Chopper had ever personally seen him eat.

"If I remember correctly, he ate close to three months' worth of food," Sanji remarked off-handedly.

"Three months!?" Chopper shouted again. His mouth dropped in shock. "He ate three months' worth of food for a town of one-hundred people!? That's crazy, even for Luffy! His stomach should have exploded!"

"No wonder he passed out," Franky said in awe.

Zoro in the memory was confused by Luffy's anger.

"Although, what's wrong with Luffy?" Usopp asked, not paying attention to the food conversation. He looked ready to cave someone's skull in.

"You're going to pay for what you did!" Luffy yelled, completely enraged. He gritted his teeth like a wild animal. "I'll kill you!"

Zoro in the memory and most of the current Strawhats was confused by the outburst.

"What...what's going on?" Brook asked.

"What!?" Zoro in the memory exclaimed. "What kind of nonsense did you gotten into your head this time?"

"Shut up and get ready! Because I'm about to kick your ungrateful little ass!" Luffy shouted.

Sanji put his cigarette in his mouth. "Well, this is getting interesting."

"What's going on!?" Chopper shouted in tears. "Why are Luffy and Zoro fighting!?"

Nami sighed. "It was a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" Franky asked.

"Ungrateful?" Zoro in the memory asked in confusion.

"That's right," Luffy sneered. "Everyone here has been nothing but nice to us! They welcomed us, threw us a party, and gave us food! And you repaid them by cutting them all up with those swords of yours!"

Zoro in the memory gave his best 'what the hell' face. He attempted to explain himself, but he couldn't seem to form words.

Robin started to chuckle. "I understand. Luffy thinks Zoro was unkind to their hosts."

Zoro sighed as he rubbed his eye. Luffy could be such a moron.

"But Luffy must know that Zoro wouldn't do such a thing without reason," Chopper said fearfully.

"You would think," Nami answered dryly.

"I can't take this seriously with Luffy's belly is bouncing around like jelly," Sanji said.

"There's something you don't know," Zoro in the memory finally managed to say.

"Just shut up and fight me!" Luffy ordered fiercely.

"This guy is just a complete idiot," Vivi muttered to herself, not believing what she was looking at.

Her duck nodded in agreement.

"Hmmph, now they're fighting amongst themselves," the spiky-haired man mused. "How pathetic."

The woman laughed in agreement. "If we wait long enough, maybe they'll kill each other and we won't have to bother with them."

"Who are those two?" Brook asked, finally taking notice of the two agents.

"Mr. 5 and his partner Miss Valentine," Robin stated.

Zoro in the memory sighed in annoyance. "Hold on, Luffy. Can you just listen to me for a second? They were actually..."

"No excuses!" Luffy yelled as he walked towards Zoro. His belly jiggled with each step. He jumped into the air and was top of Zoro within seconds.

"He moves pretty fast for a fat boy," Franky mused.

"Wait, no!" Zoro in the memory yelled in panic as he evaded Luffy's Pistol.

The punch hit a nearby rock, which broke to pieces on impact. Zoro was understandably freaked out.

"He tried to hit Zoro with a punch that smashed a boulder!" Chopper screamed in shock. "Is he trying to kill him!?"

"Aw, the moss head can take it," Sanji said in amusement. He wished he had snacks.

"Are you trying to kill me!?" Zoro in the memory voiced Chopper's concerns.

"Yes, die!" Luffy yelled as he attempted to kick Zoro.

Zoro was able to dodge the kick, making Luffy hit a rock face. Luffy quickly followed Zoro's movements and attempted to head-butt him. Luffy missed again, but he left another giant dent in the rock face.

"He really is trying to kill Zoro!" Brook yelled in disbelief.

"Luffy is quite serious," Robin noted.

"He's gone crazy!" Zoro in the memory exclaimed as Luffy turned his sights on him again. "Luffy, stop this!"

Luffy was beyond words and he attacked Zoro again. Luffy rapidly punched at Zoro, who was barely able to dodge.

"How did this happen?" Brook asked in complete bewilderment. "All this over misunderstanding…"

"That's because Luffy is a moron," Nami said as she rubbed her forehead.

"It is interesting," Robin said as she rubbed her chin. "One would think that Luffy would have more trust in his crewmates."

"What do you mean?" Usopp asked, finally able to speak.

"This misunderstanding happened because Luffy believed Zoro was capable of murder without good reason or cause. He never bothered to let Zoro explain himself," Robin said. "This streams down from an underline lack of trust."

"You actually think Luffy doesn't trust Zoro?" Usopp asked in disbelief.

"If Luffy truly trusted Zoro, would this fight have happened?" Robin asked instead.

Zoro listened to the conversation as he watched Luffy and him fight. He tried not to think about it, but it always bothered him that Luffy didn't trust his judgment. Instead, he trusted the words of some stranger over his own crewmember. Even more, he didn't believe Johnny when he said that Nami had killed Usopp and Johnny was Luffy's friend.

He could justify Luffy's naivety by him simply being allured by the bounty hunters feeding him, but even that felt flat. Did Luffy truly believe he was as cold-hearted as those hunters led him to believe? Did him fighting Mihawk when he was supposed to go after Nami cause some kind of a rift that he never noticed before?

Damn, he should have asked Luffy these questions instead of just letting the entire incident slide.

"Hey, tough guy, stop running away!" Luffy yelled as he kept trying to punch Zoro.

"Quit screwing around!" Zoro yelled as he kicked Luffy viciously in the stomach, sending the rubberman flying.

By some strange twist of luck, Luffy flew right into Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine when they attempted to move in to kill Vivi. All three of them crashed into a building.

Mr. 5 slowly stood up as he rubbed his head. He wasn't amused by the current events. "Now you and your friend really managed to get in the way of our plans."

"What happened," Mr. Valentine asked in a daze. "What's going on?"

"Since you two want to kill each other so badly, I'll tell you what. We're going to do you a favor," Mr. 5 said as he lifted up his glasses. "We'll kill you both ourselves, okay!?"

Luffy didn't seem to care and he stared at Mr. 5 from his place on the floor.

The 'fight' was short, lasting only a minute. Even with his Devil Fruit ability, Mr. 5 was easily beaten by Luffy. The little scuffle helped burn the last of the fat in Luffy's body and he was now back to his skinny self.

"So, that was a Baroque Works' agent," Franky said as he watched Luffy drag Mr. 5's semi-conscious body out of the ruined building. "That was anti-climactic."

Robin shook her head at her former comrade. They overestimated themselves.

"That was a good workout," Luffy said as he patted his now flat stomach. "I finally managed to digest some of that food."

"Some of it?" Sanji mused.

"I envy Luffy sometimes," Nami muttered.

Luffy turned his attention back towards Zoro. "Alright, now let's finish this."

"Okay Luffy, just calm down and hear me out," Zoro said calmly as Miss Valentine floated above his head. "Everyone who lives here on Whiskey Peak is really a bounty hunter. Which makes all of them our enemies."

"Hey, pay attention to me, you jerk!" Miss Valentine yelled from the sky, where she'd been talking at the same time as Zoro.

"You're just lying!" Luffy screamed as he dropped Mr. 5. "Enemies wouldn't give us tasty food!"

"What kind of shitty logic is that?" Sanji asked.

"Luffy really is too naive," Usopp murmured as he shook his head.

"Taste my Ten-thousand Kilogram Press!" Miss Valentine shouted as she suddenly dropped towards the ground rapidly.

"Fine then," Zoro said neutrally as he moved to the side a little, causing Miss Valentine miss him. She slammed into the ground and buried herself in the road.

Robin sighed.

"Was that an ability?" Brook asked.

"It was not anything important," Robin said neutrally.

"It looks like there isn't any sense trying to talk to you," Zoro said as he removed his bandana and wrapped it around his head.

Luffy growled at him.

"They're both getting serious!" Chopper yelled fearfully.

"Oh, so we'll finally see that moss head get his ass kicked," Sanji said in amusement. Now he really wished he had snacks.

Zoro glared at his rival in annoyance.

"You know, you're really a moron!" Zoro in the memory yelled. "This time I'm not going hold back!" He removed his swords. "It will be your own fault if you die."

"Sounds good to me!" Luffy yelled as he pumped his arms.

"Just a sec. What is going on here?" Vivi asked in confusion. She'd been frozen in place the entire time by these bizarre events. "I thought you guys were on the same side?"

Luffy and Zoro charged each other. When they clashed in the middle, they left a giant shockwave of power in their wake. The two fighters were lock in a stalemate as they attempted to overpower each other.

"Let's see which one is stronger," Zoro grunted. "Your rubber hands or my steel. What do you say?"

"Can we put money down?" Sanji asked in humor.

"Yeah, let's settle this once and for all," Luffy sneered, taken up Zoro's challenge.

Zoro did a quick spin and sent Luffy flying into the air on a whirlwind.

Luffy quickly righting his body. "Gum Gum Pistol!" he yelled as he nailed Zoro in the face, sending him flying back.

They both crashed into buildings from each other's attacks. Luffy and Zoro quickly recovered, however, and were back on each other. Their fight destroyed the surrounding area.

"How...how did we miss all of this?" Usopp asked out loud.

"You're putting up a super fight there, Zoro," Franky said as he watched the battle. "You're completely even with Luffy!"

Zoro had to admit; it was very fulfilling fighting Luffy at that moment. Since Luffy never wanted to train with him, that was the first time he felt Luffy's power firsthand. Too bad the situation was utterly stupid.

Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were back on their feet and not happy about being beaten so humiliatingly. They charging into the fray where Luffy and Zoro were fighting, which proved to be a mistake.

"You can't beat us!" Mr. 5 yelled. "Prepare to die at the hands of Baroque Works officer agents!"

Both Luffy and Zoro stopped their fight and glared murderously at the agents, freezing them in place.

"Shut up and go away! You're interfering with our fight!" they yelled together and they knocked Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine into the air. They flew until they crashed into some buildings, taking them out for good.

Robin sighed again as she shook her head.

Sanji growled. "That rubber shit head hit a lady."

"Damn pests," Zoro in the memory grumbled.

"Messing with our fight," Luffy growled.

Zoro glared at Luffy. "Shall we continue?"

"Yeah," Luffy said with bloodlust in his eyes.

They glared at each other for a moment before they moved to kill each other. Before either of them could hit each other, Nami walked up behind them and punched them both in the face.

"Stop!" Nami screamed as she sent both Luffy and Zoro flying.

Chopper and Usopp screamed in fright.

"Well, guess we know who the strongest in this crew is," Franky joked.

"Nami-san is by far the most frightening person on this crew," Brook murmured.

"Nami-swan knows how to handle those morons," Sanji cooed as he spun around.

Zoro said nothing, but he was obviously annoyed by the entire thing.

"You two, what the heck do you think you're _doing_ here!?" Nami yelled, like a parent scolding two naughty boys.

The memory shifted at that moment and the Strawhats were now in a different area of Whiskey Peak. They were standing by the shoreline of the town. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Vivi were all huddle together by the sea, discussing something.

Now that the action and drama had ceased, Chopper could finally get a good look at his old comrade.

"That's Vivi? She looks different," Chopper said as he tilted his head in wonder.

"When she was working for Baroque Works, Vivi had to act and portray herself in a certain way," Nami explained. "For the lack of better words, she had to play the bad girl."

"And she did a good job of it. Even Crocodile was completely fooled by her," Robin said. "Too bad she could not hide herself from me. After living a life of deceit, you learn to see through other people's lies."

"Why is Nami so freaked out?" Franky asked as Nami in the memory practically had a meltdown and violently shook Vivi.

Nami sighed. "Vivi revealed who was behind Baroque Works by accident. That's partly how we got mixed up in all of this."

"In any case, the three of us have been added to the Baroque Works' Death List," Zoro in the memory said a little too gleefully.

Luffy began to laugh. His eyes were practically sparking. "This is so exciting!"

"Leave it to Zoro and Luffy to be excited about being on someone death list," Usopp muttered.

"Going by Luffy's childhood, he's probably used to it," Nami said dryly.

"Although, the two made up quickly after such a fierce fight," Brook noted.

Zoro shrugged. "It was water off a duck's back." Although, he still needed to talk to Luffy about this.

Nami in the memory, meanwhile, was sulking on the ground with Vivi vainly trying to cheer her up.

"Do not worry!" someone yelled.

The Strawhats turned to see a fairly tall, muscular man standing before Luffy and Zoro. In his arms, he held three stuff dummies and stared intensely at the group of pirates. For some reason he was also dressed as a woman. A really ugly woman.

"Who the hell is that?" Franky asked, not quite believing his eyes.

"Igaram, Captain of the Royal Guard of Alabasta," Robin stated. "He accompanied Princess Vivi in spying on Baroque Works."

"He's a captain? Alabasta must have quite the dress code," Brook said. He inwardly shivered at the thought of all the guards dressing like that.

"Fear..." Igaram coughed. He started to hum scales before continuing. "Fear not, I have a plan!"

"Igaram!" Vivi exclaimed. "What are those clothes for?"

"Oh thank goodness, those aren't his normal clothes," Franky sighed.

"But to even get into them..." Sanji muttered, remembering his own terrible experience where he was practically mind-raped to cross dress.

"Mister, you'll fool everyone by wearing that," Luffy said as he looked over the outfit.

Chopper nodded in agreement. "That's a good disguise. He looks exactly like Vivi."

"Really?" Usopp muttered dryly as he looked between his captain and Chopper.

"Princess Vivi, please listen carefully," Igaram said seriously. "Baroque Works' information network will soon receive the report. Once they have learned that we are the ones who know their boss' true identity, you understand what will happen."

"As many as thousands of hunters could be coming for us soon," Vivi said gravely.

Nami in the memory turned several shades of blue hearing this.

"A thousand bounty-hunters!? I didn't know Baroque Works was that big!" Brook exclaimed in shock.

"Crocodile spent more than three years building his organization in the shadows. He had many people working under him from all the seas, excluding East Blue," Robin said, remembering her time at Baroque Works.

"That is why I dressed in the manner of the princess. I will depart with these dummies and travel on a course straight to Alabasta," Igaram explained.

"These are us?" Luffy asked as he poked one of the dummies.

"Given what dummies Zoro and Luffy are, it fits them," Sanji said.

Zoro gave a loud growl at the cook.

"Decoys," Igaram stated. "Once they have begun perusing me, Princess Vivi and yourselves will leave safely for Alabasta."

"Now, wait just a minute!" Nami in the memory screamed. "Who said we would take the princess anywhere!? We don't have a contract."

"Take the princess?" Luffy asked as he stared at Vivi. "What's that about?"

"Weren't you listening to them?" Zoro in the memory asked impatiently as he stood up. "The old man here wants us to take her home."

"Oh, so that was what they were saying," Luffy said after a moment of thought. "Okay."

Nami in the memory completely lost it. "Crocodile is going to try to kill us!"

"This Crocodile, is he really that strong?" Luffy asked Igaram.

"He is currently one of the Warlords," Igaram said. "Though, as a government-sanctioned pirate, he is no longer on the wanted list. Before he was sanctioned, however, he had a bounty of eighty-one million belli."

Luffy and Zoro looked impressed. This was the first they had encountered such a high bounty.

"Eighty-one million, that's more than four times larger than Arlong's!" Nami in the memory screamed in panic. "Turn him down!"

"Will you accept?" Igaram asked Luffy.

"Sure," Luffy answered with a huge grin. "Sounds like fun."

Nami in the memory looked like she was going to burst into tears.

Nami sighed at her past self. "I should have know that there was no stopping him."

Usopp also sighed. "Once Luffy makes up his mind, there's no reasoning with him."

"You have my utmost gratitude," Igaram said gratefully.

Within a few minutes, Igaram was on a ship, ready to depart.

"Well then, I, Vivi, should be leaving now," Igaram said as he attempted to alter his voice to sound more feminine, which made some of the Strawhats cringe.

Luffy began to laugh. "Mister, you really sound like her!"

"Like who?" Zoro in the memory asked as he glanced at his captain.

"I swear, Luffy can be fooled by a paper doll that looks like a person," Sanji muttered.

"Now Princess, please hand me the Eternal Pose," Igaram said.

Vivi very reluctantly gave Igaram the pose. The two looked at each other for a moment.

"Princess Vivi, after making a few stops, please hurry to Alabasta," Igaram said. "I have never done it myself, but I am certain if you follow the Log Pose two or three times, you should reach there." He turned his attention towards Luffy. "And with that, I leave everything to you."

"Sure," Luffy said cheerfully.

"Igaram..." Vivi started to say something, but her words died on her lips.

"I think this journey will be dangerous. Please be careful along the way," Igaram said in a gentle voice.

Vivi wanted to argue, but nothing came out of her mouth. She finally just held out her hand and Igaram took it. "You too."

Igaram then sailed off. The Strawhats watched him leave as they discussed what had happened. Then, the unexpected happened.

There was a bright light and everyone on the coast looked up in shock as Igaram's ship exploded. The light was blinding, forcing everyone in the memory to look away from the explosion.

The newer Strawhats who were watching, except Robin, gasped in shock.

Usopp and Sanji, who weren't around during this scene, were also left speechless. Even though they knew Igaram survived what happened, it was still shocking. It was just so sudden.

"It can't be!" Nami in the memory exclaimed once she found her voice. "They've already come!?"

"That... who set that bomb!?" Brook screamed in outrage. "That was completely cowardly!"

Robin's face remained blanked.

Luffy said nothing as he turned around and walked down the coast. He grabbed his hat, which was blown off by the explosion, and firmly placed it back on his head.

"He was a great man!" Luffy yelled as he ran towards his ship. Zoro soon followed behind him.

"Luffy, get the other two!" Zoro yelled. "I'll get the ship!"

"Right," Luffy answered.

Luffy kept running until he reached the building where Sanji and Usopp were sleeping. After a brief look around, he found them still dead asleep on the floor, unaware of anything. Luffy grabbed Usopp's nose and Sanji's leg, waking his two drowsy crewmates.

"We're leaving!" Luffy shouted as he ran out the door. The door, however, was only big enough for one person, so Sanji and Usopp went through either side of the wall.

"That shit head," Sanji groaned as he watched the memory. "Remind me to kick that rubber bastard's ass once we save him."

"I hurt looking at it," Usopp said as he rubbed his nose.

Their memory counterparts were also not too happy as they screamed in pain as Luffy dragged them across the ground.

"What the hell are you doing, Luffy!?" Sanji in the memory screamed.

Luffy completely ignored him as he continued to run at his top speed.

"You're going to break my nose!" Usopp screamed in agony.

When Luffy reached the ship, Zoro was already raising the anchor.

"Hey, I got them!" Luffy screamed to the swordsman.

"Get on, we're ready to go!" Zoro in the memory yelled.

Luffy turned around to check on his crewmates and saw Usopp and Sanji laying dazed in his grip. "Huh, you guys still asleep?" He shrugged and dragged them onto the Going Merry.

"Jerk," Usopp muttered. He was going to get Luffy for this one day.

The sails were opened and the Strawhats sailed away from Whiskey Peak.

While they were sailing away, Vivi told them how many hunters would most likely be after them, while Sanji and Usopp complained about wanting to stay another night at Whiskey Peak. Nami 'discussed' what had happened to them. According to her, she skipped the boring details, which made current Sanji and Usopp rub their heads in remembrance.

It was close to morning by the time they cleared the island. It looked like they made a clean escape.

"Well, it is a good thing you got away from your pursuers," an unfamiliar voice said.

"It sure is," Nami in the memory said in a relieved voice.

"Watch out for shallows so you do not strike the hull," the voice continued.

"You can count on me!" Nami shouted confidently. She slowly realized that she didn't recognize who the speaker was. "Um, what that you, Luffy?"

Luffy gave her a baffled look.

Nami paled as she slowly turned around.

"Nice ship," said a woman who was sitting comfortably on the railings.

Seeing the stranger startled Nami, while Luffy gave her a blank stare.

Vivi gasped in horror.

"Who's that!?" Zoro in the memory demanded, touching the hilt of his sword.

The woman was wearing a rather revealing purple outfit with a cowboy hat to match. Her eyes were somewhat hidden under her hat, but the Strawhats could clearly see that she was staring at them.

"Hm, so Robin finally makes her appearance," Franky mused.

"I've never seen you wear that outfit before," Brook said with a note of disappointment. At just the right angle, he could see her panties.

Chopper blinked. It was Robin, but like Vivi, she looked different. There was an aura of almost vicious cruelty around her. She also looked smug, not a personality trait he would connect with Robin.

Robin stared blank faced at her former self. To her, it seemed like a lifetime ago since she had seen that person. She was not missed.

"You, you're...!" Vivi stuttered in shock and fear.

"I saw Mr. 8 not long ago, Miss Wednesday," Robin in the memory informed coldly.

Vivi's eyes blackened. "You killed Igaram!"

Franky and Brook stared at Robin in shock.

"You killed that man, Robin-san?" Brook asked in disbelief.

Robin sighed, ashamed of her past action. "No, I just set it up to look that way."

"Well, that was one hell of setup job you pulled. How did anyone survive that?" Franky asked.

Robin chose not to answer.

"Even if you did, why the hell are you on my ship?" Luffy demanded. "Who are you?"

"What are you doing here, Miss All-Sunday!?" Vivi screamed.

"Miss All-Sunday?" Nami questioned. "Which number partner is it this time?"

"Mr. 0, the Boss' partner," Vivi said gravely.

"Crocodile's!?" Nami screamed.

"So, she's a bad guy," Luffy growled.

"She's the only one allowed to know the Boss' true identity," Vivi explained as she continued to glare hatefully at Robin. "We shadowed her in ordered to find out who he really was."

"She shadowed Robin?" Franky asked before he laughed. "Is such a thing even possible?"

The Robin in the memory confirmed, no. "Or, more precisely, I let you shadow me."

"Oh, so she's a good guy," Luffy said brightly.

"I knew it. And then the one who informed the Boss of his exposed identity was you!" Vivi yelled.

"Correct," Robin said in a bored tone.

"So, she's the bad guy," Luffy finally concluded, pouting.

"Just stay out of it," Zoro said dryly.

"Just what are your intentions!?" Vivi demanded.

Robin sighed. "Who knows, but you sure are serious about it. I just had to cooperate. A Princess who actually thinks she can make enemies out of Baroque Works and save her country, it was so ridiculous."

Brook narrowed his eyes at Robin's cruel words. This didn't sound the person he had grown to respect and care for. It was like listening to a different person who had the face of his friend.

Vivi gritted her teeth in anger. "You shut your mouth!"

Just as Vivi screamed, Sanji and Usopp came. Sanji held a gun to Robin's head, while Usopp had his slingshot ready.

"What, Sanji's pointing a gun at Robin!?" Chopped exclaimed in disbelief.

"I thought you couldn't hurt a woman," Brook said.

"I can't," Sanji said as he smoked his cigarette.

"But…" Brook started.

"He was bluffing," Zoro said. "The cook could never hurt anyone of the opposite sex. He's just trying to scare Robin."

"Still, to even hold a gun to a lady..." Franky said, still not quite believing what he was seeing.

Zoro and Nami also got their weapons ready while Luffy stood on guard.

Robin looked annoyed at all of them. "Would you mind not pointing such dangerous things at me?"

She used her powers to toss Sanji and Usopp off the railing, while she disabled Nami by knocking her staff out of her hands. Zoro also lost his sword before he knew what was happening.

"A Devil Fruit!?" Zoro in the memory exclaimed in shock.

Zoro sighed at his past self. It was a dishonor how easily he had lost his sword. His inexperience with fruit users was so transparent.

"What? What kind of ability is it!?" Nami in the memory asked, frightened.

Sanji in the memory finally laid eyes on Robin and hearts came out of his eyes. "Wow, looking from here, she's a beautiful woman!"

Robin chuckled at him. She turned her attention back towards Vivi. "Really, do not be in such a rush. I am not under any orders at the moment. So, I have no reason to fight you."

While she was talking, Robin used her ability to casually steal Luffy's hat. She caught it and spun it around lazily in her hand.

"Robin stole Luffy's hat!?" Chopper exclaimed. Robin really was different.

"Damn Robin, did you have a death wish?" Franky asked.

Usopp nodded. "There's no easier way of getting on Luffy's crap list than doing that."

"It's strange seeing you like this again," Nami said to the older woman.

"I must agree. It is like looking at another person," Robin said softly.

"So, you are the famous Strawhat captain," Robin in the memory mused as she looked over Luffy. "Monkey D. Luffy."

"Give back my hat!" Luffy yelled enraged. "You want to fight!"

"You're not welcome here, so get off this ship, you jerk!" Usopp yelled from his hiding place behind the mast.

"What bad luck," Robin in the memory said as she mockingly put Luffy's hat on her head. "You pirates picked up a princess that Baroque Works wants dead and that princess is being protected by such a small number of pirates. Your worst luck, however, is the route your Log Pose is pointing."

Nami looked at the Log Pose in horror.

"The name of the next island is Little Garden," Robin revealed. "My dears, even if we do nothing to stop you, you will not make it to Alabasta. You will be destroyed."

"Who cares, give me back my hat!" Luffy screamed.

"Rushing towards a place where you will die sounds awfully foolish," Robin in the memory said as she tossed something towards Vivi. She also returned Luffy's hat.

"Was Little Garden that bad?" Franky asked.

Nami put her hand on her chin. "We did run into some problems and we were almost killed. Can't say, however, that it was any worse than some of our other adventures."

"I knew that Baroque Works' agents were on the island and I honestly did not believe you could handle them. I also knew that it would have taken the Log Pose over a year to reset and you would be trapped without an Eternal Pose," Robin explained before she paused for a moment. "Plus, the giant goldfish would have mostly killed you if attempted to leave."

Nami nodded in understanding. If it wasn't for Dorry and Brogy, that giant fish would have ate them whole.

"An Eternal Pose," Vivi whispered as she looked at the object in her hand.

"With this, you can avoid Little Garden," Robin said with a smug smile. "This needle points towards Nanimonai Island just short of Alabasta. Since none of our members know this route you will not be followed."

Nami in the memory looked at Robin in shock, while the older woman continued to give her a smug look.

"You know, Robin, I'm been meaning to ask you this for a while, but what exactly is Nanimonai Island?" Nami asked. "I've never seen it mentioned on any sea chart."

Robin lowered her eyes. There was a strange expression on her face. It was a look that Nami had never really seen on the other woman's face. After a few seconds, Nami recognized what the look was. Robin was embarrassed.

"Robin..." Nami started.

"It is nothing to be concern about," Robin said slowly. "I will say that when I gave you that Eternal Pose, I was both testing and demeaning you."

This confused Nami even more.

Luffy walked over to Vivi and grabbed the Eternal Pose out of her hands. He then proceeded to crush it into nothingness. Once nothing remained of the Eternal Pose, he turned to glare defiantly at Robin.

Nami promptly kicked Luffy in the face, knocking him to the deck. "Idiot, are you completely stupid!? She just told us the best way to go! What if she was trying to help us!?"

Luffy stared up at Nami for a moment before he turned his eyes once again towards Robin. "You don't decide the course of this ship!"

They both stared at each other for a few seconds. Neither one of them moved, as if sizing up the other.

"Oh, how unfortunate," Robin in the memory said in amusement, although she did not sound very surprised. In fact, she sounded almost pleased.

Robin gave a small smile, knowing what her past self was thinking. It was the reaction she was expecting from him. She expected no less from a man who carried the name of D.

Nami in the memory was still very upset.

"She blew up the cross-dressing guy. I hate her," Luffy said bluntly.

Robin flinched when she heard Luffy used that word. It hurt hearing how much Luffy disliked her, although she did everything possible to make herself as unlikeable as possible. How times had changed her.

Robin in the memory began to walk off the ship. "Well, I do not like those high spirits. If you survive, let us meet again."

"No," Luffy said bluntly.

This earned a chuckled from Robin.

"Hard to believe how much Luffy went through to save you, given your first meeting," Franky said as he thought about Enies Lobby. His dislike for Robin was almost as bad as his first meeting with Luffy.

"It is something to see," Robin said with a soft smile as she looked at the younger boy. "I guess it shows that once he has accepted you as part of his crew, nothing of the past matters anymore."

Franky nodded. "I also know that for a fact."

The Robin in the memory jumped off the Going Merry and onto an awaiting sea turtle. She sailed away from the Strawhats pirates and the memory ended.

 

 


	15. Drum

In the latest memory the Strawhats went to mostly showed Luffy's battle with Mr. 3 and Miss Goldenweek in Little Garden.

For the Strawhats who didn't know about this event, they were horrified and a little amused to see their crewmates slowly being turned into wax figures by a spinning giant pumpkin on what looked like an oversized birthday cake. If it wasn't for the fact that their crewmates were slowly dying, it would have been outright funny.

What added to the humor was that Nami, Vivi, and Zoro were bantering back and forward about their situation. Zoro even had the nerve to strike a pose since he wanted to look awesome if he had to die as a statue, which amused Robin but annoyed Usopp and Chopper to no end.

In many ways, the past Strawhat members had every reason not to worry about being saved. Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine had already proven to be no match for Luffy and Mr. 3, despite all his bragging about taking down a high bounty criminal, was easily beaten - by his own ability no less.

It would have been an easy victory, if Miss Goldenweek weren't there. Despite looking like a young, awkward child and barely speaking more than one sentence, Luffy was completely outmatched against her.

Each time Luffy attempted to free his trapped friends from their wax prison, Miss Goldenweek would ensnare him in one of her color trap, rendering him powerless. Her first trap made Luffy impassively watched his friends die despite their pleas for help. Seeing Luffy so disconnected disturbed Chopper, Usopp, and Brook the most. Given how much Luffy cared and love his crew, Miss Goldenweek's spell much have been extremely powerful.

Her second trap (which she painted on his shirt this time) made Luffy roll on the ground helplessly in laughter almost like he was being tickled. He was literally gasping for air from laughing so hard. Nami yelled at him to removed his shirt, Luffy couldn't even stand up without falling into hysterically. Luckily, this trap didn't last long since Usopp and Carue rubbed the paint off when they ran him over trying to get a way from Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine. The scene was almost comical, although Usopp didn't think it was funny.

When Luffy attempted to attack Miss Goldenweek directly, she just painted a red bullseye on the ground, making Luffy attack that spot despite his best efforts to control himself.

As if bored messing with him, Miss Goldenweek's last trap made Luffy serene and had him peacefully have tea with her.

What made the entire scene disturbing was that Luffy was fully aware that his friends were dying in front of him, but he couldn't break the spell as he had his picnic with Goldenweek, who calmly ate crackers. His face twisted in pain and determination, but all he could say was how good the tea was.

Even when Usopp was yelling at him about what the hell he was doing, Luffy didn't have the willpower to move. Instead, he sat and hummed peacefully as his friends turned to wax beside him.

"Not a match at all," Brook murmured. It was heartbreaking to see someone as strong willed as Luffy being pacified so easily. He knew something was wrong with him, but he still couldn't make himself move. He could only imagine Luffy's frustration and pain.

"Miss Goldenweek is possibly the worst match for Luffy," Robin stated, slightly disturbed by what her former comrade did to her captain. "He simply does not have the mental defense to fight her."

Truthfully, she had never seen anyone break Miss Goldenweek's spell, regardless of mental will. That girl could have been their most powerful agent if she was not so passive.

"I can understand how colors can influence a person's mood, but how can she do it even when the person isn't even looking at the color?" Brook asked as he watched Luffy quietly drink his tea.

"To be honest, I am not sure myself," Robin answered after some thought. "The closest I can figure is that Miss Goldenweek's hypnosis is so powerful that the colors even making contact with the person influence their mood and behavior."

"At the very least, Miss Goldenweek wasn't bad enough to do really terrible things to Luffy," Chopper said. He inwardly shivered remembering all too well what happened the last time Luffy was mentally controlled.

Franky nodded. "Yeah, that's true. In fact, you could almost say that little girl was humoring him. The most painful thing she physically did was make Luffy laugh himself silly."

"I will never understand how someone with such a strong will can be so easily manipulated," Sanji said, but said nothing more on the subject.

A long silence followed after Sanji spoke. For the Strawhats, being reminded of Luffy's inability to effectively fight mind control was a taboo topic.

With the help of Usopp and Carue, who burnt Luffy's vest off, he was finally able to overcome Miss Goldenweek's spell and free his cremates from their wax tombs by using the fire that was burning on Mr. 3's head.

"Fool, putting his own weakness in plain sight," Robin said as she rubbed her forehead. It was hard to believe she worked with these people. It was even more embarrassing that she thought this fool could kill her crew.

"That's how you got sick!" Chopper suddenly exclaimed when she saw Nami running around with only a bra and shorts. He then looked at Vivi and Luffy who were also walking around with almost no clothes on. "It's surprising that those two didn't get sick too."

"Huh, what are you talking about?" Sanji asked in bafflement.

"She..." Chopper started, but Nami quickly covered his mouth.

"It's nothing." Nami laughed nervously before given the young doctor a death glare, stopping Chopper from talking further on the subject.

The memory ended when Luffy was able to see through Mr. 3's wax figure trick and kicked him in the face.

"I still want my fire sword," Zoro said after moment of silence.

"Is that all you can say!?" Nami snapped at the swordsman.

Brook looked towards Sanji. "Where were you? I didn't see you at all in the memory."

Sanji cough nervously. "I was busy doing other things."

"He was goofing off, per usual," Zoro said nonchalantly.

"What was that!?" Sanji growled at his rival. "I work the hardest on this crew next to Nami-san cooking for your ungrateful ass, you lazy pile of moss!"

Zoro turn his nose. "Excuses, excuses."

Sanji looked ready to kick Zoro in the face.

"Zoro's right. We could have really used your help back there," Usopp growled at the cook, stopping him from attacking Zoro.

"Hey, I got an Eternal Pose to Alabasta and I made Crocodile believe you were dead," Sanji said defensively. "It all worked out for the best." Although, he wanted to be the one to save Nami-san and Vivi-chan.

Usopp still grumbled under his breath. Being nearly blown up by a bomb Devil Fruit user and nearly crushed by a one-ton woman wasn't his idea of it all working out.

Robin put her hand on her chin. "So, that is how you tricked us. Well played, Sanji."

Sanji spun happily.

The memory came and the Strawhats were back on the Going Merry. Everything seemed normal, except Luffy and Usopp were singing and dancing to some random song they made up about Elbaf and giants. The duo seemed incomplete without Chopper fooling around with them.

Zoro was also on deck training as usual. He was muttering something about getting stronger so he could cut through anything. He was apparently still pissed about being unable to cut through Mr. 3's wax.

Once Sanji brought the treats out for the ladies, Luffy and Usopp ran into the kitchen to get their snacks. The duo was happily munching away on Sanji's pastries when Vivi's shouts got their attention.

"Everyone, come quick. There's trouble!" Vivi screamed in panic.

All the Strawhats went rushing out of the kitchen to see what was the matter.

"What's wrong, Vivi?" Luffy asked with a mouthful of food still in his mouth.

"Nami has come down with a high fever!" Vivi shouted.

This made Sanji completely knock Usopp and Luffy out of his way. "What!? Nami-san has what!?"

When the Strawhats finally got down the stairs, they saw Nami lying on her side on the deck. She was sweating badly and her cheeks were flushed. She also appeared to be in pain and was breathing heavily.

Chopper gritted his teeth and turned away. He couldn't stand to see his crewmates sick or injured and he could do nothing to help. It may be a memory, but it was too much for the tiny reindeer. It didn't helped that he knew Nami's disease was fatal if she didn't get treatment soon.

Brook also had to turn his head. Nami looked like his sick crewmates during their final days.

The Strawhats rushed Nami to bed where Vivi spent the better part of an hour attempting to bring Nami's fever down. So far, her efforts had done nothing to ease Nami's suffering.

"Is Nami-san going to die, Vivi-chan?" Sanji in the memory asked as tears streaked down his cheeks. He looked absolutely devastated.

"It is probably due to the climate," Vivi said as she wet a towel in a bowl of water and proceeded to wipe Nami's burning forehead. "One of the obstacles seafarers invariably face upon entering the Grand Line is the treatment of illness due to the unnatural climate. It is not unusual for fearless pirates, even those with great reputations in other seas, to succumb to illness and die."

Brook nodded and bowed his head sadly. "I know that to be painfully true."

Vivi looked worriedly at Nami. "Even the slightest of symptoms may lead to death if they are not treated immediately."

Sanji really began to wail. "Nami-san!" He cried into his arm.

"Is there anyone on this ship who has the slightest medical knowledge?" Vivi asked desperately.

Without a word, Luffy and Usopp pointed to Vivi.

Vivi turned her head back to Nami. It was clear by her expression that she knew that they were in trouble.

"Seeing your guys' past battles, the fact you survived so long without a proper doctor is a miracle in itself," Franky said.

"Indeed," Robin said with a nod.

"That's because I knew enough about medicine to keep these idiots alive. Luffy, despite all his fights, never needed anything more than basic first aid and Vivi and I were able to sew Zoro's feet up after he tried to cut them off," Nami explained. "Usopp, largely because he ran away all the time, avoided any serious injuries."

"Hey, what does that mean!?" Usopp yelled angrily.

"What!?" Chopper shouted, stopping Usopp from saying anything further. "What's this about sewing Zoro's feet?"

"Luffy didn't see it, which is why there is no memory of it," Nami said. "When we were trapped in that wax, Zoro attempted to free himself by cutting his feet off. Did you ever wonder why Zoro has those scars around the top of his ankles?"

"I...I thought they were done in battle. I never considered..." Chopper stuttered before he turned towards the swordsman, completely enraged. "What the hell were you thinking!?"

Zoro crossed his arms, knowing he was going to get an earful. Damn that witch. "It was the only thing I could think to do until Luffy arrived. Besides, I wasn't trying to escape. I was trying to fight."

"Are you crazy!?" Chopper continued to rant. "Do you know how hard it is to reattach limbs!? You could have also gotten a serious infection and died!"

"But I didn't," Zoro answered nonchalantly.

"That isn't the point!" Chopper screamed louder.

"But she'll get better if we give her some meat, right?" Luffy's voice broke the argument.

"Meat doesn't cure everything, Luffy!" Chopper yelled at his captain. Why was his crew so naive and reckless with their health?

Sanji in the memory stopped crying for a moment. "Well, I am going to prepare her some food that will help her recovery, but all that amounts to is nursing. Just feeding her the right foods won't be enough." His face fell even more. "And besides, while we're at sea, I make Nami-san and Vivi-chan's food with a hundred times more care than yours. I give them all the freshest meats and vegetables and all the rotten shit I give to you guys."

"What!?" Usopp in the memory exclaimed.

"Asshole," Zoro muttered.

"That's nice to know," Franky grumbled.

"But even that tastes good!" Luffy exclaimed, not at all offended.

"In any case, as long as I am the ship's cook, there will never be a problem with nutrition," Sanji said. "To prepare food for a sick person, however, you have much to consider. What her symptoms are and what she requires nutritionally. I cannot make that kind of diagnosis."

Chopper nodded in agreement, glad to have at least one sane person. Despite not knowing much about medicine, Sanji was very wise on this topic.

"Just feed her all of them," Luffy said, not understanding a thing Sanji said.

"What sick person has the energy to do that?" Sanji in the memory asked in annoyance.

Vivi was checking Nami's temperature and her eyes widened at what she saw. " O…one-hundred and four degrees!? Her fever has gone up!"

Franky whistled. "At that temperature, your body practically cooks itself."

"If her temperature goes up four more degrees, she will die," Robin said bluntly.

"Don't say that so calmly!" Usopp yelled.

Nami also paled by how casually Robin had stated her death.

Chopper sighed. "Robin is, unfortunately, correct. A temperature of one-hundred and eight will kill a person in minutes."

"There will be a doctor in Alabasta, right?" Usopp in the memory asked. "How much longer before we get there, Vivi?"

Vivi said nothing for a moment. "I am not sure, but I do not think we can possibly get there within a week."

"Is being sick really that painful?" Luffy asked his crewmates.

"Don't know, never been before," Usopp and Sanji answered together.

"That isn't true, Usopp," Chopper said to the sniper, causing Usopp to cough nervously.

"You've never been sick before, Sanji-san?" Brook asked.

Sanji shrugged. "Nothing more than colds, really. The sickest I've ever been is when that shitty geezer tried to break my ribs in."

"Just what are you people!?" Vivi screamed in disbelief. "Can you not see how much pain Nami is in!? A fever of one-hundred and four is dire!" She quickly calmed herself before continuing. "With a fever that high, that means her sickness may be life-threatening."

This got the entire room into an uproar. All the Strawhats completely freaked out.

"Nami's going to die!" Luffy screamed in horror, while Sanji broke down into a stream of tears.

The scene would have been tragic, if the reactions of the crewmembers weren't so over the top that it reached the point of being comical.

"Pull yourselves together and calm down!" Vivi yelled at the group of pirates.

Luffy, however, was beyond Vivi's reach. "We have to find a doctor! We have to save Nami!"

"I know, please calm down!" Vivi pleaded. "You are going to disturb her!"

"No," Nami suddenly spoke, silencing the entire room. "No..." she repeated before slowly sitting up.

"Nami?" Vivi asked worriedly.

"Oh, she's cured!" Luffy cheered happily.

"No, she's not!" Usopp in the memory yelled as he bonked Luffy on the head.

"Luffy has been around abnormal people for too long," Sanji said.

Chopper shook his head and sighed. "He never could understand how a normal person's body works."

"That's because he was raised by monsters," Nami answered dryly. It also didn't help that Luffy couldn't interact with normal people without the fear of hurting or killing them.

Nami in the memory took several deep breaths as she pushed the towel away from her head. "Look in my desk drawer...there's a newspaper."

Vivi followed Nami's instructions and was horrified at what she read. Apparently, the situation in her kingdom was even worse than she thought. Three-hundred of Alabasta's Imperial Soldiers had defected and joined the Rebel Army. To make things even worse, the paper was three days old. Alabasta was truly on the brink of a massive civil war.

The revelation sent Vivi to her knees, on the verge of tears. She knew if this war happened, countless people would die.

Robin lowered her head as she listened to the panic, fear, and anger in Vivi's voice. She may not have wanted to give Crocodile the ancient weapon, but she still helped him rip a country apart to get what she wanted. She felt disgusted with herself.

Nami glanced at Robin, knowing she must've felt guilty. She could, however, think of nothing to say to comfort her crewmate. These were her past sins that she had to deal with.

"I'm sorry," Nami in the memory said weakly. "Even if I showed it to you, it wouldn't have changed our ship's speed. I thought it would only cause you more stress, so I hid it from you." She looked towards her captain. "Do you understand, Luffy?"

Luffy said nothing for a moment before he finally nodded. "I got the impression that things are very bad."

"That's an understatement," Usopp muttered as he remembered the mess in Alabasta.

"Good, you picked up more than I thought you would," Nami in the memory said.

"But if we don't get you to a doctor soon..." Usopp in the memory started.

"I'm fine, that thermometer is just broken," Nami tried to say dismissively. "No one can have a body tempter that high. It's probably just heat stroke." She forced herself out of bed. "I don't need to see any doctor. It will go away on its own." She fully stood up and walked towards the door. "Let's just head straight for Alabasta liked we planned." She stopped for a moment and turned to face her crew. "Thanks for worrying about me."

She walked up the stairs with some effort. There was a long silence in the room.

"So, she's cured?" Luffy asked in confusion.

The memory faded.

"Nami, didn't you know how sick you were?" Chopper asked. "You could have died."

"I knew that, but I wanted to help Vivi," Nami said as she lowered her eyes. "At the time, helping her meant more to me than my health. Millions of people were about to die needlessly. I couldn't delay our arrival just because I became ill."

Franky began to sniff and wipe his eye. "That's so beautiful, sis."

"Nami-swan is a saint with a heart of gold!" Sanji cooed.

For once, Zoro had no smartass remark to make. What Nami did was truly selfless, even if he would never tell her personally. At the same time, Nami was also being selfish. How did she think the crew would have reacted if she had died?

A memory appeared and they were back in Nami's room. Some time had passed since and Nami looked even worse than before. Her face was nearly completely red and she was gasping for air. She grimaced as pain tore through her weaken body.

Franky and Brook were shocked by how much Nami had deteriorated. It looked like she was burning away from the inside out.

Chopper subconsciously tracked the Kestia's infection. From the looks of Nami's condition, it has been about two days since she was infected.

Robin frowned when she saw how deathly ill Nami was. Even though she was no expert in medicine, she could tell that Nami was days away from death. From the symptoms and given that they just left Little Garden, she was infected by the Five-Day disease.

Nami was unnerved viewing how terrible she looked. Her memories of her sickness were vague at best. She only had a shattered recollection of what happened. From the looks of it, that was a blessing.

Luffy, Sanji, and Vivi were surrounding Nami's bedside, given her concern looks. Sanji had greatly calmed down from earlier and was able to tend to Nami without having a breakdown.

Vivi kept a calm outwards appearance, given that the crew depended on her to treat and care for Nami until they found a doctor. Although, the concern and fear were clear in her face and body manners.

Luffy looked worried. He stared at Nami with what could be described as fear in his eyes. It was very unlike him. Unlike earlier, it had fully sunk in that his precious crewmate was deathly sick and in pain.

"Maybe...are you certain she isn't just hungry?" Luffy asked, breaking the somber silence.

Sanji and Vivi both gave him annoyed looks, although there was also a glint of pity in their eyes. There seemed to be a general understanding that Luffy simply could not grasp what was happening.

"If that's really the reason why Nami's like this, then maybe we should try feeding her a bunch of meat!" Luffy exclaimed, thinking he came up with a brilliant idea.

"That only works for you, Luffy," Usopp said dryly.

"Huh, never thought I would see the day when Luffy offers anyone food," Franky said with a weak chuckle. "I thought he said only heroes do that."

"Shut up," Sanji in the memory mutter in annoyance. It was obvious that his patience only went so far, even if he did feel sorry for Luffy.

"Come on, Nami! Cheer up!" Luffy yelled almost desperately as began to twist pieces of his face like a circus balloon. "Check this out! You're going to love it!"

"What's that supposed to be?" Franky asked, freaked out by how Luffy was deforming his face. Was he trying to give Nami nightmares.

"It's supposed to be funny, but it's really just creepy," Zoro said, remembering how Luffy scared the living daylight out of him. Thankfully, no one was around to hear him scream.

Nami nodded in agreement. That just wasn't normal.

Chopper tilted his head. "I've never seen Luffy manipulating his face like that."

With his face twisted and tied up, Luffy started to make faces at Nami like she was a three years old.

If Nami was well, two things would have happened. The reaction that Luffy was looking for was for Nami to turn her head and laugh at how stupid he looked. Most likely, if Nami saw Luffy's face at that moment, she would have screamed in horror and hit him on the head.

Unfortunately for Luffy, none of the above happened. Nami didn't even flinch at Luffy's antics. She was too lost in her feverish sleep to notice anything.

Luffy paled at the lack of any reaction. His body shook as the full weight of Nami's illness hit him. "No...change! At all!"

Nami felt her heart go out to Luffy. Even thought he was being stupid at the moment, it was all because he was worried about her and he wanted to help her.

Luffy, however, was completely helpless in this situation. If this sickness was a physical entity like Arlong, then Luffy would have beaten it back with his bare fists. A disease was not physical. Luffy could only watch helplessly as an invisible enemy slowly killed her.

Despite how hopeless Luffy was, Nami couldn't stop herself from being touched by Luffy's concern.

"I know, dowse her in water," Luffy said as he stared at Nami. "That will fix her."

Chopper sighed. Luffy never did understand that fevers don't work like that. Putting a person with a high fever in water could kill them if it wasn't done right.

This comment taxed the last of Vivi and Sanji's patience and they kicked Luffy across the room.

The memory shifted slightly and Luffy was now alone in the room with Nami. This surprised some of the Strawhats since Luffy was usually not allowed to be alone with a sick person. They knew Luffy only meant well, but his good intentions could serious hurt a person.

Luffy sat in the chair with a somber expression on his face, no longer having the energy to try to cheer Nami up. It was very subtle, but he looked closed to tears.

Nami was left speechless by the expression. That look on Luffy's face reminded her of him when he was a child in his village.

Footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs and the Strawhats saw Vivi entering the room.

"Luffy, you don't have to stay down here," Vivi said gently. "I can take over looking after Nami. You should go into the kitchen and get something to eat. Sanji made you a lot of meat."

Luffy said nothing for several seconds. "Not hungry."

It was like a bomb went off among the Strawhats.

"He's not hungry!?" Franky exclaimed in disbelief. "My god, the world must have ended!"

"Did Luffy-san catch Nami's illness too!?" Brook yelled in equal disbelief.

"But he doesn't look ill and Nami's sickness isn't contiguous," Chopper said, going into doctor mood. Despite his calm voice, he was close to panicking.

"Luffy doesn't eat when he's worried or upset," Zoro said, calming his crewmates.

He remembered all too well how Luffy went almost an entire day without eating after his duel with Usopp. His worry for Robin also didn't help his appetite. They had to practically force him to eat before going to the mansion. He remembered that time very well since Luffy also didn't smile at all during that day. He didn't even bothered to pretend to be happy.

"I was so concerned about Nami-san that I honestly didn't notice that he hadn't come up for breakfast," Sanji said, feeling slightly ashamed. Then again, no one really ate during those terrible couple of days.

Vivi frowned as she walked towards Luffy. There was a moment of silence before she spoke. "Luffy..."

"I'm so useless," Luffy said before Vivi could finish her sentence.

Vivi was not expecting that.

"Nami's hurt, yet I can't do anything. I can't even make her smile," Luffy said somberly.

"Luffy, you are doing everything you can," Vivi assured gently. "We are all doing everything we can."

"Then, why isn't it enough?" Luffy asked quietly, still staring at Nami. He paused. "Nami's dying."

The bluntness of that statement knocked the wind out of the crew. It sounded like he was admitting defeat.

Vivi was also taken off-guard by the statement. "We do not know that for sure."

"She is," Luffy said in an emotionless voice. "I've seen death too many times not to know what it looks like."

Chopper paused. This conversation sounded like the one Zoro and he had when Luffy was sick.

Vivi bit her lips, not sure what to say for a moment. "Luffy...she will be fine once we find a doctor. You have to believe that."

Luffy said nothing.

"I know it is tough, but you have to be strong," Vivi said. "You are this crew's captain. If you show doubt or worry, it will affect them. You cannot lose hope."

Luffy frowned deeper. "I wanted to become stronger so no one else would disappear. But someone is disappearing before my eyes. Vivi, what can I do?"

Vivi could not answer and the memory faded away.

Nami felt tears build in her eyes. She didn't know she caused so much pain, especially to Luffy.

Sanji sighed. "That was a terrible time for all of us."

Usopp nodded. He forgotten how close they came to losing Nami. It was a time he wanted to forget.

"It all worked out," Robin said, wanting to lift the somber atmosphere. It was not natural for her crew to be depress.

Nami wiped her tears and smiled. "Yeah, it did. We got the greatest doctor in the world out of this."

Chopper blushed and fought the urge to dance. "That doesn't make me happy, you jerk!"

The new memory appeared and the Strawhats were on the deck of the Going Merry. This time, there was a thin layer of snow on the deck and the sky was a light gray as flakes of snow gently fell.

"Must be near a winter island," Zoro said.

Chopper started to gasp and tear up.

"Chopper, what's wrong?" Brook asked worriedly.

"It...It's home!" Chopper exclaimed as he ran to the side of the ship.

Up a head was an island with several mountains that looked like giant drums. It was nearly completely white since it was covered in snow.

"Drum...it has been so long," Chopper said as he started to cry. He was beginning to feel homesick. He wondered how Doctorine and others were doing.

"You have a beautiful home, Chopper," Robin said with a smile.

"Haven't seen a winter island quite like this before. It looks almost enchanted," Franky said in mild awe.

They heard Luffy scream and the crew turned to see their rubber captain sitting on Merry's head. He was yelling in excitement at seeing the new island.

"Luffy-san loves sitting there," Brook noted.

Zoro smiled fondly. "It was his favorite seat."

"Hey, why doesn't he sit on Sunny's head like that?" Franky suddenly asked.

"White, it's so white!" Luffy yelled with stars in his eyes. "I bet it's snow! An island of snow!"

"Luffy, I shouldn't have to tell you this, but you can't go on any adventures right now," Sanji in the memory said patiently. "We have to find a doctor. After we take care of Nami-san, we're going to leave right away."

Luffy didn't bother to listen to him. "Snow is so fun. It's so white," he said almost dreamily.

"He isn't listening," Sanji in the memory sighed in defeat.

"Snow...I love snow because it's so white," Luffy continued to say, completely unaware of anything. He was close to singing.

"Guess I'll prepare to dock," Sanji said as he walked away from his daydreaming captain.

Within half an hour, the Merry reached the shores of the island.

The snow was pure white, the purest that Luffy had ever seen. It made the island look like it was made out of crystals instead of snow. The massive mountains also looked like giant white walls as the Going Merry sailed into the island.

"So much snow...I'm so happy!" Luffy cheered. It looked he was going to burst into tears.

Robin chuckled at her captain's joy. He was acting more childlike than usual.

"I've never seen Luffy react like that," Chopper noted.

"He just really loves snow," Zoro said in deadpan voice. "To him, this entire island is a giant white playground."

"This place is something else," Sanji in the memory said. He too appeared enchanted by the island. "Get a load of those mountains."

Usopp in the memory looked at his captain. "By the way Luffy, aren't you cold?"

Luffy was still wearing his vest with shorts and nothing else.

"The temperature is fourteen degrees," Vivi said. "At that temperature, bears start going in to hibernation."

Luffy turned towards his crew and there were several seconds of silence.

"I..it's cold!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed as he grabbed his arms and shivered.

"Could you be any slower!?" both Sanji and Usopp yelled.

"It always takes Luffy a long time to become cold," Chopper stated in thought. "I think it's because his rubber body insulates him from the colder weather."

"I just thought it was because he was an idiot," Sanji said dryly.

"Well...that could be part of it, but even when Luffy does realize he's cold, he still dresses light for the weather," Chopper said. "He can walk around in freezing temperatures for hours with shorts and sandals and get little to no frostbite. That is a physical occurrence, not a mental one."

Nami put her hand on her chin. "That's true."

"At the same time, Luffy gets hot fairly easily. When we were in Alabasta, Luffy nearly fainted several times from heat exhaustion and his skin did get unnaturally hot," Chopper said as he folded his arms. "I couldn't observe that well, however, since I had my own problems."

"It is something to think about," Franky mused.

Not long after that, the Going Merry was anchored and the Strawhats were scanning their surroundings.

"Okay, someone has to go look for a doctor," Zoro said. "Actually, we better find some people first."

Luffy, who was now wearing a coat, raised his hand. "I'll go!"

"I'm going too!" Sanji exclaimed.

"Great, get going!" Usopp yelled.

"That's far enough, pirate!" someone yelled.

The Strawhats looked around to see several dozen people surrounding them from the nearby cliffs. They appeared to have come from nowhere. None of them looked physically strong, but they all had guns.

"Oh look, you had a welcome party," Franky joked.

Brook, if he had skin, frowned. "These people seemed very hostile. I wonder what's wrong."

"Well, Luffy and the others are pirates. This is a normal reaction for most people," Robin said nonchalantly.

"We were attacked by pirates recently. That's why the people of Drum are acting meaner than usual," Chopper explained.

"Oh, some people," Luffy said dimly, taking no real notice of the danger.

"But...they don't look happy to see us," Usopp said as he nervously looked at the guns pointed at them.

The leader of the group appeared and glared down on them. He was big man wearing a green coat and appeared to have a sword on his back.

"Pirates, we hereby demand you to leave this shore immediately," the man ordered.

"We came to find a doctor!" Luffy yelled.

"We have a sick person on-board!" Vivi yelled pleadingly.

"You think you can trick us, you filthy pirates!?" someone shouted.

"This is our island!" another person yelled. "We're not going to let a bunch of pirates land here and invade!"

"Now take up your anchor and be gone!" a town person demanded. "Otherwise, we'll blow you out of the water!"

"Oh, they really hates us and we just met," Sanji said with some humor.

"Keep your mouth close!" a person yelled at Sanji as he shot near his feet, startling him.

"They're firing!" Usopp exclaimed in fear.

"You'll regret that!" Sanji growled, ready to charge the people. "Bastard!"

Vivi moved to stop the cook and got shot in the shoulder for her trouble.

"Vivi!" Luffy screamed. He turned towards the shooter, completely enraged. "Why you..."

"Take aim!" someone yelled and all the people pointed their guns at Luffy.

Everyone on the ship was on guard and ready to fight.

Luffy began to move, ready to charge their attackers. He didn't get far before Vivi wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Please, stop!" Vivi yelled in a pleading tone. "You must not fight just because of this!"

Luffy glared at Vivi.

"I'm fine. It only grazed my arm," Vivi assured. She turned away from Luffy and bowed her head before the townspeople. "As you wish, we will not dock here. But please, will you summon a doctor? Our friend is suffering with a severe illness. Please help her, I beg you!"

Luffy was dumbfounded. "Vivi..."

"You are a failure as a captain, Luffy," Vivi stated harshly without lifting her head. "Acting rashly all the time solves nothing!"

"Hey, that was unnecessary. Those people attack first," Franky said, not happy by Vivi's comment.

"It may have been harsh, but Vivi does have a point. Luffy acting reckless and attacking these people will not help anyone. It would confirm to these people that he is just another ruthless pirate," Robin said.

Although Luffy kept his face blank, it was obvious from his eyes that Vivi's words had hurt him. He could also see that Vivi was humbling herself despite bleeding badly from her wound.

"If you fight them, what will happen to Nami?" Vivi asked him.

There was a look of shame that crossed Luffy's face. For a brief second, the memory shifted to the scene with Luffy and Vivi in Nami's room.

" _I wanted to become stronger so no one else would disappear. But someone is disappearing before my eyes. Vivi, what can I do?_ "

Luffy turned towards the townspeople as the memory returned. "I'm sorry, I was wrong," he said softly. He fell to his knees next to Vivi and bowed his head humbly. He bowed so hard that his strawhat flew off. "Please call a doctor. Please...save my friend."

The townspeople stared at him for several tense seconds.

"I'll lead you to the village," the leader of the group finally said.

The memory disappeared into the mist.

Nami couldn't stop herself from smiling. "He lowered his head for my sake."

"So, it was Vivi who taught Luffy-san when to humble himself," Brook said. He knew what Luffy did wasn't easy.

"Vivi taught Luffy a lot of things despite the short time we spent together," Zoro said in a somewhat soft voice. "Learning when to put your friends before your own pride can be a hard lesson to learn."

Sanji glanced at the swordsman, but said nothing.

The void disappeared and a new memory appeared.

The Strawhats found themselves in a cozy looking house that had a stuffed snow tiger on the wall. A fire kept the place warm and gave the room an orange, earthly glow. They saw Nami lying in bed with all the Strawhats - save for Zoro - and Vivi surrounding her. The leader of the village was also there.

"Who is that guy anyway?" Franky asked as he pointed to the man.

"That's Dalton. He's the Captain of the Guard in Drum," Chopper said.

"Those mountains are the Drum Rockies," Dalton told the group. "You can a see a castle on top the peak of the tallest, center mountain."

"Castle?" Usopp questioned as he drunk his tea.

"It is without a king," Dalton explained.

"Yeah, I see it," Sanji said as he looked out the window.

"Is there something about the castle?" Vivi asked.

"The woman the people call a witch is the sole doctor of our country," Dalton said. "Doctor Kureha lives in that castle."

"What's this about a witch?" Brook asked.

"When we got to Drum, there was no other doctor besides that witch," Sanji explained. "She's Chopper's teacher and adoptive mother, I guess you could say."

"Really?" Franky said as he looked at the reindeer in surprise. "You were raised by a witch?"

Chopper nodded and smiled. "Doctorine is one of the best doctors in the world. She taught me everything I know."

"Why's she called a witch?" Brook asked.

"Well, her methods for treating patients are a little...unusual," Chopper said carefully. "She also doesn't have the best bedside manner and she tends to scare patients."

"That's an understatement," Sanji muttered under his breath as he unconsciously rub his back.

Nami nodded in agreement. Kureha was indeed a great doctor, but she never wanted to be under her care again.

"What!?" Sanji in the memory exclaimed when he heard Dalton's words. "Of all places, why does she live all the way up there!? Fine, call her down then!"

"Even if we wanted to, there is no way of contacting her," Dalton said regretfully.

Sanji growled in frustration. "And she's supposed to be a doctor!?"

"There is no denying her skills as a doctor, but she is a rather strange woman," Dalton said. "She has lived a long life of nearly one-hundred and forty years."

"Wha...what!? How old!?" Franky asked in disbelief.

"I knew she was a fossil," Zoro said.

"Amazing, she is much older than me!" Brook exclaimed.

"She must know a lot of history," Robin mused. She almost wished she met the woman.

"How the heck can she stay alive that long!?" Usopp yelled.

Chopper chuckled. "She has methods, but she won't share them with anyone. She claimed to have found the secret of eternal youth."

"It's more like long life than youth," Nami stated in a deadpan voice.

"I wonder if she's still alive?" Franky asked mostly to himself.

"I wouldn't be too concerned. That old lady will most likely outlive all of us," Sanji said in a dry voice.

"What happens when people of this country become sick or injured?" Vivi asked.

"She comes down the mountain of her own free will," Dalton explained. "She searches for patients and treats them and then takes whatever she wants from their homes as payment before she leaves."

"Sounds like one mean old hag," Usopp in the memory said.

"She sounds like a pirate," Luffy said.

"Huh, I guess when you're the only doctor around, no one can complain about the payment options," Franky mused.

Chopper nodded. "It may seem harsh, but the people of Drum didn't have much money thanks to our former king. So, Doctrine took stuff from the house as payment. She actually doesn't care much for money, but medical supplies is expensive."

"I see. It sounds like despite her nature, she has kind heart," Brook said.

Chopper gave a soft smile. "She does.

"But how does such an old woman get down from the mountain?" Vivi asked.

Dalton paused for a moment. "It's just a rumor, but several eyewitnesses have reported that on moonlit nights she takes to the sky in a sleigh and rides down. That's the reason why she is called a witch."

"Sounds like Santa Claus to me," Franky mused with a smile. "Except, instead of getting a jolly, fat guy, they get a crusty old hag."

This caused some of the Strawhats to chuckle.

"Santa who?" Chopper asked in confusion.

Usopp gave Chopper a funny look. "You were born on Christmas Eve and you don't know who Santa Claus is?"

Chopper shook his head, feeling a little stupid for his ignorance.

Zoro suddenly gave Chopper an amused smile. "I'd bet you've never heard of Rudolph either?" This earned a hard elbow from Nami.

Chopper looked even more confused.

"Santa Claus and Rudolph are both old folklores passed down in many cultures," Robin said. "I will tell you about them once everything is settled."

Chopper smiled gratefully. "Thanks, Robin."

"They also say a strange creature comes with her, the likes of which they've never seen," Dalton said.

Usopp immediately freaked out. "I knew it! I just knew there was one! An abominable snowman from the snowy peaks! I just knew there would be one! A witch with an abominable snowman! Oh please, don't let us meet it!"

Usopp blushed at his counterpart's reaction. Was he really that bad?

"She is maybe our only doctor, but that old woman does not wish to have close relations with us," Dalton said. "All we can do is wait for the next day she decides to come down from the mountain."

"Oh no," Vivi whispered in dismay.

"We don't have time to just sit around!" Sanji exclaimed in frustration as he looked out the window again. "While we do that, Nami-san is..."

Luffy got up from his seat and gently slap Nami on the cheek, enraging Vivi, Sanji and Usopp.

"Nami, can you hear me?" Luffy asked.

Nami slowly opened her eyes. She didn't look like she was really seeing anything since her eyes were fogged.

"You're awake!" Luffy exclaimed. "Listen, we can't see the doctor unless we climb a mountain. So, we're going mountain climbing."

"Are you insane!?" Sanji shouted. "What are you trying to make Nami-san do!?"

"It's okay, I'll carry her," Luffy assured.

"That will only worsen her condition!" Vivi yelled.

"What? The sooner we see the doctor, the better," Luffy said in his simple manner.

"That's true, but not like this!" Vivi yelled. "Look how steep those slopes are!"

"I can do it," Luffy said confidently.

"Maybe you can, but it would be too much stress for Nami-san!" Sanji exclaimed.

"Yeah, but even if I drop her, there's nothing but snow below us," Luffy said nonchalantly.

Chopper sighed when he heard that. Luffy had definitely been around abnormal people for too long if he thought falling off a mountain wasn't fatal.

Nami scowled slightly. Did Luffy really think she would live if she fell off that mountain? The fell would kill Zoro and Sanji for goodness sakes.

"Even a healthy person would die instantly if they fell from that mountain," Vivi yelled, voicing Chopper's thoughts.

"And her fever is six degrees above normal," Usopp argued.

Nami groaned softly, stopping all conversation. "I...I have to get better soon. Soon...for Vivi's sake." She forced her hand out from under the covers and smiled weakly. "Take care of me, captain." Her voice was filled with absolute faith.

Luffy returned the smile and slapped her hand, repeating the gesture of trust she had given him when she first joined. "You got it. Leave it to me!" he exclaimed as the memory faded.

"Running in snow with such a sick person was dangerous," Chopper lightly scolded. He wasn't mad, however. If it wasn't for Luffy's craziness, he would had never met his captain, or at least not impress Luffy enough for him to ask him to join.

"We couldn't wait. If we had waited, Vivi's kingdom could have fallen to Crocodile," Nami said, having no regrets. "Besides, I trusted Luffy. If he truly believed he could do it, he will, and he did."

Zoro nodded. "Luffy wouldn't have allowed himself to fail."

Robin could not help but smile. "You came a long way from the girl who did not like Luffy because he was a pirate. Now, you put your life in his hands without any hesitation or second thoughts."

Nami blushed at the statement, but said nothing. Her feelings had changed a lot towards Luffy within such a short amount of time.

The scene changed and the Strawhats were now within the heart of Drum. It was snowing steadily and the wind was strong. They could only see a few feet in front of them. What could still be clearly seen in the foreground were the Drum Rockies.

"It's getting colder. The wind's picking up," Luffy said.

The Strawhats saw their captain running across the snow with Nami tied to his back. She was obviously unconscious given how limp she appeared. Sanji was also with them and ran a little ahead of the rubber captain.

"You dork, why are you running around barelegged?" Sanji asked as he glanced at Luffy's legs. "It hurts looking at you!"

"Oh, it's just my polissu," Luffy answered.

"What the hell is a polissu!?" Sanji asked in annoyance. "You mean policy!"

"Yeah, that's it," Luffy said.

There was a moment of silence between the two men.

"Hey, you know what, people in snow countries never sleep," Luffy suddenly said.

This got Sanji's interest. "Huh, how come?"

"Cause if they fell asleep, they die," Luffy said in a matter-of-fact voice.

Chopper blinked. "What?"

Sanji thought about the answer for a moment. "Don't be an idiot! No person could do that!"

"It's true. I heard it from someone a long time ago!" Luffy insisted.

"They were obviously drunk," Nami said dryly.

"Some of the weirdest rumors come from bars," Zoro said.

As they talked, a giant rabbit came out of nowhere and attempted to attack Luffy. The strawhat captain easily evaded the rabbit without missing a beat.

"What was that!?" Brook yelled. "Was that a monster!?"

"Lapahn," Chopper answered.

"Lapahn?" Brook questioned.

"A vicious breed of rabbit that lives in Drum," Chopper explained.

"That's a rabbit? Huh, who would have thought," Franky said as he scratched his head with his small mechanical hands. "Although, vicious and rabbit are not two words I associate with each other."

"Usopp," Sanji said, not paying any mind to the creature that just tried to attack Luffy.

"Why would I get blamed for telling him that!?" Usopp yelled.

"No, I heard it at my village's tavern," Luffy said.

"Knew it had to be a bar," Zoro said dryly.

"Then why was there a bed in Dalton's house?" Sanji countered.

"Oh yeah!" Luffy exclaimed before he paused in through. "Well, that must be for when he dies."

This made some of the Strawhats snicker.

The lapahn attempted to attack Sanji's back, but the cook easily ducked without stopping.

A tree almost fell on Luffy and Sanji soon afterwards, but they easily jumped over the fallen trunk once it hit the snow.

"Yeah right, numbskull," Sanji in the memory said, not believing a thing Luffy said. There was another short paused before Sanji suddenly began to smile. "Hey, listen to this. The women in snow countries all have smooth skin."

"Why?" Luffy asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sanji asked with a tone of irritation. "When it's really cold, you have to rub your skin like this." He rubbed his arms with his hands to demonstrate. "That's how the skin is so smooth. Smooth skin, so white it's nearly transparent. That's what Snow Country woman are like."

"Huh, it's that white," Luffy said in awe.

"Well, it's because the color of the never-ending cloud of snowflakes soaks in their skin," Sanji explained.

While they were talking, the lapahn attempted to attack them several more times. None of its attack hit and the two Strawhats barely took noticed of it.

"Sanji, where did you get your facts from?" Chopper asked the cook.

"That's just as dumb as some of the stuff Luffy was saying," Nami said.

Sanji chose not to answer.

"Looks like Luffy isn't the only one who gets their information from drunks," Zoro teased.

"Save it, moss head!" Sanji yelled. The memory just started and he already hated it.

"You're really dumb, you know," Luffy said, unknowingly voicing the thoughts of his crew.

"Isn't that right," Zoro said, earning a growl from their Sanji.

"I don't want to hear that from you!" Sanji in the memory shouted angrily.

The lapahn attempted to attack again.

"And...you're a pain in the ass!" Sanji yelled as he kicked the lapahn away from them.

"What the heck is his problem?" Luffy asked himself, not seeing that Sanji was referring to the lapahn and not him.

"Are those rabbits actually dangerous?" Franky asked.

"They're very dangerous. Even bears in our country fear them," Chopper countered. "Sanji and Luffy aren't normal people, you know."

Luffy and Sanji ran for close to an hour in the blizzard.

"Nami-san, just hold on a little longer," Sanji said to the sick navigator. "We are going to get you to a doctor!"

"The snow is pretty deep here," Luffy noted. The snow was almost up to his knees.

"Hey Luffy, run more gently!" Sanji demanded. "You're going to jostle Nami-san's body!"

Luffy suddenly stopped. Sanji looked ahead of his captain and stopped as well. In front of them were giant abominable snowman-like rabbits. There were dozens of them and they completely blocked Luffy and Sanji's path.

"Those are some big rabbits!" Brook exclaimed.

"The little one that was attacking them earlier was just a baby," Nami observed, seeing the baby lapahn sitting on one of its parent's shoulders.

"What the hell are these!?" Sanji in the memory exclaimed.

"They're big and they're white. Must be polar bears!" Luffy concluded.

The lapahns growled at them before one of them attempted to attack the two Strawhats. It jumped high into the air, disappearing into the thick snow fall.

"It jumped!" Sanji in the memory exclaimed in shock.

Sanji didn't have time to say more before Luffy and he had to jump out of the way of the lapahn's punch. It was so strong that it easily broke the hardened snow.

"That's crazy, how can it move like that?" Sanji asked in shock. "Is it a gorilla?"

"No, they're polar bears," Luffy insisted.

"They're rabbits!" Sanji screamed at his captain.

"But you just asked if they were gorillas," Luffy pointed out.

"Those must be the lapahn that Dalton was talking about," Sanji said, ignoring Luffy. "But why are they so many?"

Nami groaned on Luffy's back, getting his attention.

"Nami?" Luffy called to her.

"Nami-san?" Sanji asked, taking his eyes off the lapahns.

"Soon...to Alabasta..." Nami whispered, completely unaware of what was happening.

"It's okay, just go back to sleep," Luffy assured in an unusually gentle voice like he was talking to a small child. "Don't worry about anything else right now."

Nami in the memory appeared to take Luffy's advised and cuddled up closer to him.

The present Nami blushed at the memory. She didn't know that Luffy could be so gentle.

Sanji in the memory smiled. "Even though her own life is in danger..." He didn't finish the sentence. "Nami-san, just hang in there a little longer. We have to reach that castle where the doctor lives." He glared at the lapahns. "Move aside, you shitty rabbits!"

Nami felt herself becoming touched again. Her crew did so much to save her. She had to find a way to thank them one day.

The lapahns started to move.

"They're coming!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Listen Luffy, whatever happens, you can't attack them," Sanji said firmly.

"Why not!?" Luffy asked.

"Idiot, if you start attacking and get hit, all the shock will be transfer to Nami-san," Sanji said. "She'll die."

Chopper nodded. "That's true. A violent shock to someone as ill as Nami will result in death."

This unnerved Luffy before his eyes hardened in understanding. "Got it, I won't fight them!"

The lapahns jumped and dived in for the attack.

"What should I do then!?" Luffy yelled as he evaded a lapahn's claw strike.

"For now, just dodge!" Sanji yelled.

Luffy did what he was told and spent the better part of a minute ducking and weaving. Sanji kicked a lapahn hard in the chest, but it did little damage.

"Shit, with all this snow under my feet, I can't get off any decent kicks," Sanji said in annoyance.

"You're useless, cook," Zoro teased.

"Shut up, moss head!" Sanji yelled, although he wasn't proud either of his past self's current performance.

"Maybe you should have carried Nami-san," Brook said.

Sanji snorted. "Believe me, I wanted to, but Luffy insisted he be the one carry her."

"As captain, it is his duty to protect the crew," Robin said.

With a twitch of one of the lapahn's ears, all the massive rabbits began to attack the two Strawhats at once, pushing them back.

"Into the woods," Sanji ordered, seeing that they stood no chance in open ground.

Luffy didn't have to be told twice as he ran into the nearby forest. He ran so fast that his hat flew off. Luffy didn't bother to double back to get it, too concerned for his crewmate's life to care. Thankfully, Sanji had the presence of mind to grab it before he ran after his captain.

Their run was quickly becoming futile since the lapahns could run seamlessly in snow while Luffy and Sanji were hampered. Still, they kept running, jumping up cliffs in an effort to lose the violent rabbits.

"God, I hated those bunnies," Sanji said as he watched the memory. Running away from an entrée was embarrassing.

Luffy and Sanji only stopped running when all the lapahns had seemly disappeared from sight.

"Are they behind us?" Luffy asked.

"No...no, they're not," Sanji said as he attempted to catch his breath.

"I guess we lost them," Luffy said with a smile.

Sanji turned around and his eyes narrowed. "No, we didn't."

In front of them, the lapahns stood in their path. This time, however, they were a good distance away from them.

"Wow!" Luffy exclaimed.

The lapahns suddenly started to jump up and down rapidly in one place.

"What are they doing?" Luffy asked. "Are they pissed because they're hungry?"

"No..." Sanji muttered. "Hold on a second." His eyes widened in realization. He was so shocked that he dropped his cigarette. "Oh shit, they're going to...! RUN!"

"Run? Run where?" Luffy asked the cook.

"Anywhere! As far as you can!" Sanji screamed, completely panicked.

A loud cracking noise could be heard and the entire landscape shook like there was an earthquake.

"The lapahns have created an avalanche!" Chopper screamed in horror.

"Is that why they were jumping in place?" Usopp asked.

"So, that's how that stupid avalanche happened," Zoro muttered. He should have figured Luffy had something to do with it. That rubber bastard attracts trouble like a vulture to a corpse.

Before Sanji and Luffy knew it, a giant wall of white appeared and was heading straight for them.

"Too late!" Sanji shouted as he turned to run.

Luffy quickly did the same and they ran back down the mountain as the pile of snow rushed towards them in an increasing speed.

"Those shitty rabbits!" Sanji in the memory screamed.

"What do we do!?" Luffy yelled in panic. He knew neither he or Sanji could outrun the avalanche.

"Like I know!" Sanji yelled. The avalanche was right at their backs. "In any case, Nami-san comes first! Protect her with your life!"

"I got it, but how!?" Luffy screamed as the avalanche snapped trees like twigs.

"How did I sleep through all of this?" Nami asked in wonder.

"You were very ill, Nami-chan," Robin said. "It was for the best that you were unaware, given that you could not help."

The two kept running for their lives until Sanji saw a nearby cliff ahead of them.

"There, that cliff!" Sanji screamed. "Run, we need to get somewhere high!"

Luffy followed Sanji towards the cliff just as the avalanche bear down on them. They jumped just a little before the avalanche engulfed them.

"We made it in ti..." Sanji started to say. He didn't finish. Instead, he looked up and saw that the avalanche was about to overtake the cliff too.

Luffy and Sanji froze in fear.

"It's no good. We're not high enough," Sanji whispered as fear overtook his face.

They were knocked off the cliff and sent flying several feet into the air.

"What do I do!?" Luffy exclaimed as he quickly descended to the ground. Hitting the rushing snow would kill Nami.

He saw his salvation when his eyes fell on several knocked down trees hovering above the avalanche. He swiftly angled himself and fell safely onto one of the tree trunks, and was now surfing down the mountain.

"Good thinking," Usopp cheered.

Luffy made a quick look around for his lost crewmate. After a few seconds, he found Sanji screaming as the avalanche carried him away.

"Sanji!" Luffy screamed as he stretched his arm. "Grab on!"

Sanji grabbed the hand and Luffy pulled him out of the flowing snow and onto the tree he was on.

"Saved," Sanji muttered as he knelt on the log.

"Yeah well, we won't be buried in snow, but we're going back down the mountain!" Luffy yelled.

"What!?" Sanji exclaimed. "You're kidding! We were about to make it to the foot of the chimney mountain! One more step and we would have been at the doctor!" He glared at his captain. "Luffy, think of some way to stop this thing!"

Luffy didn't know what to do.

"Those shitty rabbits! Next time I see them, they're going straight in the pot!" Sanji ranted.

As if hearing his promise, the lapahns reappeared. All of them were riding tree trunks like them, much to Sanji's surprise.

"What!?" Luffy exclaimed.

"What's wrong with these rabbits?" Franky asked in disbelief. "First they caused an avalanche and now they're riding down the mountain like skiers chasing after people."

"That's why the lapahns are so feared in Drum. They're super aggressive and won't stop hunting someone until they're dead," Chopper said. "Although, they seem more aggressive than normal. They usually don't cause avalanches."

"Who would have thought going to the doctor could be so dangerous," Brook muttered.

Usopp sighed. "Everything our crew does is dangerous."

"Seriously, I slept through all of this!?" Nami exclaimed.

A lapahn attempted to slash Luffy, but he was able to dodge the strike. The two Strawhats were attacked several more times by the lapahns from all angles. The rabbits were somehow able to coordinate their attacks so they always landed on a tree trunk.

"These rabbits are more dangerous than all the pirates in East Blue," Zoro muttered, impressed by the rabbits' coordination. He almost wished he'd met them. He certainly would have done a better job protecting Luffy and Nami than that useless cook.

"What should we do, Sanji?" Luffy yelled frantically. He couldn't dodge like this forever.

"There's only one thing to do...run away!" Sanji yelled as he pushed their tree to go faster.

Nothing they did, however, could get them to lose the lapahns.

"What _are_ these things!?" Sanji yelled as they were ruthlessly attacked.

Things couldn't get any worse. At least, that's what the two Strawhats thought until they looked ahead of them. Blocking their path were several broken logs perched on a cliff.

Luffy screamed. "A rock! We're going to hit it!"

"We can't afford that!" Sanji yelled. "Nami-san is on your freaking back!"

The lapahns started to attack again

"You can say that, but we're still going to hit it!" Luffy screamed as he saw the jumping lapahns surrounding them.

Without warning, Sanji grabbed Luffy by his jacket and threw him off the tree.

"You have to treat ladies with care!" Sanji exclaimed with a small smile on his face.

"Sanji!" Luffy yelled in horror.

Sanji hit the rock and went flying off the tree along with several lapahns. He did several cartwheels in the air before he landed hard into the avalanche and was carried away.

All the Strawhats winced when they saw the hit. They swore they heard Sanji's bones break.

"Dang Sanji, you must have flown like twenty feet into the air," Usopp said.

"Well, the love cook will certainly be feeling that," Zoro said with some humor, although he felt for his crewmate.

"That looked more painful than I remember," Sanji muttered.

"No wonder you had that cracked spine. You're lucky that you didn't become paralyzed or even _die_ from that impact," Chopper said.

Nami put her hand to her mouth. Sanji could have been killed because of her.

Luffy could only watch in horror before he stretched his arm to grab the cliff that Sanji just hit. He quickly climbed himself to safety before turning his head.

"Sanji!" Luffy screamed.

"I'm going under, dammit!" Sanji cussed as he was being buried in the rushing snow.

"You jerk, don't you dare be so selfish!" Luffy screamed as he stretched his arm to save his crewmate.

Sanji, like before, grabbed Luffy's hand, but the rush of the avalanche was too strong this time. Sanji was ripped from his glove, much to Luffy's distress.

"Sanji!" Luffy yelled in desperation. His voice echoed across the landscape, ending the memory.


	16. Cold Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The inspiration about Sanji having a soft spot for hands came from a fan art from deviantart. It was a picture that showed Sanji comforting Luffy while looking at his damage hands after he had climbed the mountain. After looking through the comments, one person observed that Sanji would have a soft spot for hands given how important they were to his craft and I agree with their assessment. The fanwork is called Precious Hands by SybLaTortue.

Most of the Strawhats stood still, stunned by what they had just seen as they waited within the void.

"I...I knew about the avalanche, but I didn't think you and Luffy were in the heart of it," Usopp said to Sanji.

"Yeah, those shitty rabbits made what should have been an uneventful trip hell," Sanji growled. He wished he could cook those bastard rabbits.

"Well, Dalton did tell you to go the other way because of those rabbits," Usopp pointed out.

Sanji gritted his teeth. "Give me a break. Did anyone expect those damn rabbits to cause an avalanche of all things?"

Franky shook his head. "Who would have thought that rabbits could be so dangerous."

"The lapahns' behavior was much more aggressive than usual," Chopper noted as he put his hooves to his chin. "I wonder why?"

"I had no idea that you guys went through so much to help me," Nami said softly, there was a tone of regret in her voice.

"It was my honor, Nami-san. I would do it all again for your sake," Sanji said in his most gentlemanly voice.

"It wouldn't have gotten so bad if you could handle those rabbits better," Zoro said snidely.

"What was that!?" Sanji yelled angrily.

"Can't kick in snow, really?" Zoro teased.

"I would like to see you do better, shit swordsman!" Sanji yelled.

A new memory started while Zoro and Sanji were arguing and the Strawhats were standing in a now torn up snow wasteland. There were several fallen trees and nothing but white surrounded them. It was very quiet. It was almost eerie. Only the blowing of the wind could be heard.

"Sheesh, those bunnies really messed up the place," Franky said as he looked around.

"I don't see Luffy-san," Brook said in worry as he searched for his captain.

"He is still on the ledge," Robin stated.

The Strawhats looked up to see Luffy sitting on the cliff. He looked over the ruined landscape, searching for his lost crewmate. He saw no sign of Sanji.

Without a word, Luffy untied Nami from his back and gently laid her in the snow. He then took off his jacket and wrapped it around his navigator like a blanket to keep her warm. He also used his gloves as pillows for Nami's head. Now, Luffy had no protection against the elements save for his thin vest.

"Nami, are you cold?" Luffy asked gently.

Nami didn't respond. She continued to sleep unaware of anything.

"Hang in there a little longer," Luffy encouraged as took off his hat and carefully placed it on Nami's chest. "Listen, hold on to this and wait for me here."

With that, he dove off the ledge and began his search for Sanji. He searched high and low for what felt like hours, occasionally calling Sanji's name. Only the echoes of his own voice responded to him. It was dead silent all around him. It was like he was the only person on the island. He became more desperate with each cry, breaking the Strawhats' hearts.

Sanji could only watch silently as his captain searched for him. He remembered nothing after hitting that cliff, save for soaring through the air. He had never even considered that Luffy had to look for him. Given what happened, he would have been buried alive.

Still, he couldn't be too happy that Luffy had left Nami alone lying in the snow. What if those lapahns returned? Also, that rubber idiot could have frozen given that he was practically naked in the cold. Didn't that moron ever used his brain?

"Sanji!" Luffy suddenly cried.

The Strawhats saw that Luffy had found Sanji; at least his hand.

One of Sanji's hands was sticking out of the snow, not moving. The skin on the hand was a light blue, showing that no oxygen was going to the limb.

Luffy quickly started to dig. The snow was packed, making it hard for even Luffy to dig. He didn't give up, however. He kept digging and pushing snow aside to free his cook from his icy tomb. The ice under the snow started to cut Luffy's fingers, mixing blood with the once pure white snow, but he didn't stop.

When enough of Sanji was uncovered, Luffy pulled the cook from the snow. Sanji was completely limp and blue in the face. His one visible eye was also rolled back, showing nothing but white.

Chopper was horrified by what he saw. He knew by looking that Sanji wasn't breathing.

Sanji was in shock at the shape his past self was in. He knew he was hurt in the avalanche, but he didn't know that he had practically died.

Brook's mouth dropped and his heart (regardless that he didn't have one) speeded up. Sanji was dead. All the life had been sucked out of him. He needed to be resuscitate immediately otherwise he would truly die.

"Sanji!?" Luffy shouted as he frantically slapped Sanji's cheek. He got no response.

Luffy hastily put his head on Sanji's chest and his eyes widened when he realized that there was no heartbeat. Quickly, he put his hand to Sanji's mouth and found he wasn't breathing either.

Luffy stood there stunned for a moment, not knowing what to do. Before long, his eyes narrowed in determination. He forcibly opened Sanji's mouth and looked into it, checking for snow or other blockages. When he saw nothing, he pushed Sanji's head back.

The Strawhats watched all of this in amazement. Luffy was doing nearly prefect life saving techniques. They were completely taken off-guard, however, when Luffy started doing chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the cook.

"I didn't know Luffy knew CPR," Chopper whispered as he watched his captain work.

Even Robin, who made it a point to never underestimate her captain's knowledge and intelligence, was pleasantly surprised. Luffy never failed to amaze her.

"Me either," Zoro said in shock. "And he's doing it perfectly as well."

He was more astonished that Luffy could give chest compressions without breaking the cook's ribs. Luffy tended to be heavy handed.

"Ace most likely taught him," Nami whispered in thought.

After several minutes of chest compressions, Sanji came back to life. He coughed violently and shook as he struggled to get air in his lungs.

"Sanji! Are you okay!?" Luffy screamed as he shook the cook.

Sanji didn't react to the shaking and kept coughing. Eventually, the coughing fit resided and Sanji became completely silent.

Luffy put his head back on Sanji's chest and sighed in relief.

"Dammit Sanji, don't do that again!" Luffy shouted angrily. "Don't you ever do something that selfish again, you jerk!" He was near tears as he yelled at his cook.

Sanji was touched by his captain's words. Seeing how much his captain cared for him really warmed his heart. Although, he wished Luffy didn't have to put his mouth on him to revive him. Dammit, why could he almost died in front of Nami or Vivi?

With Sanji successfully resuscitated, Luffy lifted the cook up into his arms and carried him back to the cliff where Nami rested.

He re-tied Nami to his back, but kept his jacket on her to keep her warm. Luffy lifted Sanji into one of his arms again and began the long trek back up the mountain.

The sun was fairly low, showing it would be dark in a few hours. Still, Luffy couldn't walk too fast since he now carried two people with him. The snow also heavily slowed him down.

On his way back up, he saw something move in the distance. Whatever it was, it sounded scared and desperate. Once Luffy got close enough, he could see what it was.

"It's that lapahn baby from before," Franky said.

The young lapahn was attempting to dig something out of the snow. The Strawhats could see a clawed paw sticking out.

"Looks like one of its parents got buried in the avalanche," Brook observed with some sadness.

"Hn, served that shitty rabbit right," Sanji said unsympathetically. That stupid rabbit nearly killed Nami and put them back at the bottom of the mountain.

The little lapahn cried in anguished as it tried desperately to pull its parent free. It dug some more, but only managed to hurt itself as the snow cut its paws. The poor thing looked to be on the verge of tears.

"Even after all it has done, I still feel sorry for it," Nami said sympathetically. She knew how painful it was to lose a parent.

"It's always a tragedy when life ends. Whether that life be good or bad," Brook said softly.

Chopper began to tear up despite himself. That little lapahn wouldn't survive long without its parent.

The baby lapahn stopped its digging when it heard Luffy approaching. It growled ferociously at the rubberman, trying to protect its parent.

Luffy stopped walking for a moment before he slowly approached the baby lapahn. His face was completely blank as the baby kept growling at him and shielding its parent with its own body.

When Luffy was only inches away from the young lapahn, he stopped and stared down at it. The lapahn continued to snarl, bearing its teeth at Luffy.

With his hat covering his eyes, Luffy reached down with his free hand towards the lapahn. The baby turned away and covered itself, thinking the strawhat captain was going to harm it. Instead, Luffy grabbed the giant paw and pulled the adult lapahn out of its icy tomb, stunning the baby and some of the Strawhats.

The adult lapahn groaned in pain, but it was still alive. The baby lapahn chirped in happiness as it ran to its parent and hugged it.

"He chose to save it," Nami said softly. She was almost moved to tears by Luffy's kindness. Even after all that lapahn had done, including nearly killing his crewmate, Luffy still helped that family.

"That's just the kind of guy Luffy is," Usopp said with a wide smile. It was moments like these that made him proud to have Luffy as his captain. He had such a big heart.

Zoro stood quiet, but a small smile of pride graced his lips.

"Luffy does seem to have special connection with animals," Chopper said as he took in the scene. "Between this and what happened with ChouChou, Luffy just seems to understand us."

It was hard to explain, but he always felt Luffy got him not on just a human level. With Luffy, Chopper always felt that even if he had never eaten his Devil Fruit, his captain would still understand him and see him as a friend. He supposed that was part of the reason why he followed Luffy.

Franky nodded. "Even if Luffy likes to eat meat, he does seem to take pity on beasts, no matter how much they annoyed him."

Sanji was blank-faced the entire time. Although he was still pissed at those rabbits for the hard time they had given them, he couldn't say he was upset to see Luffy helped the baby. It seemed overly cruel to leave someone to die, even if they were shitty rabbits.

Without a word, Luffy walked past the reunited rabbits, never looking back.

"Luffy, you are a good man," Robin whispered to herself.

After walking a few more minutes, Luffy stopped to look at the mountain. "I'll get there. Don't die on me. Either of you."

He resumed his hike. He didn't get too far, however, when a stomping sound got his attention. He chose to ignore it. He couldn't get distracted anymore.

"Wait, brat!" someone yelled at him.

Luffy turned his head to see who was speaking to him.

"You've brought so many humiliations upon me!" the man yelled. "I'm going to make you pay!"

Luffy stopped walking and faced the man.

The man was riding a white mammal, a hippo-like creature, and there were two other people with him. One was dressed like a court jester and the other person had a huge afro with a goatee. The speaker was a fat man with spiky blue hair and an iron jaw.

"Wapol!" Chopper exclaimed. Anger pulsed through his body when he saw the man. Even today, that man could provoke such a strong reaction from him.

"Who's that?" Brook asked.

"The old king of Drum Island," Chopper said as he growled. His fur was literally standing on end. "He's the monster who got rid of all the doctors on my island so everyone had to go to him and the Twenty MDs for treatment."

"He got rid of doctors, how horrible!" Brook exclaimed. "Why would he do such a thing?"

"Doctorine told me that Wapol created the Doctor Hunt so everyone in the kingdom would have to depend on him or risk dying from some horrible disease," Chopper said, not hiding his disgust. "Sicknesses are very common in Drum. That's why we had some of the best doctors around."

Brook shook his head in anger. "What a despicable man." How many people needlessly died because they couldn't get to a doctor? This man had no respect for life.

"If he's a king, what's he doing down here?" Franky asked. "Shouldn't he be living in a castle or something?"

"He ran away like a coward when our island was attacked by pirates," Chopper explained. "He lost his kingdom and tried to reclaim it until Luffy stopped him."

Franky snorted. "Sounds like he's a real piece of work." Strangely, the name Wapol sounded familiar to him. It was just at the edge of his memory.

"Even more, that iron jaw bastard actually played pirate for a while," Sanji said. "We actually met Wapol before we even came to Drum. Shitty glutton tried to eat our ship."

Usopp growled. "I remembered that. I spent the entire morning repairing the damage he did."

"Come again?" Brook asked in confusion. "He tried to eat a ship?"

"Wapol ate a Devil Fruit that allows him to eat anything and fuse his body into a weapon or combine other objects in his stomach," Chopper explained. "I think it was called the Munch Munch Fruit."

"Sounds like a troublesome ability," Brook noted.

"Combining objects?" Franky whispered mostly to himself as his mind went into overdrive. "Is this the same Wapol who created the Wapol Steel?"

Wapol sneered at Luffy. "I'm going to chew you up!"

"Move," Luffy said simply.

"Well aren't you the hippo," Wapol said smugly. "Why the hell should I move!?"

Luffy said nothing.

"The girl on your back and the guy you're holding look like they're dead," Wapol said.

Luffy had enough of Wapol and walked around him, much to the former king's irritation.

"Wait!" Wapol yelled, but Luffy paid no mind to him.

Luffy was several feet away from Wapol when the former king started to yell something.

"I'll start with the ones ignoring me the most! Kill the sick and injured first!" Wapol ordered his men.

Luffy immediately turned around in shock. "What!?"

Wapol's two henchmen were on Luffy within seconds.

"That bastard!" Chopper screamed in fury.

"That's low. Attacking those who can't even defend themselves," Zoro growled.

Sanji seethed in anger. "I'm going to boil that fat tube of laud if I ever see him again. How dare he orders Nami-san to be killed."

"Leave the girl on his back to me," the jester guy said.

"That leave the unconscious guy to me," the afro man said with a wide smile. He put his fist out and several spikes came out. "Eat this!"

Luffy immediately got Sanji out of harm's way, barely missing the attack. He moved to attack, but quickly stopped himself. He glanced at Nami and Sanji and knew that he couldn't fight now.

"Shit!" Luffy cursed as he made a run for it. "I'll remember this!"

However, He didn't get far before he felt he was in danger. Using pure instinct, he evaded several arrows aimed for his back by jumping out of the line of fire. Once he hit the ground again, Luffy was off running. He couldn't afford to look back.

"That shitty asshole. How dare he shoot at Nami-san?" Sanji growled. If only he could kick a memory.

Luffy ran as fast as he could, but the snow continued to dampen his movement. Nonetheless, he appeared to have lost Wapol and his men.

"Where they go?" Nami asked. She looked around and saw nothing. It was like they vanished.

"Did they give up?" Franky asked. "How did that pile of jelly move so fast?"

Chopper sneered. "Wapol would never give up that easily. He must be hiding."

"Hiding?" Brook asked asked.

"They could be using the snow to conceal themselves. Since Wapol and his men were born in this country, they would know how to best fight in snow," Robin said.

Luffy turned his head to make sure he wasn't followed. "No one's there. Did they give up?"

From the corner of Luffy's eye, he saw a giant mouth appear in front of him.

"What the heck!?" Usopp yelled when he saw it.

Luffy dodged the mouth at the last second by jumping into the air. Wapol appeared out of a snow bank just as he closed his mouth. Going into the air, however, proved to be a big mistake.

From the cover of the blizzard, Wapol's men flanked Luffy.

"This is our snow country's specialty!" the afro man yelled. "White concealment!"

"If you're that weak, death will come instantly!" the jester guy yelled.

"Just as I thought, they used the snow to completely hide their movements," Robin said.

The men both began to attack their intended targets.

Luffy quickly realized that there was nothing he could do to stop them. He had little mobility in the air, especially with two people on him.

"Stop it!" Luffy screamed in both rage and panic as Wapol's men moved to kill his crewmates.

Just as he screamed, a blur of white caught Luffy's eyes.

Wapol's men yelled in surprise as two lapahns seemed to come out of nowhere. The rabbits jumped and hit the lackeys out of the sky.

"Lapahns?" Chopper said in shock.

"Lapahn!?" Wapol yelled in disbelief.

"Were they protecting them?" the afro guy asked in disbelief.

"Just a coincidence," the jester guy dismissed. "Lapahns never takes to humans."

Luffy looked over to see that the lapahn that had defended him had a baby on its back. It was the same baby that was trying to save its parent earlier. Luffy and the rabbit looked at each other as an understanding came between them.

The lapahn pumped its arms in the air and the baby did the same.

Luffy smiled and nodded gratefully. "Thank you! You're a big help!" He ran up the trail while the lapahn held back Wapol's group.

"The lapahns helped Luffy," Chopper whispered in awe. "But the lapahns have never liked humans."

"Sometimes, it only takes one act of kindness to melt even the coldest of hearts," Robin said with a knowing smile.

Chopper was silent for a moment. "It's...it's almost like the lapahns don't see Luffy as a human, but as a fellow beast."

"That's an odd way to put it," Nami said. Luffy may have some animalistic characteristics, but he was still a human, even if he was a monster.

Chopper said nothing more on the subject. Even he couldn't completely understand what he was saying.

Luffy kept walking through the snow-covered land as the blizzard that had engulfed the island steadily became worse. Within an hour, it had reached whiteout conditions. The strawhat captain was also walking in snow so high that it went up to his shorts cuffs. It was also thick, making Luffy's movements slow to a crawl. Even with all the elements against Luffy, he kept moving, getting closer to the mountain.

Still, even Luffy had his limits. His body was shivering violently and his face was nearly completely red. His teeth chattered together as the coldness took hold of him.

"Doctor..." Luffy muttered like a chant as he kept walking. The wind blew in his face, pushing him back.

"I hurt looking at Luffy," Usopp said as he watched his captain slowly freeze. He nearly froze to death in Drum and he was fully clothed.

"He has to be in a lot of pain," Chopper said in worry. "Rubber body or not, Luffy is in danger of freezing to death or having frostbite so severe that his limbs will rot."

Zoro knew the pain that Luffy was in. He nearly froze after he got lost swimming and walked around the island with no shirt or shoes. Thank goodness they ran into those soldiers.

"Why the hell doesn't he put his coat back on?" Sanji asked in annoyance as he watched said coat flap in the wind. "Walking around like that, I'm surprised he isn't an ice sculpture by now."

"He is trying to keep Nami warm," Robin said. "He obviously thinks she needs the warmth more than him."

"That's crazy," Nami whispered.

After a few minutes, Luffy reached what looked like a giant white wall. He numbly realized that he had reached the mountain. Luffy attempted to look up, but all he saw was white. There was no telling how tall the mountain was from where he stood.

"So, this is it..." Luffy muttered. "...I can't even see the top."

It was at that moment that Luffy realized what he had gotten himself into. Still, he couldn't turn back.

"I've been wondering, how exactly did you guys plan to climb that mountain?" Franky asked.

"Good question, I didn't see any equipment on either Luffy or you," Nami said in thought.

Sanji puffed on his cigarette. "We didn't exactly have a plan."

"You were going to climb a _mountain_ in a blizzard with _no climbing equipment_?" Brook asked in disbelief.

"Are you nuts!" Usopp screamed at Sanji. "You idiot! You could have killed yourself!"

"That is surprising coming from you, Sanji," Robin said. "You usually think ahead."

Sanji blushed at the compliment. "Well, climbing that damn mountain was a spur of a moment kind of thing. I was so concerned about Nami-san that I just didn't think to bring rope or something."

"Why would you need to climb it? There's a rope bridge going straight to that mountain," Zoro stated almost off-handily.

"What are you talking about, moss head?" Sanji asked.

"When Usopp, Vivi, and I went up the mountain with Dalton and the other villagers, we took a ropeway that was connected to a tree," Zoro explained.

Chopper looked towards the swordsman. "That was how Doctorine and I left the castle. I would pull her down a sleigh that connected to a ropeway that led to Doctorine's old house. Not too many people, however, knew about it."

"It is likely Dalton did not know that at the time, otherwise he would have told Luffy and Sanji," Robin surmised.

"Then, how did Luffy get up this mountain?" Usopp asked as he looked up. "The rocks are smooth. It would nearly be impossible to find a foothold to climb this thing. Not to mention how cold it has to be on top of this blizzard."

"True. You'd freeze to death before even making it halfway," Franky said as he continued to look up the mountain. All he saw was white.

"At the top, there's a doctor," Luffy said to himself as he steeled himself for the climb. He glanced one last time at his fallen crewmates. "Hang on a little longer."

He retightened the rope around Nami and took off his sandals. He then took Sanji in his teeth.

"He...he's actually going to climb the mountain!?" Usopp exclaimed in disbelief.

"He's crazy!" Franky also shouted. "He'll freeze before he even reaches the top!"

Nami and Sanji's mouths dropped in shock. It was both surprising, yet something expected from Luffy.

Without a moment of hesitation, Luffy began to slowly climb the mountain. He took each step slow, trying to find curves in the rocks. The mountain, as Usopp observed, was nearly completely smooth from the wind and ice. It was hard to keep a grip, but he kept going.

Luffy stopped every couple of minutes to rest, but he quickly pulled himself together and continued to climb.

It wasn't clear if several hours or several days went by as Luffy painfully climbed the mountain. What was clear, however, was that he was quickly freezing.

More parts of his body were turning a bright red and his muscles started to crack with every move he made. His fingers and toes also began to bleed from digging into the smooth rock. On top of all that, his jaw cramped from clamping down on Sanji, but he kept climbing.

When Luffy put his hand out to pull himself up, his fingers slipped, causing all the nails on his right hand to instantly break.

Luffy screamed in agony, but fought the urge to pull his hand away. His screaming, however, caused him to lose hold of Sanji. The unconscious cook fell down the mountain.

"Sanji!" Luffy screamed in horror. He immediately stretched his neck and caught Sanji by his jacket. His neck bounced like a ball on a string for several seconds before he stopped.

Stretching his body in this bitter cold caused the skin on his neck to crack and tear and Luffy could feel warm blood trickling down his throat. Nonetheless, he slowly pulled his neck back up while keeping his body attached to the mountain.

All the Strawhats cringed and winced when they saw this and most rubbed their fingers and necks in sympathy. None of them said anything as the watched Luffy continue to climb despite all the pain he was experiencing.

Nami could only stare, amazed at the entire scene. She was there, but she remembered none of this. Luffy was freezing to death while she just slept on like she had no care in the world. How did she miss all of this? A part of her should have been aware of something.

As terrible it was to see Luffy hurt like this, she couldn't stop being touched by his actions. He truly loved them so much. He was willing to go through all of this to save Sanji and herself. Now, she felt a little guilty for charging him for her damaged coat.

Sanji felt angry - not at Luffy, but at himself. He was supposed to be the one protecting Nami-san and acting as Luffy's bodyguard since he was carrying their precious cargo, but he was the one being cared for by Luffy. Dammit, he was the one who was supposed to protect them. Instead, he had allowed himself to become a burden to his captain.

After watching more of the memory, Luffy's skin started to turn from a bright red to a sickly purple. His hands and feet were also bleeding badly and were beginning to turn black as frostbite took hold. His body also cracked more often, showing that his muscles were beginning to freeze.

Sanji couldn't stop rubbing his own hands the entire time he watched the climb. As a cook, his hands were by far his most precious tools. Having them damaged or injured in any way could mean the end to his livelihood. Because of that, Sanji always had a soft spot for other people's hands.

Watching Luffy literally tear his hands apart trying to save him made his guilt grow even more. What would he have done if Luffy had permanently damaged his hands? Luffy might have seen it as a worthy sacrifice, but he could never forgive himself if his captain lost his fingers for his sake.

After some time had passed, Luffy slipped again. This time, he went sliding down the mountain for several feet. All the while his hands and feet kept hold of the mountain, causing them to be torn apart even more and leaving a trail of blood on the mountain's face. He couldn't even scream, since doing so would mean dropping Sanji again.

It took several torturous seconds before Luffy finally stopped sliding. Although Luffy couldn't scream, the Strawhats heard their captain mutter what sounded like several choice words through his clamped mouth. He also had tears in his eyes as he fought to control the pain.

To the Strawhats, this was almost as bad as when that Porchemy guy had tortured Luffy for hours. This time, however, the pain was completely self-inflected. He was doing all of this to save his friends.

He didn't even expect credit or any kind of recognition for his deeds. Luffy had never once mentioned the details of this event. He only said that he climbed a mountain. He never told his crew the extent to which he went through or the pain he suffered. To Luffy, this was the minimum of what was expected of him.

After all too long, Luffy finally reached the top. Instantly, he was on his knees and struggling to catch his breath. He had reached the point where he was so cold that he couldn't shiver anymore.

When Luffy finally looked up, he saw a beautiful white castle in front of him. It glittered in the dying sun and sparkled like the snow around it. It was like a castle one would see in storybooks.

"Made it..." Luffy mumbled as he tossed Sanji to safety. His vision began to blur and his strength finally gave. He could no longer move as he collapsed onto the snow.

He was vaguely aware that the ground beneath him shifted and he started to slide off the mountain. He could feel himself fall off the cliff, but something furry grabbed his hand. He could no longer hold onto consciousness and allowed himself to fade.

The memory, however, had not completely ended since the Strawhats could still hear voices.

"He climbed a mountain with his bare hands?" someone with an old crackling voice asked. "This Drum Rock is over sixteen-thousand feet high!"

All the Strawhats, except Chopper, were stunned to hear this.

"He has frostbite throughout his entire body," Doctorine observed. "What was he thinking dressing like that? Heat up some water and toss him in right away."

"This one has severe hemorrhaging, six broke ribs, and a fractured spine," a young voice said. The voice obviously belonged to Chopper. "Can I operate on him?"

Sanji gritted his teeth when he heard his damage report. Those stupid rabbits really messed him up. Not even Mr. 2 or that wolf Devil Fruit user caused that much damage.

There was a loud crack of snow being moved around.

"This girl appears to be in the worst condition," Doctorine said. "She's on the verge of death."

Nami flinched when she heard the doctor's diagnosis. She had forgotten how close she was to dying back in Drum.

The other Strawhats also winced. They didn't know that Nami was _that_ close to death.

"Chopper, prepare some phenicol, cadiotonics, and some chialshrin," Doctorine ordered.

"Does she have an infection?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah, through it's not an infection you can get on this island," Doctorine informed.

Suddenly, the vision from the memory returned, although it was extremely blurry. Doctorine was holding Nami in her arms like a child and the Strawhats could see the concern in her face despite her wearing sunglasses.

Luffy painfully reached up and weakly grabbed Doctorine's arm. He attempted to speak, but his mouth wouldn't move. Only weak gasped left his lips.

"Don't worry," Doctorine said in a gently voice. "I'll take care of that bloody kid and this girl, I assure you."

Sanji's eyebrow twitched. "Bloody kid?"

Luffy focused his eyes more and stared Doctorine right in her face. The memory became clearer as Luffy took several breaths as he attempted to find his voice. "They're my friends..." was all he managed to say.

"I know, and I will help them," Doctorine assured as he turned towards Chopper. "Let's begin the treatment!"

Luffy caught Chopper at the very edge of his vision, but the world faded again and soon he was aware of nothing. There, the memory ended.

The Strawhats stood together in silence as they took in everything they had witnessed.

"He climbed an entire mountain in a blizzard, all for the sake of reaching a doctor," Brook whispered in awe. "What an incredible amount of will it must have taken to do such a feat. My bones ached just looking at Luffy-san."

"Not only that, but just getting to the mountain after Sanji was hurt," Usopp said. "He was nearly frozen even before he started to climb."

"No kidding, that was a _completely_ badass thing he did," Franky said.

"I should have expected as much when I saw Luffy's injuries," Chopper said in thought. "I mean, I had an idea by what Doctorine said, but I never really connected the dots." At the time, he just thought Luffy was crazy. "He was very fortunate to be a rubberman. Not only did his thicker skin protect him for the cold, but also kept his hands and feet from being permanently ruined."

Sanji sighed. "Thanks goodness for that." He rubbed his hands again.

Zoro remained silent as he took in everything. Nothing Luffy did surprised him. He expected as much the moment Luffy said he was going to climb the mountain. Still, he couldn't stop being proud of his captain. It was moments like these that confirmed to him why he followed this man.

"When it comes to the crew's safety, Luffy is very protective of us," Robin said with a soft smile on her face. "To him, losing even one of us is worse than him freezing to death or losing a few nails."

They were all suddenly reminded of the words Luffy spoke to Ace and Sabo about loneliness.

The next memory came and they were now standing within a frozen castle. The interior, however, was fuzzy.

"What's wrong with the castle?" Usopp asked.

"I think everything is hazy because Luffy is not completely in a lucid state of consciousness," Robin surmised. "In other words, he is half asleep."

"Hun..." Luffy muttered as his voice cracked. "Hungry..."

The room came into focus more and they could now see Chopper standing by Luffy's bedside. The little reindeer was staring intently at him. Luffy was also looking at Chopper with dazed eyes.

"Meat?" Luffy questioned, still staring at Chopper. Drool started to run down his chin.

Chopper jumped back in terror, hitting Sanji's bed.

"Venison stew. If you leave it marinated in a pot for three hours, it gets nice and tender," Sanji in the memory mumbled as he smiled in his sleep.

Now Chopper was really scared.

Luffy sat out of bed, almost zombie like. "Meat..."

Sanji grabbed Chopper's arm. "Venison..."

Chopper screamed in horror as he back away from Sanji and Luffy. It was all too obvious by the look on their faces that they wanted to eat Chopper. Luffy literally had a waterfall of drool coming down his mouth.

Chopper gave another loud scream just as Luffy and Sanji jumped on him. "SAVE ME!" He sped out of the room while Luffy and Sanji held on to each of his arms.

"Wait, meat!" Luffy yelled.

He began to open his mouth with the full intention of biting Chopper's arm off. Chopper stopped this from happening by putting his foot into Luffy's mouth to hold his jaw down.

"Wait, Luffy!" Sanji yelled. "I have to cook it first!"

"You actually tried to eat Chopper?" Brook asked in disbelief and horror.

"Hey, I thought he was a venison and I was hungry. Nearly dying does build an appetite," Sanji said neutrally. Seeing this was making him hungry. He hadn't had venison since Chopper joined.

"That venison stew does sound delicious," Robin noted, freaking Chopper out.

They ran through the castle several times before Luffy finally noticed Nami, who was sitting up in bed. She looked much better. Her cheeks weren't as red and she was much more alert.

"Nami," Luffy said softly, losing interest in Chopper for the moment.

"Nami-san!" Sanji exclaimed and he bounced towards Nami.

"You got better!" Luffy cheered. The pure relief in his voice was clear to hear.

"Thanks to you guys," Nami said kindly with a smile. She still sounded very tired. It would obviously take days before she fully recovered.

"That had to be some fast working medicine you guys gave her," Franky said. "I mean, Nami was practically at death's door in that last memory."

"Doctorine's antibiotics are very efficient. Although, Nami was extremely lucky. The infection she had went extinct centuries ago and most doctors wouldn't have the medicine to treat it," Chopper said.

Robin nodded in understanding, mentally taking notes. "I see. You all were indeed very lucky."

"You don't need to remind me," Nami said as she rubbed her midsection. Doctorine made it very clear that she would had died within another couple of days. She supposed it just wasn't her time given all the factors that saved her life.

"Nami-san, I'll whip up a venison dish to help speed your recovery!" Sanji in the memory vowed.

Luffy and Sanji took notice of Chopper again, who was attempting to sneak out the back door.

Chopper froze in fear. At that moment, he looked every bit like the animal he was.

"Hold it!" both Sanji and Luffy yelled.

There was more chaos as Sanji and Luffy attempted to cook and eat Chopper.

"Come back here, Meat!" Luffy shouted as he held on to Chopper.

"Wait Luffy, don't eat him yet!" Sanji yelled.

Chopper attempted to push the two pirates off of him. "Stop it, humans!" The reindeer finally had enough and went into his human form, which surprised the two Strawhats.

"I am not your food!" Chopper screamed as he hammered both Luffy and Sanji into the floor. That is where the memory ended.

"What an ideal first meeting," Zoro said dryly.

Usopp shook his head. "No wonder Chopper didn't want to join at first. Who wants to be on a ship filled with people who tried to eat you?"

"That brought back so many memories," Chopper said in tears. Strangely, they were tears of fondness.

The next memory came and the Strawhats were at what appeared to be the entrance to the castle. Wind blew fiercely from a large open door, freezing the entire area in ice.

"Man, I get cold just _looking_ at this place," Franky said as he rubbed his arms. He hated the cold. Why couldn't they see a tropical island or something?

"It's certainly is bone chilling!" Brook exclaimed before laughing at the pun.

"Why would anyone leave the door open in this kind of weather?" Zoro asked.

Sanji couldn't keep himself from smiling. "Just watch, moss head."

"There's no difference between here and outside with that door open," Sanji from the memory complained. He was holding his arms together in an attempt to get warm as Luffy and he walked towards the open door.

"Hey!" the Strawhats heard Chopper in the memory yell from a balcony on the second floor. "Stop! Don't you dare touch that door!"

Sanji and Luffy both gave him questioning looks.

"Ignore him, close the door," Sanji said dismissively. "We're going to freeze."

"Yeah, you're right," Luffy said as they moved towards the door.

"Hey!" Chopper continued to scream. "Don't you understand what I mean by _stop_!?" He quickly went into his Heavy Point.

Luffy freaked out when he saw it. Apparently, neither Sanji nor he had a good look the first time they saw the transformation. Most likely, it was because they were immediately knocked out afterwards.

"What, what!?" Luffy exclaimed in shock. "What's he so angry about!?"

Chopper panted angrily at them.

"Luffy, come look at this," Sanji said.

Luffy walked over to where the chef stood.

"Up there," Sanji said calmly.

Luffy looked up towards the door and was surprised to see a nest of baby birds on the edge of the door.

"Snowbird chicks," Sanji informed his captain. "They would have fallen if we had closed the door."

"So, that's why he keeps the door open," Luffy said in awe.

Robin smiled at the scene. Chopper really had a sweat, gentle heart.

They stood there for a moment before they both realized how cold they were. They quickly ran back inside to get warm.

After a moment, Luffy paused in thought. "Wait a second."

"What?" Sanji asked impatiently.

"Wasn't it speaking just now?" Luffy asked slowly.

Sanji started to realize the same thing. "Oh yeah - and it walked upright too."

They both stared at each other for a moment as the full impact of what they had seen and heard hit them. "Monster!"

"How do you morons _just_ notice a talking reindeer?" Zoro asked as he glared at his rival.

"I wasn't thinking at the time," Sanji said defensively. "I just wanted to eat him at that point. I didn't care if he could talk."

Chopper paled slightly.

"You would eat something that can speak?" Usopp whispered, slightly disturbed.

"What is it!?" Luffy exclaimed, nearly in a panic. "If it walks on two legs..."

"...and it looks like a reindeer..." Sanji continued.

"...and it's furry..." Luffy went on.

"...and it's short..." Sanji added.

"...and then it gets big..." Luffy said.

"...it's a monster," they both concluded.

There was another long paused before Luffy got a huge grin on his face.

"I like him! That's cool!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed, his fears and shock turning into pure excitement. "Sanji, let's make him our crewmate!"

The memory faded with those words still echoing.

"Hm, you were right, Nami. Luffy wanted Chopper to join without even knowing he was a doctor," Franky said.

Nami nodded. "Like I said, he wanted Chopper to be part of his crew because he thought he was awesome."

This caused Chopper to blush.

"Luffy-san appears to choose his crew more based on personality than what that person can do. Just look at Sanji-san. He insisted that he join without even tasting his food or seeing him fight," Brook said.

"If he actually tasted the crap cook's food, Luffy would never let him on," Zoro stated neutrally.

"What was that?" Sanji growled.

The next scene appeared and the Strawhats were outside the castle. The sounds of fighting caught their attention and the Strawhats turned to see a disturbing sight.

Wapol and his men were standing in front of the castle confronting Sanji and Doctorine. What had the Strawhats disturbed, however, was that Wapol was currently eating Chopper alive. Chopper was screaming in panic and terror as Wapol slowly chewed him like he was bubblegum.

"What the hell!?" Zoro exclaimed in shock.

"That bastard's eating Chopper!?" Franky yelled as he got over his shock.

Nami and Usopp felt themselves becoming sick. It was like something from a horror scene.

Chopper winced as he watching himself being chewed. He remembered this moment all too well. He still had nightmares about it.

"It may be a girl's coat, but it's really warm," Luffy said as he ran out of the castle. He was now wearing Nami's coat since his was lost during the climb. He was also blissfully unaware that his future crewmate was being eaten alive.

Sanji in the memory turned towards his captain. "Luffy, grab my leg!"

"Leg?" Luffy asked in confusion before he smiled. "Sure." He quickly stretched his arms and grabbed onto Sanji outstretched leg. "Like this?"

"Yeah, just don't let go!" Sanji yelled as he prepared to swing his leg.

"Oh, got it!" Luffy shouted as he understood Sanji's plan.

With one powerful swing of his leg, Sanji sent Luffy flying towards Wapol. Luffy hit the former king like a rocket to his stomach. Wapol spit out Chopper as he was sent flying back so hard that he knocked his hippo escort off the mountain and into the sky. Where it landed or even if it was still alive would never be known.

"I feel sorry for that poor creature," Usopp said as he watched the animal disappear over the horizon.

"Not too shabby," Sanji in the memory said with a smirk.

Chopper walked up to his saviors. "Thank you, you two. You guys are so amazing."

Sanji turned towards Luffy and suddenly pointed an accusing finger at him. "Hey wait, isn't that Nami-san's coat!?"

Luffy nodded in confirmation before he turned to face Wapol. "Wow, Big Mouth is still alive, but his hippo is heading towards the moon."

This caused some of the Strawhats, who had a darker sense of humor, to chuckle.

Sanji wasn't amused as he grabbed Luffy's jacket. "Take it off right now, jerk!"

"Is this the thanks Luffy gets for saving your useless ass, love cook?" Zoro mocked with a smirk on his face.

Sanji muttered something under his breath as he smoked his cigarette.

"Although, it's kind of funny that Luffy's small enough to wear women's clothes with no difficulty," Franky snickered.

"Actually, I think the jacket looks better on him than on Nami," Usopp muttered.

Wapol, enraged that someone had dared hit him, decided to stop playing around. He showed them the power of his ability by turning himself into a walking house with cannons for arms. He called it the Wapol House.

"That supposed to be his ultimate transformation?" Franky asked in disbelief. "A damn house?"

"What a stupid technique," Zoro said. How did these ability users come up with some of these things?

Once his transformation was complete, Wapol proceeded to eat his own men.

"What the heck!?" Brook exclaimed in revulsion. "He ate his friends!"

"What's wrong with this guy!?" Usopp yelled in horror. This guy had to be the worst king ever.

After moving side-to-side like a crab for a moment, the door on Wapol's belly opened. What came out was the 'ultimate union' of his subordinates, which were really just the jester and the afro guy standing on each other's shoulders like a totem pole.

There was a moment of silence among the Strawhats.

"Really," Nami asked dryly.

"This is a spoof of a real battle, right?" Franky asked.

Robin shook her head. Such a powerful Devil Fruit wasted on a moron.

"Article one of the Drum Kingdom's constitution, those who don't do as the king wishes will be put to death. That's the number one law of this country," Wapol said as he sneered at everyone. "You refused my wishes and broke that law. Now, you all are going to be punished for your crime! But first, I'll deal with the matter of that quack's flag soiling my regal castle!"

"Quack's flag?" Usopp repeated in confusion.

"Look at the top of the castle," Sanji told his crew.

They all turned to see a pirate flag sitting on the highest tower of the castle. It was a Jolly Roger of the standard design, except this one had sakura blossoms on it.

"Whose flag is that?" Brook asked, more than a little surprised to see a pirate flag here.

"I honestly don't know," Sanji admitted. "I just know it was important to Chopper."

"It was my father's flag," Chopper said softly, getting the crew's attention.

"Your father?" Usopp asked in surprise.

Chopper's eyes began to tear up. "He was the one who took care of me when my family and the kingdom rejected me. He was also the one who encouraged me to become a doctor."

"I see," Robin said, completely understanding where Chopper was coming from.

Nami smiled sadly at the younger reindeer and gently patted his shoulder.

"It's time to take that flag down!" Wapol said ruthlessly as he aimed his cannon and fired on the flag.

Chopper in the memory gasped in horror as he watched his father's flag burn.

"A pirate flag?" Luffy whispered mostly to himself.

The flag waved under the fire of the cannonball and leaned down a little, but it didn't fall completely. It continued to wave defiantly at Wapol as the smoke cleared.

Chopper completely lost it and ran towards Wapol. "How dare you! You attacked Doctor's flag!"

The merged subordinate of Wapol attempted to stop Chopper, but the small reindeer just ran between their legs. Chopper turned to his Heavy Point and tackled Wapol.

"Doctor...he tried to save even you!" Chopper yelled in tears as he clung onto Wapol's coat. He reared his arm back, ready to punch Wapol in the face, before he suddenly stopped. For whatever reason, he couldn't bring himself to harm Wapol.

"Chopper, what was wrong?" Brook asked their Chopper.

"I...I just couldn't hurt him. Doctor...Doctor never hated Wapol even when he..." Chopper stuttered as old emotions built within him.

"Chopper, you don't need to explain yourself," Zoro said gently, getting Chopper's attention. "It's in the past."

Chopper stared at Zoro with grateful eyes.

"I...I won't hurt you if you just leave this country forever," Chopper in the memory said.

"Chopper, what are you doing!?" Doctorine yelled, showing real emotion for the first time. "Even if he did promise that, you can't trust a word that man says!"

Chopper looked conflicted as he turned towards his adoptive mother. "But...Doctor said..."

Wapol smiled smugly at Chopper before he raised his cannon into the reindeer's face and fired.

"Chopper!" Doctorine yelled.

While this was happening, Luffy had climbed the tower to where the pirate flag sat and tore off a piece of his, or more precisely, Nami's coat sleeve.

"What's Luffy doing?" Usopp asked when he finally noticed his captain.

The Strawhats turned to see their captain using the piece of the sleeve he had torn to secure the pirate flag back into place.

"That jerk. That's how he tore my coat up," Nami said in mild annoyance. It may have been for a good cause, but that jacket was still expensive.

"Hey, Big Mouth!" Luffy yelled at Wapol.

Wapol looked up to see Luffy standing defiantly next to the pirate flag. "Strawhat!"

"You guys weren't real pirates! You were just fake ones, weren't you!?" Luffy shouted in anger. "That's why you don't know what flying a pirate flag means! You're just a bunch a fakes who didn't risk your lives!"

"What a pirate flag means!?" Wapol began to laugh as if Luffy had told a joke. "Don't make me laugh! Flags have no meaning!"

Luffy narrowed his eyes. "If you think that, you're dumber than you look!"

"What!?" Wapol exclaimed.

"Listen, pirate flags stand for something, Big Mouth," Luffy said. "There're not raised as some kind of joke!"

"Moron!" Wapol yelled. "The only joke is that I've let you live as long as I have. Since you dare put that flag back after I knocked it down, it's time a deliver the punch line!" He raised his cannon aim.

He fired at the pirate flag and Luffy took the blast head on, not bothering to move.

"He was blown to pieces!" Wapol laughed cockily.

When the smoke cleared, it revealed that Luffy was holding onto the flag. He was burnt in several places, but he was relatively unharmed.

"I've already told you, you can't break it!" Luffy yelled as he continued to hold the flag up.

Wapol stopped laughing.

"I have no idea who this pirate flag belongs to, but it doesn't matter," Luffy said as he glared at Wapol. "A pirate flag is someone's pledge to risk their life! It's not something to laugh at! It stands for something that you jackasses will never understand!"

Wapol and his men were left stunned and left speechless by Luffy's words.

Chopper could feel tears running down his eyes as he watched the memory. Just like with Nami, Luffy seemed to understand what was happening despite knowing nothing.

"It won't break, ever!" Luffy growled. "Because the skull on it is a symbol of faith!"

Chopper in the memory looked completely taken aback by Luffy's presence. This was the first time he had ever met a human like Luffy other than his father.

The Strawhats watching the memory couldn't help but smile at seeing their captain's conviction. Luffy's ideas of what the Jolly Roger symbolized was extremely romantic and not the true reality of pirates, but Luffy lived on romance. In Luffy's eyes, pirates like them were the real pirates, while scumbags like Kuro and Krieg were the fakes.

"Hey, reindeer!" Luffy shouted at Chopper. "I'm going to kick these guys' asses for showing your friend's flag disrespect! You in?"

Chopper was left speechless for a moment by the vow. "Me?"

"You idiot!" Wapol yelled. "You just don't get it, do you!? Alright then! Since you feel so strongly about that flag, I'll destroy you along with it!" He aimed his cannon at Luffy again.

"I don't think so, tubby!" Sanji in the memory exclaimed as he ran to stop Wapol. He didn't get far before his back cracked like broken glass.

"Looks like your backbone gave out," Doctrine stated nonchalantly.

This caused almost all the Strawhats to wince.

"Oh, my bones hurt just from watching," Brook said as he rubbed his own back.

"You idiot, you could have paralyzed yourself running with a broken back like that," Nami scowled.

Zoro snorted. "And once again, the love cook proved to be useless."

Sanji growled at the swordsman. "Shut up!" Damn that doctor for making a fool out of him.

"You condition will continue to worsen if you keep moving," Doctrine went on before she viciously kicked Sanji in the back. "So, stop, doctor's orders!"

"This doctor's nuts!" Franky exclaimed. "I think she just fractured his back further."

"What's wrong with that woman?" Usopp asked in horror.

"I told you her bedside manner was unusual," Chopper muttered.

Sanji in the memory screamed in pain as he fell to the snow, unconscious.

Wapol found the entire scene amusing and laughed in delight. "If you two want to fight among yourselves, then please, by all means do so! But I hope you will at least watch your friend and that flag get blown to bits!" He then glared at Luffy. "Strawhat, say your prayers!"

"Stop it!" Chopper in the memory screamed as he attempted to attack Wapol.

"That's the spirit!" Luffy encouraged as he planted the pirate flag into the broken tower. "Go get him, reindeer!"

Chopper was now in Wapol's face, ready to punch the smug former king.

"Wapol, sir, look out!" Wapol's servants yelled as they blocked Chopper's punched.

Doctorine laughed as she planted one foot on Sanji's back. "Well, will you look at that. That little fur ball has more courage than a full grown man."

Chopper backed away from the fused men as they laughed at him.

"I'm sorry, freak. But there's no way I'll going to let you lay a single paw on our king," the fused man said.

"Got to give those bozos points for loyalty," Sanji said.

Chopper glared at the fused figure as he went back into his Brain Point.

"Wow, there're really are some strange creatures in this world," the fused man mused. "You must be that yeti the villagers hated and feared. They tried to kill you and chase you away, right?"

Most of the Strawhats looked at their Chopper in surprise.

"Is that true, Chopper?" Usopp asked. "I knew you were outcast because of your ability, but you've never told us that people tried to _kill_ you."

Chopper lowered his head. "It's true. The people of Drum thought I was a monster and tried to kill me when I went to the village. I would have most likely died if my father hadn't found me that night in the snow."

Nami gave Chopper a sympathetic look. This wasn't the way she wanted her crewmates to learn about Chopper's past.

"No wonder you distrusted humans so much when we first met you," Usopp whispered. It was just like Robin said, Devil Fruit users were treated as monsters.

Robin lowered her eyes, remembering her own trouble childhood. "A common occurrence for those who eat Devil Fruits in the Blue seas." Although, Chopper had it worse than most. She had vegetables and rocks thrown at her, but no one actually tried to kill her over her ability.

The fused man pointed at Chopper and smiled. "I bet you spent your whole life alone with no friends. You're a monster. Nobody likes you. People want to kill you. But here you are, trying to save this country. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

Zoro narrowed his eye as he heard the man talk. These people deserved to be cut to pieces.

"Funny hearing a two-headed man calling someone else a freak and a monster," Nami said in a deadpan voice.

"Shut up!" Chopper in the memory yelled. "Even if I don't have friends, I can still fight for something I believe in! And as long as the flag flies, I will!"

"Tell them, Chopper! Don't let that freak get to you!" Franky cheered.

"Hey, that's not true!" Luffy suddenly shouted, gaining Chopper's attention. Luffy pulled his arms back as he prepared to rocket himself down. "You do have friends! I'm your friend, reindeer!"

He released himself and dived bombed into the ground. The snow he kicked up knocked over Wapol and his servant.

The other Strawhats nodded in agreement.

"Couldn't have said it any better myself," Sanji said with a smile.

The memory shifted slightly and the Strawhats watched as Chopper fought against Wapol's ultimate subordinate. In three minutes, Chopper demonstrated the power of his Rumble Balls and defeated the pair quite handily once he found their weakness.

Almost all the Strawhats laughed at how Luffy thought for certain that Chopper was going to shoot a laser when he was doing his Scope.

During Chopper's battle a mild fight between Zoro and Sanji broke out. They got into it after Zoro had called Sanji useless again after seeing the cook's attempts to join the fight. Cracked spine or not, Zoro thought Sanji should had been able to take Wapol's men by himself.

While Chopper's fight was mildly interesting, Luffy's fight with Wapol wasn't remarkable at all. The former king proved to be more of a plaything to Luffy and gave the strawhat captain less of a challenge than Buggy or Kuro. In fact, Wapol was almost at Captain Morgan's level of pitifulness.

Although, the Strawhats were baffled by how Wapol suddenly lost three-hundred or so pounds in the span of a couple of minutes. According to Nami, Wapol literally ate himself to become skinny.

Wapol ended up running from Luffy, again, and leading the rubberman into one of the towers after he had somehow lost the key to the armory, stopping him from going into his true ultimate form.

It was Nami who informed her crew that she kindly stole the key from Wapol when he attempted to eat her. This earned more than a few amused chuckles. Although, Zoro was disappointed that Wapol didn't get the chance to transform.

"Got you cornered, Big Mouth!" Luffy yelled once he reached the room Wapol was in.

The former king gave Luffy a smug smile. He was standing next to a huge gatling gun-like cannon. "On the contrary, rubberman! Time to die!" He pulled the lever.

Luffy gasped when the cannon whirled to life. Without warning, however, it suddenly stopped. There was a pregnant pause between the two men as they both wondered what happened.

"Well, that's disappointing," Franky said slowly. Nothing seemed to be going right for Wapol.

Wapol was very surprised that his cannon didn't fire and he pulled on the lever several more times, while Luffy looked on dumbfounded.

Wapol finally noticed that a family of snowbirds had built their nest into the cannon's barrels, making the weapon unusable.

"Oh, snowbirds." Luffy smiled, remembering the birds from the door. He then laughed at Wapol.

"Okay, this is just pathetic now," Sanji said.

"It's been pathetic for a while," Usopp said dryly.

Chopper was left speechless. It was hard to believe, looking back at it, that everyone was afraid of this man.

"Stop it, how dare you laugh at me!" Wapol yelled angrily. "Shut up!" He then glared at one of the snowbird chirping at him. "You dare mock me too!? Stupid bird, I'm the King of Drum!" He opened his mouth to eat the bird.

Luffy stopped him from doing this by grabbing his mouth. "Yeah, so what? It doesn't matter if you're a king, or even if you're a god. It doesn't matter if you're someone who's great, or someone who's not so great." He grinned. "I'm still going to kick your lousy ass."

"Crude, but effective," Sanji said approvingly.

"Funny since Luffy will kick a god's ass later," Zoro chuckled.

Wapol laughed, despite his mouth being held. "It does matter, Strawhat. Drum Kingdom is a member of the World Government. Don't you know what that means? It means this is a capital offense because I'm the king!"

Luffy grinned further. "Like I said, Big Mouth, it doesn't matter. King or no king, I'm kicking your ass."

Wapol started to freak out before he regained his composure. "Oh really? Not if I kill you first!"

Wapol's mouth suddenly opened and it became as wide as Luffy's entire body. Being a rubberman, Luffy was able to maintain his grip on Wapol.

"That won't work!" Luffy laughed as Wapol attempted to eat him.

"But this will! Munch Munch Tongue Cannon!" Wapol shouted as his tongue literally turned into a cannon. He used it to fire point-blank into Luffy's face.

Luffy was shocked by this sudden development, but he was able to jump away from the blast so swiftly that Wapol didn't see him move.

"That idiot, he let his guard down!" Wapol laughed in triumph as he stared at the giant hole he made in the tower.

Luffy gracefully landed behind Wapol and grabbed his shoulders.

"Looks who's talking," Luffy teased.

"Huh!?" Wapol exclaimed in shock.

Luffy spun himself like a wet towel before he wrapped his legs around Wapol's waist.

"Gum Gum Bowgun!" Luffy shouted as he catapulted Wapol into the ceiling, where he became stuck.

It took Luffy a few minutes to reach where Wapol was trapped, but there was no real hurry. The former king was stuck and to add to the poetic justice, he had a clear view of the pirate flag waving freely in the wind.

Once Luffy had reached Wapol, he bade the old king goodbye with a Gum Gum Bazooka to the face. Where Wapol went, no one cared. There, the memory came to a close.

"How anticlimactic," Zoro said as he yawned.

"Besides the cannonball that Luffy took to protect that flag, Wapol didn't even touch him," Usopp said.

"Powerful Devil Fruit, lousy user," Robin whispered.

"I could have beaten all those shit heads if my spine wasn't broken," Sanji said as he lit another cigarette.

"Excuses, excuses," Zoro said, enraging Sanji.

The new memory came forth and it was night now in Drum. The island had an even more surreal feel as the moonlight sparkled on the snow. The night was also extremely peaceful. No one would have believed that a life-changing event had taken place within the island just a few hours ago.

"Hey, reindeer!" Luffy shouted, shattering the peace.

He was standing near the castle's entrance with Zoro and Usopp nearby. Zoro was sitting on the ground watching Luffy while Usopp built a snowman.

"Let's be pirates together!" Luffy continued to shout.

"Give up already, Luffy," Usopp in the memory said as he was finishing off his snowman. "He's not going to come just because you yell like that."

"He doesn't want to be a pirate," Zoro stated patiently.

Luffy turned around to look at his crewmates. "You're wrong! I want to take him along!"

"That's what _you_ want to do!" Zoro yelled, losing his patience.

Luffy turned back around to call Chopper. "Reindeer! Come out! Reindeer!"

Only silence greeted him.

The rubber boy turned around, looking extremely disappointed. Soft footsteps, however, got his attention. He turned to see Chopper staring at him.

"Reindeer!" Luffy exclaimed happily. Both Zoro and Usopp were surprised that he had come out of hiding.

While this was happening, Vivi and Nami were dragging a comatose Sanji out of the castle.

"Tony!" Nami exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey, let's be pirates together!" Luffy yelled.

Chopper put his head down. "I can't."

"No, it's not. It's fun!" Luffy insisted.

"You haven't even heard why yet!" Usopp in the memory yelled.

"I mean...I mean I'm a reindeer!" Chopper yelled. "With antlers, and hooves, and...a blue nose!" He paused for a second. "I want to be a pirate, but...I can't be friends with a human! I'm a monster! Someone like me can't be your friend! So...so I' m here. I'm here to say thanks. Thank you for the invitation."

Luffy frowned at him, along with most of the Strawhats.

Nami in the memory gave Chopper a blank stare.

Robin also gave Chopper a sympathetic look.

Brook watched the scene intently.

"I'll stay here, but...if you ever feel like it, come back someday and..." Chopper started to say with forced smile on his face.

"Shut up!" Luffy suddenly shouted, completely interrupting Chopper. "Let's go!" he yelled with so much force that his hat flew off his head.

Chopper immediately burst into tears. It was an odd gesture, but Chopper knew at that moment that he had finally found the place where he belonged.

The memory came to an end.


	17. Crocodile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reference about Ace being the sun was not only inspired by the anime episode where Ace fought Blackbeard, but also a doujinshi on deviantart called Sign of Affection, page 73 by zippi44. If you are a Luffy/Nami fan you may enjoy this doujinshi.

The Strawhats stood in the void as they waited for the next memory to appear.

Chopper was in tears after watching the memory of when Luffy made him into one of his crewmates. It felt like a lifetime ago since he had taken to sea with his new friends to fulfill his dream. They had faced many challenges and almost died several times along the way, but he regretted nothing. It was Luffy and his courage that made him finally accept being a monster. He no longer hated that word. Now, he embraced it and used it to become stronger to protect everything he held dear.

"I still don't get how shut up was an invitation," Zoro muttered, breaking the long silence.

Nami side-eyed Zoro. "You know _just_ what to say to break the mood, don't you?"

"You all took quite the detour heading to Alabasta," Robin mused. "Imagine, you would have never gone to Drum in the first place if Nami-chan had not gotten sick."

Usopp folded his arms. "Very true. In many ways, Nami's illness was a blessing. Without it, we would have never met one of our precious friends."

This made Chopper blush happily.

"I noticed, that seemed to be the case for all of us," Sanji suddenly said in thought.

"What are you talking about, dart board?" Zoro asked.

Sanji chose to ignore the insult. "Luffy appears to meet most of us by chance. I mean, he only went after moss head after Alvida dropped his name and he would have never been on that ship in the first place if he didn't go into that whirlpool."

Zoro looked at Sanji in mild awe as he realized that his rival had a point.

Robin put her hand on her chin. "True. He also met Nami after being taken by a bird and shot down by the Buggy Pirates. If he had not met Nami, he would have most likely never found his way to Usopp's village."

"And if I've never blown up that rock, we wouldn't have met Johnny and Yosaku who took us to the Baratie," Usopp finished.

"Sounds like we all met Luffy by a lucky chain of events," Franky humored.

"It is more than that," Robin said, getting the crew's attention. "In all of those incidences, not only did Luffy recruit us, but he also saved us. If Luffy never came, Zoro would have been executed by the marines and Usopp would have been murdered by Kuro and his pirates."

Usopp shivered at the thought. It wasn't his own death that disturbed him, but the thought that Kaya would have been killed and Kuro would have taken all her money by that fake will. That bastard would have gotten away with everything and be living the high life off the blood of his crew and Kaya.

"Nami would also still be under Arlong's rule," Robin said as she glanced at Nami for a moment. The younger woman was horrified by the thought. "Chopper would have either been eaten by Wapol or forced to live under his tyrannical rule again. I would have been killed by Crocodile most likely in that tomb."

"I would probably be in the hands of those CP9 bastards and sent to rot in Impel Down until I gave in to the government," Franky growled. "And Iceberg would have been killed too by those government dogs."

"And I would still be in the Florian Triangle..." Brook whispered. Remembering those long, lonely days still haunted his dreams.

"Really, the only one among us who did not face death or worse was Sanji," Robin said.

Sanji sighed. "Even so, I would have most likely stayed at the Barite until I rotted, trying to pay back that old geezer. Without Luffy, I would have never taken to the sea." It was a hard fact to admit, but there was no denying it now.

"It seems Luffy came to us whenever we needed him the most," Usopp said softly. "Without him, we would have lost our lives and our dreams."

"I...I wonder what it all means?" Nami asked softly. "All of this couldn't have been a coincidence, could it?"

"Very few things in this world happened by coincidence," Zoro said. For him, it was fate, pure and simple.

Robin said nothing. She had an idea, but she saw little point in sharing such wild, unproven theories with her crew. At least, not until she knew the full truth herself; the truth of the Will of D.

"Regardless, we all owe Luffy our lives. Which is why we must help him now," Zoro said, knocking the crew out of its musings. "If we can't even do that much, then we don't deserve to sail under his flag."

The Strawhats nodded in agreement just as the next memory came.

They were on the Going Merry and the small band of pirates within the memory was gathered around each other. They appeared to be wrapping something around their left arms.

Once finished with his wrapping, Zoro in the memory stood up to address his crew. "Listen up, that perverted bastard's transformations are flawless. He might try to impersonate one of us and come after Vivi."

"What is Zoro-san talking about?" Brook asked.

"It has to be Mr. 2," Robin said.

"Yeah, by some twist of fate, we ran into that cross-dressing weirdo going to Alabasta after we finished our business in Drum," Zoro said.

"Who's Mr. 2?" Franky asked in confusion.

"He was one of our higher ranking agents in Baroque Works," Robin explained. "He is a very skilled martial artist and one of our strongest fighters."

"He sounds powerful," Brook said.

"His most dangerous skill, however, is his Devil Fruit. He has the ability to copy anyone once he has touched them," Robin said.

"You mean...he can impersonate a person?" Brook asked. What a frightening ability.

Robin nodded. "His transformations are without flaw. He can even fool someone like Crocodile."

"We met Bon Clay without knowing who he was and allowed him to touch all of us, except Sanji," Nami said. "He was showing off his ability to us when he revealed one of his transformations to be Vivi's father, King Cobra. That's how we learned who he was."

"Huh, sounds like bad luck," Franky said.

Zoro grinned. "Actually, it was very good luck."

Brook and Franky gave Zoro questioning looks.

"If you sense even the slightest thing wrong with any of our friends, take out your bandage and show them this mark," the Zoro in the memory said as he unwrapped his bandage and revealed a blue 'X' tattoo. "If they can't do that, they're an impostor."

"Oh, I see, a double mark!" Brook exclaimed. "Even if the enemy takes noticed of the wrappings, they wouldn't know about the other mark."

"Very clever, Zoro," Robin complimented with a nod, deeply impressed.

She knew Crocodile was insightful enough to notice the bandage that he warned all the agents about it before the war. Despite all of Crocodile's cleverness, this small crew outsmarted him again.

"It was one of moss head's few smart moments," Sanji said off-handedly.

"What was that!?" Zoro growled as he reached for his swords.

"It's not like you to think up something as clever as a double mark," Sanji in the memory said, voicing the same doubts as his future counterpart. "That must mean you're that impostor!"

"Don't make me kill you!" Zoro in the memory yelled as he loosened one of his swords.

"Nope, it's Zoro," Luffy confirmed nonchalantly.

Usopp in the memory sighed in relief. "Good...it's Zoro."

"You believed that perverted bastard?" Zoro growled at Usopp.

"Well...you see..." Usopp struggled for an answer.

Luffy held out his left arm and displayed the mark to everyone. "This is perfect!"

As if moving on instinct, all the rest of the Strawhats along with Vivi and Carue did the same. They soon formed a circle around each other.

"This is proof that we're friends!" Luffy yelled. "The 'X' is a mark of friendship!"

The memory ended.

"That was so touching," Brook said as tears ran down his empty eye sockets.

"So, those tattoos of friendship were not permanent, huh?" Franky asked with a note of humor.

"Well, we didn't exactly have the time to go to a professional tattoo artist," Nami said in annoyance. "We were kind of in a hurry, you know."

"Although, it would be cool if we all got real tattoos to mark our friendship," Chopper said in excitement.

"That would be interesting," Sanji said as he smoked his cigarette.

"Maybe we can get one of our pirate symbol," Usopp suggested, excited by the idea.

Nami paused in thought. "That would be nice, but Luffy doesn't seem into tattoos, unless they wash off."

It may be because Luffy was not fond of needles or anything that causes him minor discomfort. Although Luffy had an insane pain tolerance, he tended to act like a baby around small injuries. Luffy, after all, cries and whines in pain when she hits him although she knew full well that she wasn't actually hurting him. At worst, her stronger punch was like a slap on the wrist to him. She doubted that even Sanji really hurt him with his kicks before he learned Haki.

Sanji nodded. "Yeah, he's nothing like his brother in that respect."

The memory restarted and the Strawhats found themselves in a desert town. They could see the heat waves coming out of the ground and see the burning sun above them. It appeared to be early in the afternoon.

"From a freezing winter island to the heat of a desert," Brook said, happy that he couldn't feel the heat. "It's amazing that all of you didn't become ill."

"We have a good doctor," Nami said with a smile, causing Chopper to blush and dance a little.

Luffy sat nearby on a barrel looking lost and he had a slight frown on his face. He was currently in an alley, out of sight of anyone.

"That's strange," Luffy muttered. "What happened to everyone? Where did they all go?"

Nami slapped her forehead. "I remember this. This is when that moron got lost in Nanohana."

"How did he get lost?" Franky asked.

Sanji sighed. "That moron caused a ruckus and got Smoky chasing after us."

"Smoky, the vice-admiral from Punk Hazard?" Franky asked.

"Yeah, although he was just a captain back then," Sanji stated. "He actually followed us all the way from East Blue."

Brook nodded. "That Smoker fellow struck me as a dedicated man."

"Indeed, he is called the White Chaser for good reason. No pirate has ever escape from him," Robin said, remembering all the information she read up on Smoker.

"Except Luffy, which is why Smoky holds a grudge against him and still chase him to this day," Usopp said. "I mean, the guy practically waited for us in the New World."

"Sheesh, talk about a stalker," Franky said. That man really was nuts.

"We may have been in real trouble if Ace hadn't saved us," Nami said.

"Oh, Ace is here?" Brook asked.

"This is where we met him," Usopp said. "He even joined us for a while as we were taking Vivi to Yuba."

"You did say you met Ace in Alabasta and I do remember getting a report about Fire Fist being within the area," Robin said in thought. "However, we lost contact with our informants before we confirmed anything."

Franky rubbed his chin. "Kind of odd for a Whitebeard commander to be in this part of the sea. Pirates from crews that powerful rarely leaves the New World or stay close to the Red Line."

"He was searching for someone," Zoro stated.

Before Zoro could say more, a shadow suddenly loomed over Luffy. "Jeez, were you even trying to escape?" a voice asked in good nature.

Luffy looked around in confusion for a moment before he looked up. He smiled at the figure who was standing on a nearby rooftop.

"Ace!" Luffy exclaimed happily.

Ace looked largely the same since the last time the Strawhats saw him in a memory, except he was even more muscular and he looked more mature in the face. He also no longer wore a shirt of any type.

The fire user dropped down to greet his baby brother. "Long time, no see, Luffy."

"Same to you, Ace," Luffy said. He practically seemed to glow in front of his older brother. For some reason, Luffy appeared to look even younger.

Ace laughed at him before Luffy jumped off the barrel he was sitting on. The two brothers grabbed each other's hand and started to arm wrestle.

"How many years has it been?" Luffy asked as he attempted to push Ace's arm.

"Don't know," Ace answered honestly as he kept his arm steady. "But Luffy, you still have that whole 'my pace' thing. You haven't changed at all."

"I'm not sure about that," Zoro said mostly to himself as he recalled how child-Luffy was before he met Ace and Sabo.

Luffy tried harder to push Ace's hand. "So haven't you. I was surprised to hear you'd eaten a Devil Fruit, but nothing else about you has changed." He began to push Ace's arm over. "Like the time you ate those one-hundred watermelons from that vendor and spit the seeds out like bullets before running away."

"That wasn't me," Ace said as he straightened his arm. "You did that!"

"Then you got chased by the cops all around the city," Luffy went on.

"That was you too!" Ace countered, they were now dead even in their arm wrestling match. "I was on the roof laughing my ass off."

Luffy thought about it for the moment. "Well, how about the time you robbed those thugs near the harbor and then fell asleep in the middle of your escape and you fell into the water."

Ace paused in thought. "Yeah...that was me."

Luffy's face was now completely red as he attempted to push Ace's arm down.

Ace for his part was also a little red, but didn't seem to be trying as hard as Luffy. This all proved to be a moot point when the barrel finally gave and broke apart under the two brothers, spilling water everywhere.

"I guess we're both the same," Luffy concluded.

"I wondered what happened to that barrel!" Nami exclaimed. "That cost us a lot of money!"

"It's so sweet seeing those two together again, especially after seeing everything they've been through growing up," Chopper said, nearly in tears.

"The bond of a sibling must be a powerful thing," Brook added. He was ready to take out his guitar.

The rest of the Strawhats didn't say anything, remembering the fate that awaited Ace and the pain that Luffy would soon be suffering.

"Sure brings back some memories," Luffy said softly.

"But your friends are probably looking for you," Ace said breaking the nostalgic mood. He reached into his bag and took out a bottle of water.

"Ace, what are you doing in this country anyway?" Luffy asked his brother as Ace took several gulps of water.

"Huh, didn't you get my message in Drum?" Ace asked in confusion.

"In Drum?" Luffy questioned.

Chopper blinked. "Ace was in Drum?"

"Guess so. It must have happened a couple of days before we got there," Nami said.

Chopper paused in thought. He remembered hearing from the villagers that it was unusually warm one day and that there was no snow. Could that be Ace's doing, or was it just a coincidence? He knew for a fact after Punk Hazard that logias could mess up the weather.

Ace waved his hand dismissively. "Never mind. It wasn't anything important. I have some minor business that I need to take care of in these parts of the sea. I figured I would try to meet up with you."

"Minor business?" Luffy asked.

"I'm with the Whitebeard Pirates now," Ace informed his brother as he tossed him the bottle of water.

"Whitebeard Pirates?" Luffy repeated as he drank some of the water.

"I'm surprise Luffy didn't know that. Didn't Ace keep in contact with Luffy?" Franky asked.

"Luffy's family doesn't seem like the type to keep in contact," Usopp said, remembering how Garp just left Luffy countless times.

"That's kind of strange given how close they are," Brook stated.

"Even so, he could have read about Ace's exploits in the paper," Franky said.

Nami scoffed. "Like Luffy's the type to read a newspaper." Until she saw these memories, she wasn't completely sure if Luffy could even read.

Ace turned to show Luffy the tattoo on his back. It was the mark of the Whitebeard Pirates. "This mark on my back is my pride and joy."

Luffy continued to drink the water and made no expression.

"Luffy, how about joining the Whitebeard Pirates?" Ace asked. "Your crew can come too."

Sanji chuckled. "Like Luffy would follow anyone. He's too much of a free spirit to call anyone captain."

"I would not say it is impossible. Ace is much the same way as our captain, yet he became a part of Whitebeard's crew and eventually one of his commanders," Robin said. "If I remember correctly, he wanted to take Whitebeard's head."

Nami folded her arms. "Yeah, you're right about that."

"I wonder what changed him," Sanji said in thought. Given what a stubborn, hothead Ace was, it was unbelievable that anyone could tame him.

"You know, it would have been interesting if Luffy took Ace's offer. We could have been part of an Emperor's crew," Usopp mused.

Zoro said nothing for several seconds. "I would call no one except Luffy my captain."

Nami nodded. "I feel the same way. I joined to be with Luffy. Not Whitebeard."

"No," Luffy answered bluntly, unknowing voicing the thoughts of his crew.

This made Ace laugh. "Yeah, I thought so. Just thought I would ask." He grinned at his brother. "Whitebeard is the greatest pirate I've ever known. I'm going to make that man Pirate King, not you."

Luffy grinned at the challenged. "So what? It's just one more person I have to fight."

"Ashamed that fight will never happen," Zoro sighed.

Ace smirked at his baby brother.

"I'm the one going to be Pirate King!" Luffy declared.

"For someone like Ace to come to admire anyone as highly as Whitebeard, he must have been a truly great man," Robin said.

Zoro nodded. "From what we've seen in Luffy's memory, Ace wasn't a man that made friends easily or respect anyone outside his family. I almost wish I met the old man."

"Anyway, let's find your crew," Ace suggested. "If the marines catch them, it would be pretty troublesome."

"Maybe they're back at the ship," Luffy stated.

The two brothers walked down the dusty alleyway.

"Which harbor are they in?" Ace asked after a few minutes of walking.

Luffy paused in thought. "I have no idea."

This caused most of the Strawhats to face-palm.

"Really, Luffy?" Usopp sighed as he dropped his head.

Ace also sighed, as if he expected this answer. "If you're captain of a ship, remembering where you docked is a given, normally."

" _Normally_ ," Nami stated dryly.

Luffy laughed. "Well, whatever. Don't worry about it."

"Same as always," Ace sighed. He sounded more disappointed than angry or annoyed, he obviously expected better from Luffy. He paused in thought for a couple of seconds. "So, tell me about your crew. What kind of people are they?"

Luffy smiled at the subject matter. "A swordsman who want to be the greatest in the world. He always wears a waistband. Our navigator likes maps, tangerines, and money. And our cook makes super delicious food," he said as he counted his crew down on his hands. "Oh, we have liar too."

All the Strawhats, except Usopp, laughed at that.

"Luffy, you jerk," Usopp muttered under his breathe.

"And...a reindeer!" Luffy concluded.

Ace took in everything Luffy said. "A pretty nice variety crew you got there." Although, they could only guess what Ace was really thinking.

"Right now, we have a princess and a spot-billed duck as crewmates too," Luffy added.

"Hmm?" Ace hummed.

"They're all really funny!" Luffy said animatedly.

"And I bet you're the funniest of them all," Ace said with a smile.

"You got that right," most of the Strawhats said in unison.

"However, it's like you to run a small crew," Ace commented.

"Well, I tried to get a bigger crew, but that...didn't end well," Luffy muttered mostly under his breath.

Ace raised any eyebrow. "What happened?"

"Well...I tried an open audition," Luffy said after a moment of silence.

Ace winced. "Oh...that had to suck."

Luffy nodded in agreement.

"An open audition?" Chopper repeated. "I think I remember us talking about that once."

Brook tilted his head. "I think so too, but I can't remember the reason exactly."

Chopper shook his head. "I can't remember what an open audition is."

"It is when a pirate holds meetings to get recruits for their crew," Robin explained, she suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu. "Much like what those impersonators did when they imitated our crew."

Sanji puffed out some smoke. "An open audition doesn't sound like something Luffy would do."

"Most likely someone talked him into it," Zoro surmised.

"So, what cast of jokers did you run into?" Ace asked in good nature.

Luffy paused for a moment. "While, I got this one guy who shot his own crewmate over a poker game and was sent adrift. He was kind of cool looking with eye-patch too. Another guy wanted to be pirate so he could go around killing and robbing people. He didn't think I was a real pirate. And another guy who just wanted to be a pirate out of boredom."

Ace nodded his head before he began to laugh. "Sounds more diverse than the people I got when I tried to have an open audition. Unless you plan to plunder, murder, or offer some good booze, it doesn't pay to hold an open audition."

Brook would have frowned, if he had skin. "I wouldn't go that far. Most of my old crew, including myself, were recruited though an open audition. We only had to love music to join."

"It's true, unfortunately," Nami sighed. "I don't know about your days as a pirate, but there are very few pirates like you in the world, Brook. Most people become pirates to pillage and murder, not to go on adventures and explore."

"Since the start of the Golden Age of Pirates, pirates have become more ruthless," Robin stated.

Brook sighed sadly and lowered his head. "I supposed things have changed since I've sailed the sea with my crew."

Luffy's eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, there was there one girl who tried to join."

"A girl!" Sanji exclaimed. "Luffy, you should have taken her as your crewmate!"

Zoro rolled his eye at Sanji.

"A girl, that's pretty rare," Ace said.

Luffy crossed his arms. "Although, I'm still not completely sure if she was a girl."

This confused both the Strawhats and Ace.

"What do you mean?" Ace asked.

"Well, she kind of had a deep voice for a girl," Luffy said in thought. "And she had balls."

There was a pregnant pause as everyone took what Luffy had just said.

"What?" Ace asked flatly.

"She had balls, big ones too," Luffy said. He made a gesture with his hands. "She was pretty long too."

"Too much information," Franky muttered as he rubbed his eyes.

"What this guy do, strip in front of Luffy?" Nami asked in disgust.

Ace coughed. "Umm, Luffy, if someone have balls, they're usually classified as a man."

"Well, the bartender thought she was a tranny, but she said she was a...hermaphroph," Luffy said.

Ace blinked before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh, you mean a hermaphrodite."

Luffy bonked his hands together. "Yeah, that's it."

Sanji's mouth dropped in horror. "A hermaphrodite almost joined the crew!" He was going to have nightmares.

"What's a hermaphrodite?" Usopp asked in confusion.

"It is a person who has both male and female parts," Robin explained in amusement.

"Parts?" Usopp repeated.

"A hermaphrodite has both a penis and a vagina," Chopper said bluntly in his professional voice.

Usopp paled when he heard this and started to scream. "The mental image!"

"You're the one who wanted to know," Zoro said dryly, although he was also disturbed by the image. He thanked whatever entity existed that this person wasn't one of his crewmates. They were random enough as it was.

"Knowing you, you didn't invite this person just because she was a hermaphrodite," Ace said.

"Well, she just wanted to be a pirate to be with me," Luffy sighed.

"To be with you?" Ace repeated.

"Yeah, she said she would make all my fantasies come true and something about being my greatest adventure," Luffy said in thought. "I'm still not sure what she meant."

Ace stopped walking as he took in Luffy's words. He looked highly disturbed.

The more adult Strawhats burst into laughter. Usopp and Sanji looked just as disturbed as Ace, while Chopper just looked at the group in confusion.

"My god...a hermaphrodite wanted to..." Zoro heaved between laughs.

"That's so wrong," Nami said between her laughter.

It wasn't so much the person being hermaphrodite that made it funny, but the thought that someone was willing to become Luffy's whore. Luffy's innocence in the matter just added to the humor.

"What's so funny?" Chopper asked in bafflement. He was completely lost as usual.

"We will tell you later," Robin said with a smile on her face.

"You all always say that," Chopper moped. "I'm not a kid anymore."

Sanji flicked his cigarette. "Chopper, you're better off not knowing."

"Oh, Ace, are you okay," Luffy asked in concern when he saw how pale Ace was. "Are you sick? I can have Chopper look you over."

Ace shook his head and rubbed his temple. "No, no, I'm fine." He cleared his voice. "Well...you certainly had a more...interesting open audition than me." He began to walk again after the shock had worn off.

Luffy gave a small shrug. "Anyway, all I need is a musician now."

Ace nodded in agreement. "No crew can be complete without one."

"Not you too, Ace," Nami moaned.

Brook laughed loudly. "True, true, no crew is complete without music."

There was peaceful moment of silence between the two brothers.

Luffy looked Ace over during that moment. "When did you get so big anyway?"

Ace looked confused by the question before he smiled. "Oh, I don't really weight train anymore if that's what you're wondering. This kind of developed naturally," he said as he gestured to his chest, which was even more developed than it was three years ago.

Luffy glared at Ace. "Naturally?"

Ace's smile got wider. "Yeah. I guess I just got those kinds of genes."

"...I hate you..." Luffy grumbled.

Ace laughed. "Still can't develop a chest, can you?"

"Leave me alone," Luffy pouted at his brother's teasing.

"Didn't know Luffy was so self-conscious," Sanji commented with humor.

"I think he just wants to look like Ace," Robin said with an amused smile.

"Although, Ace brings up a good point," Nami observed. "Despite all the training Luffy went through, his muscles don't seem to get any bigger. Even after two years with Rayleigh, Luffy is still very slight. Even Usopp's more developed than him now."

"What do you mean _even!?_ " Usopp asked in irritation. "Do you know the hell I went through to get this figure!?"

"It could just be his genes. Some people are just naturally skinny," Sanji said.

"Making excuses for yourself, string bean?" Zoro teased.

Sanji snorted at him. "Even with all your muscles, I can still kick your ass, cyclops."

"I do not think it is genetic," Robin said, stopping Zoro and Sanji from fighting. "Garp and Dragon are both physically imposing figures. Granted, we do not know what Luffy's mom or grandmother look like, so he could just favor that side of his family."

Chopper nodded in agreement. "Luffy could still be growing since human males continue to develop until they're twenty-one years old usually, but I doubt Luffy is going to get much bigger. Either he does favor the female side of his family or his Devil Fruit altered his genetic makeup to give him a slim figure much like Alvida's did for her."

After looking over Ace again, Luffy finally noticed the tattoo on Ace's upper left bicep. Ace always said that he wanted a tattoo of his name for some reason, but what made the tattoo standout was that Ace's name was spelled wrong. Instead of being spelled ACE, Ace's name was spelled ASCE with the S crossed out.

"What happened with your tattoo?" Luffy asked as he pointed to Ace's arm. "You didn't spell your name right?"

Ace glanced at the tattoo on his arm and gave a small, sad smile. "This...is my other pride and joy."

Luffy was confused for a moment before his eyes widened in realization. "That's..."

Ace nodded somberly. "Yes...it is."

Luffy was left completely silent. He looked like he was close to tears.

"What's so special about that tattoo?" Franky asked as he tilted his head. "Looks like the tattooist screwed up on the spelling."

"I thought the same thing when I first say it," Usopp said. It was the only real odd quirk he knew about Ace until recently. Really, who goes around with their name misspelled on their arm?

Robin's eyes widened in realization. "I understand."

"What is it, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked.

"Does the crossed out S look familiar?" Robin asked instead.

Zoro stared at the tattoo in thought. It did seem vaguely familiar, but nothing came to mind at the moment.

Nami suddenly gasped. "It looks like their childhood pirate flag!"

This got the Strawhats' attention. Now that they looked closer at it, it was similar to the S on the ASL pirate flag. Now that they really thought about it, it looked like the crossed out stylized S on Luffy's dream pirate mark.

"So, it wasn't a misspelling at all," Chopper whispered, nearing tears just like Luffy.

"This entire time, Ace was carrying his fallen brother's dream on his very skin," Sanji said in awe.

Nami unconsciously touched her own tattooed arm.

Brook frowned, even without any skin. "What a remarkable tribute."

"I think about him every day when I look at the sea," Luffy suddenly said, getting the Strawhats back into the memory. "I know he would really love going on adventures and seeing the place that I've been so far. I can even imagine what his book would look like. He would really love my crew too."

"Yeah, I feel the same way. Sabo would just love the Old Man and the others," Ace said softly. "I can imagine the trouble Marco and he would get into." He became very somber suddenly. "Sabo would have a real father in Whitebeard."

Luffy abruptly laughed. "You know, I just realized. Now that you got that fire Devil Fruit, that makes you the sun."

"Pardon?" Ace asked, losing his gloomy demeanor.

"Well, Sabo's the sea. So, that means you're the sun," Luffy said. "It's fitting, don't you think?"

Ace said nothing, but he looked touched by the words. He then laugh himself. "When did you become poetic?"

Luffy just chuckled back.

Robin frowned at the analogy. She was not sure if Luffy was aware of it, but he more or less classified Sabo and Ace as his entire world.

There was another moment of silence between the two brothers.

"I miss him," Luffy said in a tender voice. "There are some days that I swear that I see him. He's always laughing and giving me encouragement."

"I see him all the time too. It reminds us that he lived," Ace said before he smiled. "But we're living his dream. As long as we go on living, Luffy, Sabo's spirit will never disappear. Those bastard nobles couldn't take that."

Luffy gave a bright smile, losing his previous sadness. "Yeah. We'll both continue to live for him."

Ace nodded in agreement.

All the Strawhats could only look at the scene in somber silence. They started to fully realize that Luffy was the only one left to carry on the dreams of his fallen brothers; that his death meant the extinction of the brothers' will. If that happened, it would be like the nobles and marines won. They wouldn't allow that to happen. There has been enough injustice in the world.

Perhaps, that was another level of Luffy's pain. Knowing that he was the last one left.

"Stop right there, Fire Fist Ace!" someone yelled as several people jumped out of the alleyways, breaking the tender mood. There were even more people on the roofs, glaring down at the two brothers.

"As you can see, there's nowhere to run!" a man with a big reddish nose proclaimed. "Fire Fist Ace, your head is ours! Prepare to die!"

Both Ace and Luffy gave him blank stares.

"Who are these idiots?" Franky asked, hating that they broke such an emotional scene.

"They are Baroque Works Billions," Robin explained. "They are agents who are next in line to become number agents."

"Oh, so they're strong," Brook said.

"They are as strong as Baroque Works' number agents that have numbers higher than ten," Robin stated.

"So, this should be a good fight," Franky concluded.

One of the men recognized Luffy. "Hey, is this other guy Strawhat Luffy?"

"You're right! The rookie pirate with a thirty-million belli bounty!" one of them yelled.

"We're freaking lucky today!" the big nose man exclaimed in glee. "Fire Fist Ace and Strawhat Luffy, when we get their heads we will be promoted three times over!"

Luffy and Ace paid none of this any mind and walked past the man.

"Anyway, let's find your ship," Ace said nonchalantly. "Should we go to the beach?"

"Sure," Luffy said.

Almost all the Strawhats chuckled at the scene.

The man didn't like being ignored. "Kill them!"

The Baroque Works agents began to charge them.

It became obvious to the Strawhats quickly that one of the brothers alone was more than enough to take on the agents. The two of them fighting together turned the battle into a complete slaughter for the Baroque Works' agents.

Most of the fight was Ace and Luffy checking out each other's new moves. Ace didn't even bother to use his Devil Fruit, nor did he ever get hit.

When the battle was done, the remaining Baroque Works agent was too terrified to fight anymore.

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Sanji said in disappointment.

"I thought the agents of Baroque Works were stronger than that," Brook said.

"You really should not be too surprised," Robin said with a small smile. "Only the agents four and up posed any real threat to the Strawhats."

The Strawhats who were members at the time, except Zoro, blushed.

The two brothers strolled passed the remaining agents and continued to look for Luffy's ship. The memory faded after that.

"I see Ace hadn't change," Franky said.

"Although he seemed more mellow and at ease with himself," Brook stated.

When the next memory came the Strawhats were standing by some type of rock formation. It was the dead of night and the small pirate crew appeared to be in the middle of the desert. Their past counterparts were out cold around a campfire and were huddled together like puppies in a litter. Most of them were snoring loudly, except Nami and Vivi.

Some distance away from the main group was Ace. He was either on watch or just couldn't sleep. He looked over the past Strawhats with a critical eye, almost like he was judging them. It was the most serious they have seen Ace outside of battle. He looked like his younger, more short-tempered self.

"Hey, Ace!" Luffy's shouts broke the quiet atmosphere and snapped Ace out of his trance.

"Geez, wake up the entire desert, why don't you," Ace humored as Luffy plopped down next to him. "Why are you awake anyway? You're usually the first to fall asleep."

Luffy shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. I slept through most of today."

"That's because Chopper had to sedate you after you drank that cacti juice," Ace scolded. "I told you about eating strange things."

Luffy folded his arms. "But I was told that cactus had water."

"Well, most do, but not all cactus are equal," Ace said.

"Cactus juice?" Brook repeated.

"Luffy got thirsty while we were traveling and drank some water from a cactus," Chopper stated. "The cactus' juice, however, had a mind altering effect on Luffy and he began to hallucinate."

"Sounds like quite some cactus juice," Franky laughed.

"It wasn't funny," Nami said in annoyance. "That idiot ran around screaming about a tsunami and seeing Crocodile everywhere."

Sanji blew out some smoke. "Yeah, I remember that. It took almost all of us to tackle him so Chopper could sedate that moron. On the bright side, the walk was much quieter with Luffy being unconscious."

Luffy sighed. "It's a pain travelling in the desert during the day. Why can't we travel at night? It feels so much better out here."

"Most would call it freezing," Ace stated.

"Really?" Luffy asked.

"It was over one-hundred and twenty degree today, now it's just above fifty," Ace said. "After such a big temperature drop, it would be really cold for most people."

"Tell me about it," Usopp said, remembering those cold Alabasta nights.

"I'm not sure how Vivi can live in such a harsh place," Nami murmured to herself.

Luffy paused in thought. "I hadn't noticed." He then stared at Ace. "Why aren't you cold?"

Ace smiled. "It's my Devil Fruit. Since I'm a fireman, I'm no longer affected by heat. My ability also keeps me warm during cold days. I can even stop it from snowing."

"Now that's a handy fruit," Franky said.

"That would explain why Ace goes without a shirt everywhere," Nami noted.

Luffy's eyes widened in amazement. "So, you don't get hot or cold anymore?"

"Pretty much," Ace answered.

"That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed with stars in his eyes. "I wished my Gum Gum Fruit did stuff like that. I was so hot today that I felt like I was melting."

Ace smiled and gave a short laugh. "Well, you do tend to smell like burning latex when you're hot, so maybe you were melting."

"So, that is that weird odor Luffy emits when he gets too hot," Zoro said. He'd wondered what that smell was.

"I wonder if Luffy-san really can melt?" Brook wondered out loud.

Chopper folded his arms. "Well, I do know that Luffy's skin does take on a melting texture when he get badly burnt, but I highly doubt Luffy can melt like ordinary rubber since he is still a flesh and blood human."

"I guess traveling through the desert would be tough for you, given that you're rubber and all," Ace mused. "You never did have a high tolerance for heat. Still, you should rest up. It will be daybreak in a couple of hours and Vivi said she wanted to be ready to leave at dawn."

"I'm still not sleepy," Luffy said childishly.

Ace gave Luffy a disapproving stare. "It's going to be your own fault if you're dead tired in the morning. I'm not going to carry you and neither will your crew."

Luffy pouted. "Why not, you used to carry me all the time growing up. Besides, it gets hot around here and I lose my energy when I'm hot."

Ace casually pushed some hair out of his eyes. "It isn't fitting for a captain to be baby, especially around his big brother."

Luffy chose to say nothing.

"Speaking of which, how do you like being a captain so far?" Ace asked.

Luffy smiled. "It's great. It's everything we dreamed about. Having a group of loyal friends sailing off into adventure is the best." He eyed Ace and his grin got wider. "It isn't too late for you to join my crew. You can be my first mate."

Ace raised an eyebrow. "Why do I want to be your first mate? You're weaker than me."

Luffy puffed his chest proudly. "I can take you. I've gotten much stronger."

Ace slowly turned towards Luffy. Without a word, he raised his hand and flicked Luffy on the forehead with his index finger. It was an extremely gentle gesture, almost like Ace was flicking a fly.

Nonetheless, Luffy gave a cry of pain as if Ace had punched him. He grabbed his forehead and rubbed the injury. "It's hurts!"

"What did Ace do?" Chopper asked. "Did he burn him?"

"Ace used Haki to hurt Luffy," Zoro stated. He was more impressed that Ace could cause Luffy such pain with such a gentle move.

"Sheesh, I didn't hit you that hard," Ace mused as he watched Luffy rubbed his forehead. "It couldn't have been that long since someone hit you. I'm certain that gramps trained you until you left Dawn."

Luffy looked at Ace in bafflement. "When did you learn grandpa's Fist of Love? Did he teach it to you?"

"Nay, I picked it up while traveling," Ace said with a smile. "It's a pretty handy skill too."

Luffy's eyes lit up. "Can you teach me!?"

Ace stared at Luffy for a moment. "I don't think I would be a good teacher. I'm still learning myself. Besides, it took years just for me to learn as much as I have."

Luffy frowned. "Oh." He paused for a moment. "Still, I can take you. Even if you know grandpa's technique, it won't be like the old days."

"He just won't learn until Ace beats him into the ground," Sanji mused.

Ace raised an eyebrow again, looking highly amused by his little brother's confidence. He then got a playful glint in his eyes.

"Luffy, as a rule of thumb, you should not challenge people who can beat you just by tickling you. Which, by the way, I can do quite effectively." Ace grinned. "But you already know that from personal experience."

Luffy looked at Ace in mild embarrassment. He wasn't happy with Ace pointing out that particular weakness.

Chopper nodded in agreement as he glanced at Robin. "That's true."

Robin just chuckled.

"Also, gramps' Fist of Love makes you more vulnerable since I can bypass your ability. Given how sensitive you are already, you will most likely wake up your crew, along with half of Alabasta, with your screaming. Which in turn will allow your crewmates to learn all the spots that drive you crazy, which they will all take advantage of, I'm certain," Ace went on as he smiled almost sadistically.

Luffy immediately deflated and back away from Ace a little.

Nami chuckled. "He managed to talk Luffy down just by threatening to tickle him."

"I don't know what the big deal is," Usopp said with a shrug. "It isn't exactly a secret that Luffy's ticklish."

"I think he does not want to be at Ace's mercy in front of his crew," Robin mused.

"Anyway, you got people on your crew who can be your first mate," Ace said, letting the not-so-subtle threat of tickle torture slide. "I'm kind of surprised you don't have one already. That is usually the first position filled."

"Well, I never really thought of having a first mate. I just wanted you to be one since it would be awkward having two captains," Luffy said.

"How considerate of you," Ace said sarcastically before he became serious. "However, you should have a first mate. If something happens to you, what will become of your crew?"

Luffy waved a hand dismissively. "My crew will be fine. They practically run themselves."

"Isn't that the truth," Nami muttered dryly.

Most of the Strawhats nodded in agreement.

"Even if your crew is self-efficient, it is a position you still should have filled," Ace said. He paused in thought for a moment. "What about your swordsman?"

"What about him?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Why don't you make him your first mate? He was the first to join and he doesn't seem to have a real job at the moment," Ace said. "Give him something to do and maybe he won't sleep on deck all day."

This made almost all the Strawhats laugh, much to Zoro's annoyance.

"Ace barely knew you, yet he got you down perfectly," Sanji teased.

Zoro glared at Sanji. "Shut up, swirls!"

Luffy was unusually silent. He also had an awkward look on his face. Zoro didn't like the expression on his captain's face. He looked uncomfortable.

Ace also noticed the look. "What, is there something wrong with him?"

"Huh, no, no, no, there's nothing wrong with Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed quickly as he waved his hands.

Ace leaned into his hands. "So, what is it? You don't think he would make a good first mate?"

Luffy once again said nothing and started to chew on his lips, unnerving Zoro even further. He got the feeling that he was going to hear something he wouldn't like.

"You don't trust him," Ace stated bluntly, getting straight to the point.

"Of course I trust Zoro!" Luffy all but yelled. His eyes were nearly white with the suggesting that Zoro was untrustworthy. "I trust Zoro with my life!"

A sense of relief washed over Zoro. At least it wasn't a trust issue.

"If it's not trust that is keeping him from being your first mate, what is?" Ace asked firmly. He wasn't going to let Luffy drop the subject.

Luffy bit his lip. "It's...I'm not sure if Zoro would want to be first mate."

Ace said nothing, but his eyes urged Luffy to continue.

"Zoro...he didn't join under the same circumstances as my other crewmates. We have more of an agreement," Luffy said slowly. "I saved his life, so he joined me. Zoro is also the only one who puts his dream before all else, even the crew."

Zoro felt his heart stop.

"The only one?" Ace repeated.

Luffy nodded before he started to count down on his fingers. "Nami was willing to work for someone she hated for the sake of others, Usopp was willing to risk his life and die to protect his village and his girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Usopp yelled automatically.

Franky laughed. "Even Luffy can see it."

"Sanji wanted to keep working at a restaurant to payback his mentor and Chopper is living someone else's dreams," Luffy said.

Chopper blinked. "Wait, how does he know that? I never told him that."

"Luffy is very insightful about his crew," Robin said in awe.

"Zoro…he never had to give or put aside his dream for anyone. He won't allow anyone to stay in the way of his ambitions, not even me as his captain," Luffy said. He didn't sound bitter or upset, he was just stated a fact.

Zoro's eye widened when he heard those words leave Luffy's mouth.

For Sanji, his mind immediately went to Thriller Bark and remembering the state he had found Zoro in.

Ace's expression was completely blank, making it impossible to read him. He was as hard as Luffy to read at the moment.

"He wants to be the greatest swordsman. The deal we made is that if I ever interfered with his dream, I would have to kill myself," Luffy explained. "If he was first mate, he would have to put the crew's well-being above all else, even his dreams."

"And that would intercede with your agreement," Ace concluded.

Luffy nodded.

"Luffy has a point," Robin mused as she took in everything. Luffy could indeed be very wise.

"I've never thought of it that way," Nami muttered. "I just thought Luffy never gave Zoro an official job because he couldn't think of one. I would have never guessed it was because he believed that Zoro was unable to put others before his ambitions."

"But its true," Usopp said softly. "Zoro never had to give up his dream to protect something."

Brook looked at Usopp. He desperately wanted to say that they were all wrong about Zoro, but he kept his silence. It wasn't his place to speak of Zoro's deeds.

Sanji blow out some smoke. "That shitty rubber head is actually quite insightful."

"I see, you don't want to give him a position so he doesn't feel obligated to follow you," Ace said. "With no position, he can leave anytime he wants to fulfill his ambitions."

Luffy's silence was all the answer Ace and other Strawhats needed.

Zoro felt a pang of guilt go through his stomach. Was this the way Luffy thought of him?

Ace looked up at the sky. "You don't think that can ever change?"

Luffy shrugged. "I don't know, but Zoro has put his ambitions before the crew once already."

"You mean with Mihawk," Ace said. Luffy had obviously told him the story.

Luffy nodded. "One of our crewmates left with our ship and, without a moment of hesitation, he went to fight Hawk-Eye. I understand why he did it and I'm not mad, but...he put his dream before his family."

All the Strawhats were stunned by Luffy's words.

"Maybe he doesn't see this crew as his family, Luffy," Ace said gently. "Not everyone thinks like Red-Hair and Whitebeard."

For some reason, Ace's words hurt Zoro more than Luffy's.

"I know. Which is why he shouldn't be first mate," Luffy said softly. He had a somber demeanor.

Zoro lowered his head in shame. Luffy wasn't wrong. When he first joined his crew, he would have put his ambitions before his crewmates. He in fact _had_ when he had his duel with Mihawk instead of going after Nami. It wasn't that he didn't care or love his crewmates, but it was just the fact that this was the dream he has been working towards for almost all of his life. He also carried on Kuina's will and ambitions. He couldn't afford to fail or be held back.

He knew, however, that wasn't a good excuse. Luffy too has been working towards his dream of becoming the Pirate King since he was a child and he also carried the burden of another's will. Yet, Luffy always put his crew before his ambitions, to the point that he was willing to die for them. It took him a while to reach such a point.

Ace stared at Luffy for a minute. His eyes suddenly narrowed. "There's more to it than that."

Luffy looked away from his brother. "It's nothing."

"Tell me," Ace said firmly. "Or, do I need force it out of you."

Luffy didn't speak for several seconds, as if weighing if being ruthlessly tortured and possibly embarrassed in front of his crew was worth not telling Ace.

Luffy eventually sighed in defeat. "Well, first mates also want to be on a crew forever. I mean, they never leave their captain's side no matter what happens. Through thick and thin, they're together. A first mate is a captain's partner."

"Shanks," Ace guessed.

Luffy nodded.

"It sounds like he's talking about a marriage," Franky humored.

"In many ways, the relationship between a first mate and a captain is a marriage," Robin said. "In order for the relationship to work, there has to be an unbreakable trust and commitment between the two of them."

"You believe that Zoro doesn't want to be on your crew forever," Ace said.

"Well, he only became a pirate because I blackmailed him into it. Once he becomes the greatest swordsman in the world, he may not want to sail anymore," Luffy reasoned. "None of them may want to," he added softly under his breath.

It was so soft that the Strawhats almost missed it.

"You think your crew will disband once they reached their goals," Ace concluded.

"Well...it isn't like any of them have a reason to stay out at sea once they've reached their dreams," Luffy said. "I mean, Usopp, Nami, Sanji, and Chopper all have homes and families to return to. I don't think they want to spend the rest of their lives at sea. So, when they do complete their dreams, they may all go home."

Ace looked at Luffy for a moment before he began to laugh. "So, you think once everyone gets what they want, they will all pack up their things and go home."

Luffy gave Ace an annoyed look. "What's so funny?"

Ace stopped laughing. "It's nothing. I guess it's because I've never heard something like that before. In most crews, the people live for their captain, rather they be good or bad. They may visit their homes and families, but very few pirates actually retire and leave the sea. Besides, it isn't like the marines tear up a pirate's wanted poster upon hearing about their retirement."

Luffy didn't look like he believed Ace. "But, even if they do leave, I'm okay with that. As long as they reach their dreams, I'll be happy for them." He paused for second as he looked at the night's sky. "I'll fight for them too. I'll fight and die to make sure they all reach their dreams."

All the Strawhats were touched by their captain's words. Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Franky, and Brook were especially moved to tears. Luffy's vow held the same conviction and heat as him shouting about wanting to become Pirate King.

"You got it backwards, Luffy," Ace said in a somewhat harsh voice. "You're their captain. It's their duty to lay down their lives for you. Not the other way around."

Zoro, Brook, and Sanji nodded their heads in agreement.

Luffy scowled. "But I don't want them to die for me. If I failed to protect their dreams, what does _mine_ mean?"

Those words struck Zoro. Those were the same words he spoke to Kuma about Luffy.

Ace gave a soft smile. "That's the mark of a good captain. Luffy, I don't know if your crew will stay together once they reach their goals. What I do know is that a crew is a direct reflection of their captain. To see the future, maybe you need to look within yourself."

Luffy blinked several times. "What does that mean?"

He got no answer.

"Ace?" Luffy stopped looking at the sky and turned towards his brother. When he turned around, he saw that Ace was dead asleep on the desert's floor. He was snoring loudly and a snot bubble was coming out of his nose. "Dammit, Ace, you fell asleep again!" he yelled in annoyance.

Ace kept sleeping as the memory faded.

None of the Strawhats spoke for a moment.

"That was insightful," Brook said softly.

"Does Luffy truly believe that we would just leave him once we complete our dreams?" Nami asked.

"He does have a point," Sanji said neutrally. "Most of us do have places to return to. We don't have to spend the rest of our lives as pirates."

"Still, I could never abandon Luffy," Usopp said. "I mean, I would love to see Kaya and the others again, but I can't imagine not being on the ship with you guys. I mean, it was being separated that made the last two years so tough. Not to mention what happened at Water 7..."

Franky nodded. "Yeah, after everything I've experience, I can never go back to Water 7 like nothing ever happened."

"We already know that Luffy thinks this way. We saw it in his dream," Robin said in thought. "We let it slide before, but after this, I think we all have to make him understand that we would never just leave him, even if we do accomplish our ambitions."

"Yeah!" Chopper shouted as he raised his arms. "I'll never leave Luffy's side. I'll sail with him forever!"

"As will I," Brook said with a nod. Without Luffy, he would have no life. The least he owed him was to always be by his side.

Although no one else spoke it out loud, it was obvious by the rest of the Strawhats' demeanors and facial expressions that they felt the same.

Zoro especially knew that Luffy and he needed another long talk.

"Although, seeing this memory may explain the fight on Whiskey Peak," Robin unexpectedly said.

"How so?" Franky asked, surprised to be back on that subject.

"It would appear that Luffy's underline mistrust of Zoro streamed from the fact that he abandoned his crew to fulfill his dream," Robin said as she thought about the fight with Mihawk. "At that moment, Zoro chose his ambitions over retrieving someone Luffy saw as his family. Although I doubt Luffy was consciously aware of it, I think that incident may have caused him to question Zoro's character. Which is why he was willing to believe that Zoro could kill for dubious reasons."

Nami folded her arms. "It makes sense. Luffy puts the care of all of us above everything. He may believe that we feel the same way as him. When Zoro put his own desire first, Luffy could have seen it as a sort of betrayal even if he understood the reasons. After all, who puts their dreams before family?"

"That doesn't matter anymore, it's in the past," Zoro said in a somewhat harsh voice. Yes, he needed to talk to Luffy once this was over.

The next memory appeared and the Strawhats were back in the middle of the desert. It was close to twilight and there was nothing on the horizon except sand. It was a vast nothingness.

"Alright then," Ace exclaimed as he sat up.

"Are you really leaving, Ace?" Chopper asked sadly.

"Yeah," Ace confirmed. "Blackbeard isn't in Alabasta. There's no reason for me to stay in this country."

"Blackbeard? Isn't he one of the Four Emperors?" Franky asked.

Nami nodded as she scowled. "Before then, he was a member of Whitebeard's crew and one of Ace's subordinates. He killed one of his commanders and left the crew."

"He murdered one of his crewmates?" Brook asked in utter disgust. "That's the biggest taboo that anyone can commitment on the sea. Even among the most heartless pirates, killing a crew member is a sin."

"Yeah, which was why he was marked for death by Whitebeard and Ace was sent after him," Sanji said with his armed crossed.

"He also murdered his own captain during the War of the Best and stole his Devil Fruit," Zoro said with just as much disgust as Brook.

Chopper also shook in anger. "He was also the one who sacked Drum, hurting countless people."

Brook shook his head and scowled. "What a disgusting man."

"Where are you planning to go next?" Sanji in the memory asked Ace.

"Scorpion told me some guy in the west saw him. I'm going to look for him there," Ace said. He reached into his pocket and took out a sheet of paper. "Luffy!" He tossed the paper at his baby brother, who quickly caught it. "Keep this with you always."

"What, it's just a scrap of paper," Luffy said as he looked at it in bewilderment.

"That scrap of paper will allow us to meet again," Ace said.

Luffy opened the paper, but found nothing on it, confusing him even more.

"Don't want it?" Ace asked teasingly.

"No, I do," Luffy answered quickly.

Ace smiled. "Having a younger brother who's a little slow makes his older brother worry. He's probably going to keep burning your hands too." He looked over all the Strawhats for a moment. "Take care of him for me."

Ace's voice spoke of an unspoken vow between all the Strawhats. He was leaving his brother's safety and wellbeing in their hands. He also sounded greatly relieved, like he had found the answer to some kind of question.

Ace turned his attention back to his brother. "Luffy, the next time we meet, it will be at the top."

"Okay!" Luffy exclaimed happily.

"Come to the top!" Ace encouraged.

All the Strawhats cringed at Ace's words. The next time the two brothers meet, it would be at the top, but not the one Ace was thinking of. It would also be their final meeting.

Someone called the Strawhats' name, and they all turned to bid goodbye to Scorpion and his children. When they turned back around, Ace was nowhere in sight.

"Huh, where's Ace?" Luffy asked as he looked for his older brother. When did he learn to disappear?

"He's gone," Zoro within the memory said with a small smile.

Luffy smiled and stared into the sunset. "We'll see him again."

With those words, the memory disappeared in the mist.

None of the Strawhats spoke, nor did they really wanted to dwell on what they saw. Reality really was hasher in hindsight.

The scene changed and they were now in a town in the middle of the night. At least, what was left of the town. The small village was nearly completely buried in sand and no one was around. It looked like a ghost town.

"What happened to this place?" Brook asked as he looked around the dead village. It was eerie, almost like a grave.

"The desert has swallowed this place," Robin said sadly, once again reminded of her past sins. "Because of Crocodile and Baroque Works' effort to take over this kingdom, Alabasta went three years without rain."

"Three years!?" Brook exclaimed in disbelief.

"It was all part of Crocodile's plan," Sanji stated as he narrowed his eyes. "He created mistrust within the royal family by framing them and making the people believe that they used Dance Powder to steal all the rain in the country."

"I've heard of Dance Powder," Franky said as he rubbed his chin. "It's a powder that was created to make artificial rain, right?"

Robin nodded. "Yes, when burnt, Dance Powder emits a mist like vapor that would rise into the air and it speeds up the creation of ice particles in sub-freezing temperature clouds and cause massive rainfall."

"Ah, I remember the stories now. It was called Dance Powder because people used to dance in joy at the rain it created," Brook said. "However, if I remember correctly, it had a terrible side-effect."

"You remember correctly. The process in which the artificial rain is created nurtures clouds that are not ready to rain yet. When that happens, all of the water contained within those clouds would all be used up and other countries and locations that would naturally benefit from the rainfall became greatly deprived, causing severe droughts," Robin explained. "That is how Crocodile successfully stole the rain within Alabasta and incited a civil war."

"A very clever, yet heartless plan," Franky said. "How many people died in this drought that Warlord created?"

Robin closed her eyes. "Too many."

"Although, none of that explains where we are," Brook said.

"This has to be Yuba. It was a small oasis village before the drought all but destroyed it," Nami said with sadness in her voice. It was even worse than she remembered. "We came here to find the rebel army to talk them out of war, only to find out that they moved to Katorea, a city in the opposite direction."

"Talk about bad timing," Franky said. "I mean, you guys came all the way here for nothing."

"Hey mister, no water's coming out," Luffy said, catching the Strawhats' attention. He was watching an old man dig a giant hole.

The man was shriveled up and thin from hunger. His skin was also dry and rubbery looking from dehydration. It looked like he could drop dead from exhaustion at any minute. Nonetheless, he kept on digging without any sign of stopping.

"My throat is all dried up. You're pretty tough to be living out here. Must be hard," Luffy huffed. He stuck his tongue out and started panting like a dog.

"The water will come," the man said without a shred of doubt as he kept digging. "The Yuba Oasis is alive. Yuba will never be defeated by mere sand. I'll dig it up no matter how many times I have to. This is the precious land that the king entrusted to me."

"What a tough old man," Brook said in admiration.

Chopper shook his head. "He was severally dehydrated and he would have lasted only a couple more days at best. I gave him the best medical care I could, but he needed constant care to survive in this environment."

"Hopefully, he survived after Crocodile was defeated and the rain returned. After all this, that old man deserves a happy ending," Sanji said.

Luffy continued to stare at the man, greatly moved by his determination.

"Okay, I'll dig too!" Luffy exclaimed as he began to dig with his bare hands like a dog.

Luffy, however, was digging in the wrong direction and was burying the older man in sand and covering the hole he was digging.

"Hey, hold up!" the man yelled. "Don't fling the sand into the hole I'm digging!"

Luffy gave him a blank stare. He was already several feet into the hole he was digging.

"Are you trying to fill in the hole!?" the man exclaimed in annoyance.

"No, I'm digger this hole," Luffy said, not understanding why the man was so angry.

"I didn't mean that! You're flinging all the sand you're digging into my hole. That defeats the purpose of me digging the hole in the first place, you see?" the man attempted to explained to the dense rubberman.

"Ah," Luffy replied. He didn't get it. Suddenly his eyes lit up. "Oh, it's a mystery hole!"

He went back to digging the wrong way, much to the man's distress.

"Really, was it _that hard?_ " Nami muttered as she rubbed her head.

"Explaining anything to Luffy is an exercise in patience," Sanji muttered.

All the Strawhats, except Robin, nodded in agreement.

Luffy kept digging well into the night before he finally fell asleep in exhaustion. The memory faded away at that point.

"Was there a point to that memory?" Franky asked.

"I know that Luffy got some water from that old man after helping him, but I don't why it would be important here," Usopp said.

Robin put her hand on her chin. She thought she knew the answer.

The memory came and they were back in the desert. This time, they were next to a huge city and the sun was quickly setting over the horizon.

Robin's eyes widened. She knew where they were. "Rainbase."

The Strawhats, except Brook and Franky, looked at Robin in shock and they realized the same thing.

"Then, this is where..." Usopp started to say.

They heard Vivi scream. The Strawhats turned to see her being taken by a hook attached to a string of sand.

The Strawhats in the memory cried in surprise and horror from the giant sand crab they were riding on.

"Stop, Chopper!" they heard Zoro order.

Chopper immediately stopped the sand crab.

"It's him, damn him!" Luffy screamed as he stretched his arms and grabbed Vivi. He quickly switched positions with the desert princess and threw Vivi back to his crew. Luffy then rode the hook towards its owner, Crocodile.

"Luffy!" Zoro in the memory screamed.

"That idiot!" Sanji in the memory yelled.

"Luffy!" Vivi screamed in terror.

"You guys go ahead!" Luffy ordered his crew. "I'll be fine by myself!"

The Strawhats within the memory stared horrified at him.

Luffy landed ungracefully on his hand. "Make sure you get her there safely! Get Vivi back home!"

None of the Strawhat liked the order and continued to stare at him.

"Make sure, okay?" Luffy said gently.

Zoro in the memory reluctantly turned towards Chopper. "Let's go! From here, start to Alubarna!"

"Right!" Chopper yelled, but there were some tears in his eyes.

Within seconds, they were out of sight.

Crocodile and Robin watched the Strawhats leave dispassionately.

"Did he really stay behind to fight a Warlord by himself?" Brook asked in surprise.

"He's insane!" Franky exclaimed as he remembered their fight against Moriah and Zoro's encounter with Mihawk. "Did he really think he could beat someone like that without any kind of back-up!?"

"We had to believe in Luffy's strength, and besides that, our captain gave us a direct order to leave," Zoro answered impassively.

Nami nodded. "Besides, before then, Luffy had never lost against anyone. When he focused on an enemy, he never stopped until they were beaten."

Robin in the memory chuckled. "Ran away from us, Princess Vivi."

"Either way, the agents in Alubarna should have completed their orders already," Crocodile said neutrally. "Contact them at once." He then stared down at Luffy. "I think your games have gone on a little too long, Strawhat Luffy."

Luffy slowly sat up. "You know her. Even though she's weak, she still tries to save everyone."

Crocodile grunted.

"She's always in pain because she can't abandon anything. She even wants the rebellion to end without anyone dying," Luffy said.

"Without anyone dying? There are many stupid pacifists like that," Crocodile scoffed. "Those who do not know the truth of battle."

"Yeah," Luffy agreed as he stood up. "But as long as you're alive, she's going to keep fighting to her last breath. That's why I'm stopping you here!"

Crocodile chuckled. "That is more than pathetic. Fools like you are beyond help. You shall be the perfect example. Those who become intimate with others will die because of it. I've left hundreds like you behind me."

All the Strawhats felt themselves getting tense as they looked between the two pirates.

Luffy casually dusted himself off. "Then, that makes you pretty stupid."

Crocodile shook with anger and bit his cigar in half.

Robin in the memory, on the other hand, laughed. She had to put a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing harder.

"Luffy's talent for pissing people off strikes again," Sanji said with a note of humor.

"Did you think that was funny?" Crocodile asked calmly as he side-eyed Robin. It was easy to tell that he was barely controlling his temper. "Maybe I should kill you too. Nico Robin."

Sanji immediately sneered when he heard the death threat against Robin. "Why that..."

"If that how you feel, do as you wish," Robin said dismissively, never losing her smile. "And what ever happened to your promise to never call me that name?" she asked as she walked away from Crocodile.

"You asked Crocodile to never call you by your real name?" Nami asked the older woman.

Robin closed her eyes. "Too many painful memories. And...I did not want that man to say my name."

"Can't blame you on that one," Franky said as he stared at Crocodile. "I just met the man and I already hate his guts."

"Where are you going?" Crocodile demanded.

"I am going to Alubarna," Robin answered without turning around.

"Insufferable woman," Crocodile muttered as reached into his fur coat. He threw something by Luffy's feet. It was a miniature hourglass. "I'll give you three minutes."

Luffy glanced down at the hourglass.

"After that, I will not have time to play with you anymore," Crocodile stated.

"Arrogant jerk," Usopp muttered as he balled his fists.

"Yeah, but he's an arrogant jerk who can backed up his talk, unlike the other shit heads we've seen so far," Sanji said.

"I know that, especially since Crocodile's men believed Luffy was dead," Usopp said with some heat.

"Huh, what was that?" Brook asked.

"When we were fighting this mole lady in Alubarna, she said that Luffy was killed by Crocodile," Chopper explained, remembering that terrible moment. It nearly broke them. "Luffy himself even said he lost."

"It must have been a terrible defeat for that Warlord to declare such a thing," Brook said in worry.

"And we're going to see just how bad it was," Sanji said.

Zoro gritted his teeth, never turning his eye away from the memory.

"Any problem with that?" Crocodile asked the rubber captain.

"Nope, fine by me," Luffy replied as he cracked his knuckles. "Gum Gum Pistol!"

The punched missed Crocodile as the Warlord turned himself into sand. Luffy barely had time to evade him before Crocodile attempted to take his head off with his hooked hand.

"Gum Gum Stomp!" Luffy yelled as he put his foot through Crocodile.

It was pointless since Crocodile dissolved himself into sand, avoiding all damage.

"I will tell you one thing, Strawhat Luffy, it does not matter how much you struggle," Crocodile said as he solidified again. "Someone like you will never..."

"Gum Gum Gatling Gun!" Luffy yelled, stopping Crocodile in mild talk.

All his attacks hit, but it didn't matter. His punches went right through the logia user.

"He's not hitting him at all," Brook said in terror. It reminded him of his futile attacks against Kizaru.

"This is why fighting logia users were such a pain in the ass before Haki," Zoro growled as he watched the battle. "They don't even bother to evade attacks."

"Listen Strawhat Luffy, your worthless attacks are like mosquito bites," Crocodile attempted to brag again. "It does not matter how long you continue. Someone like you..."

"Gum Gum Bazooka!" Luffy screamed as he slammed the palms of his hands into Crocodile's chest.

Two large fountains of sand went flying out of Crocodile's back, but the Warlord was unaffected by the blow. Nonetheless, Crocodile looked annoyed about being interrupted again.

"Gum Gum Axe!" Luffy yelled as he split Crocodile in half.

When the sand cleared, Crocodile disappeared from sight.

Luffy was breathing hard and looked more than a little piss. He stomped the sand furiously. "Damn you, Damn you, Damn you, you're not dead! Stupid sand croc!"

Crocodile reappeared again, this time behind Luffy. "Once again, worthless."

"You bastard!" Luffy exclaimed as he turned towards the Warlord.

"It does not matter how much you struggle, rubberman," Crocodile said in bored tone. "Someone like you will never def..."

Luffy punched Crocodile in the mouth, dissolving his lips and keeping him from, once again, finishing his gloat.

"Def?" Luffy asked as he took several breaths. "What the hell are you trying to say!?"

Despite how desperate the situation was, almost all the Strawhats snickered.

Even Robin had to hold back a giggle. To this day, Luffy remained the only person to get Crocodile that mad.

Crocodile's cool demeanor vanished as he glared at Luffy. "I think I have played enough, Strawhat Luffy."

"I've been fighting seriously the entire time!" Luffy exclaimed. "But, dammit, I can't hit him! He keeps dissolving!"

"You and I are not the same class of pirates!" Crocodile yelled as his right hand began to turn into a blade of sand. "Desert Spada!"

A giant wave of sand headed right for Luffy. The strawhat captain barely had time to dodge as the attack split a rock on its way towards him. The blade left a deep scar in the sand.

"Damn, that attack would have split Luffy in two!" Franky exclaimed in shock.

"Good eye," Crocodile complimented. "If that had hit you, you would be saying more than 'ouch'."

"No kidding," Brook mumbled.

Luffy looked down the ravine Crocodile created in shock. "What happened!? The desert split open!"

"Depending on how you use and train the abilities of your Devil Fruit, it becomes an incredible weapon in battle," Crocodile explained. "I am not like those fools who are content with merely possessing the ability alone. You will regret standing up to me."

"That is one of Crocodile's greatest strengths. He has complete mastery of his abilities," Robin said to her crew. "Unlike all of Luffy's previous opponents up to this point, Crocodile knows the full range of his power."

"I guess that's what it takes to become a Warlord. Moriah was much the same way with his shadow abilities," Usopp said as he swallowed hard. His eyes were still glued to the memory.

Sanji sneered. "Luffy maybe a superior overall fighting, but none of that matters if he can't even touch the sandy bastard."

"Desert Girasole!" Crocodile yelled as he slammed his right hand into the sand.

Luffy stared at him in confusion. But before he knew what happened, he fell into the desert. A giant hole had literally engulfed him.

"The hell!?" Franky exclaimed in shock.

"Quicksand!" Nami yelled.

Luffy was running in place as he attempted not to be buried alive.

"Never heard of quicksand?" Crocodile mused as he watched Luffy struggle. "The desert is a convenient coffin. No grave necessary. The sand is being drawn into an underground river. Using my ability, I am able to determine its exact location. Fighting on the desert, no one in this world can hope to match me."

"Sheesh, I can see why," Sanji said. "This entire place is like a giant playground to him."

Zoro growled in frustration. "Luffy is in real trouble here. He's literally fighting Crocodile at his absolute strongest."

"This damn sand won't be enough to bury me alive!" Luffy yelled as he ran his way back up. "Gum Gum Bazooka!" he screamed as he propelled himself out of the quicksand. "Gum Gum Whip!"

He split Crocodile in half again, but it was futile.

"Repeating the same thing over and over?" Crocodile said in a bored voice.

He suddenly grabbed Luffy's arm with his power and pulled the rubberman towards him.

"Let me go, bastard!" Luffy yelled as he attempted to free himself.

"Barchan!" Crocodile exclaimed as he slashed at Luffy's arm. Luffy jumped away from him, but he landed hard on his back.

Luffy suddenly started to scream and quiver in agony as he grabbed his right arm. "My arm!"

His right arm up to his elbow was completely mummified. The limb looked dead.

"Oh god!" Nami exclaimed as she put her hand to her mouth.

"He dried all the water in Luffy's arm!" Brook yelled.

Zoro gritted his teeth, but said nothing. There was nothing he could do. This fight was decided years ago.

"Oh, that has to hurt," Franky said as he rubbed his own arm in sympathy.

"One of Crocodile's most deadly abilities. If he touches you with his right hand, he can suck the moister out of your entire body," Robin stated.

Chopper screamed. "Your entire body!? If he does that, a person will die within minutes!" Not to mention the pain.

Luffy was freaking out about his arm as he shivered in pain.

"My sand sucks the water right out of your arm," Crocodile explained in a nonchalant voice. He gave a sadistic smirk. "Maybe I should suck all the water from your body and dry you to death."

Luffy slowly stood up as he gasped for air. "This is no joke." His eyes suddenly lit up. "That's it, water!"

He ran towards his clothes that he had discarded before the battle. He grabbed a small water barrel that he had around his neck until earlier and greedily drank the water from it. Within moments, his arm came back to life.

"Worthless," Crocodile said.

"It's not worthless!" Luffy yelled as he pointed to the small barrel. "This water was given to me by the old dried-up man in Yuba after he spent all night digging it up! You know that old man? Yuba will never be defeated by mere sand!"

"Well, I guess we now know why we were shown that memory," Franky said.

Chopper sighed. "Thank goodness. He could have lost his arm if he remained dried."

Luffy charged towards Crocodile again.

"You still insist in continuing?" Crocodile asked, slightly annoyed.

"Gum Gum Chomp!" Luffy bit down on Crocodile and ate half of Crocodile's upper body.

"Did he just eat Crocodile?" Sanji asked in a neutral tone.

"Well, whatever works, right?" Franky stated in mild humor.

"I think he has been watching Wapol for too long," Usopp whispered as he sweat-dropped in disbelief.

Nami slapped her forehead. "Can't that moron take anything seriously?"

"Enough of this bullshit!" Crocodile screamed in rage as he flew out of Luffy's mouth. "Die, along with the hearty soil of Yuba," he said darkly.

Luffy was still coughing up sand.

"Your three minutes are up. I told you from the beginning that I don't have more time to play with you," Crocodile said. "Sables!"

With a mere thought, Crocodile created a sandstorm in his right hand. Luffy had to cover his eyes to keep sand from blowing into them.

Sanji instinctively covered his face. "What's that shit head up to?"

Zoro also felt a pang of dread build in his stomach.

"The sand is nice and dry today," Crocodile said in a content voice before he glared at Luffy. "Now then, Strawhat Luffy, the prevailing winds here always blow north to south. If this small sandstorm rides that wind south and matures, where do you think it will strike when it gets nice and big?"

"To the south?" Luffy repeated.

"To Yuba," Crocodile answered with a huge grin.

Luffy's eyes widened in horror. "Why!?" He ran towards Crocodile and grabbed his fur coat. "You, what are you doing this for!? Stop it!"

"Look, a south-bound breeze is rising," Crocodile informed casually as the storm picked up.

"That dried up old man has nothing to do with this!" Luffy yelled.

"What a sadistic thing to do," Sanji sneered in disgust.

Robin nodded. "That is Crocodile's specialty."

Brook sneered. "That old man has nothing to do with this! How could he be so cruel!?"

"Yuba can't possible take another sandstorm. It was all but dead when we were there," Chopper said in panic.

Luffy ran to stop the sandstorm, but was easily repelled.

"It is worthless. Give up," Crocodile advised as he looked at the chaos he had caused. "Once this storm picks up speed, not even I will be able to stop it."

"Quit screwing around!" Luffy screamed at the Warlord.

"Yuba is finished," Crocodile said with a serene smile.

Luffy grabbed Crocodile's coat again. "Stop it, right now!"

Before he could yell more, Luffy suddenly stopped screaming.

The Strawhats were at first confused as to why their captain had abruptly gone silent. They then started to notice that Luffy had a shocked expression on his face and his eyes were wide in surprise and his pupils were dilated. They also noticed that there was now something sticking out of their captain's back that wasn't there before.

It was then that the crew finally realized that Luffy have been impaled through the chest by Crocodile's hook.

"LUFFY!" Nami screamed in horror as the realization hit her. She knew Crocodile had impaled Luffy at one point during their battles, given the scars she saw during his recovery, but she didn't know it was this bad.

Chopper's eyes were wide as he stared at the scene in disbelief. The hook was position in the area around where Luffy's heart was.

Robin managed to keep her face neutral. She had seen this before, unlike the others. Although, a pang of anger raced through her body at seeing her captain hurt.

The remainder of the Strawhats were horrified into silence. Even the normally calm Zoro was unnerved by the scene. Luffy looked dead by the emptiness in his eyes.

Luffy's body went limp on Crocodile's hook and slumped backwards like a ragdoll. The Warlord easily lifted Luffy off the ground, dangling the strawhat captain.

"Who do you think I am?" Crocodile asked in a low voice as blood dripped from his hook. "There are plenty of rookies who are all talk, just like you, Strawhat Luffy, on the Grand Line."

In the background, the sandstorm began its path towards the oasis city.

"Yuba will die at the whim of this final sandstorm and the flame of the rebel army's hatred shall burn anew," Crocodile told Luffy as he pulled the limp boy closer to him. "This archaic concern for others is what will destroy this country. And the same goes for you, Strawhat Luffy."

Luffy's eyes were wide and unseeing and he didn't appear to be breathing. By all accounts, he looked like he was dead.

"Luffy..." Usopp whispered in dismay.

"Had you ignored those worthless feelings in the first place, you would have lived longer," Crocodile said.

During his bragging, Crocodile noticed that water was drenching his arm.

"Water?" Crocodile questioned. When he impaled Luffy, he also impaled the water barrel on Luffy's chest. "And I suppose you are not as grateful for this water anymore."

Luffy hand suddenly moved and grabbed Crocodile's arm, much to the Warlord's surprise. Crocodile got an even bigger shock when Luffy squeezed hard, causing the Warlord to shout in pain.

Luffy started to move and struggled on Crocodile's hook. His eyes refocused and he gasped in pain.

"Impossible, you're still alive!?" Crocodile exclaimed in complete shock. He angrily tossed Luffy into the sinkhole he had created earlier, causing the rubberman to roll down the hole.

When Luffy reached the bottom, he turned himself over and screamed in anguish as he grabbed his chest. There was blood everywhere and Luffy obviously still wasn't all there.

"He's going into shock," Chopper informed his crew as he helplessly watched Luffy struggle.

"How can he even still be alive with Crocodile stabbing him so close to his heart?" Usopp asked as he watched his captain wither in agony.

"You seem to be in quite some pain," Crocodile observed smugly. "But soon, you will be at peace."

Luffy started to sink into the quicksand. The rubber boy realized this was happening through his fog of pain and fought to keep himself afloat. This all proved to be a futile effort. Luffy no longer had the strength to escape the quicksand.

He attempted to reach for Crocodile, but his body would no longer move properly for him to use his powers.

"Goodbye," Crocodile said as he turned away and disappeared from Luffy's sight.

Luffy gave one last lunge, but he eventually sunk into the sand. Soon, there was only darkness.

 

 


	18. Twice Died, One Victory

The Strawhats stood in the darkness for what felt like an eternity. It wasn't the usual darkness that followed the end of a memory. It was much colder and foreboding. This darkness was caused by the person experiencing the memory being either dead or dying. They, obviously, knew that Luffy couldn't be dead, but he pretty much looked that way as he sunk into his sandy grave.

"No...no wonder they said he was dead," Usopp whispered, breaking the cold silence.

"Luffy...he was buried alive..." Chopper whimpered. He had his hooves to his mouth.

"Dammit, we shouldn't have left that idiot alone to fight that sandy bastard," Sanji growled angrily.

"It was his choice," Zoro stated in a cold voice.

"And he nearly died because of it!" Sanji snapped as he turned towards his rival.

"But he didn't," Zoro replied harshly as he returned Sanji's glare.

"That isn't the point, shitty swordsman!" Sanji yelled.

"Do you think I wanted to leave him behind!?" Zoro yelled at the cook. "I fought one of the Warlords, remember. I knew their power! I knew Luffy's chance for victory was slim! I, however, could only trust in his power and believe that he would succeed! It was the least I could have done for him!"

Sanji was silent, but continued to glare at Zoro.

"Plus, we needed to reached Alubarna to stop the war," Nami said barely above a whisper. "Given what happened...we all would have died if we attempted to fight Crocodile and everything Vivi did would have been for nothing."

Zoro folded his arms. "Without knowing Crocodile's weakness, our strength would've been rendered meaningless." How he hated logias.

"I think Luffy-san knew that, which is why he chose to stand behind," Brook said.

"He was stabbed near the heart. If he didn't get immediate treatment, he would have died," Chopper said softly.

A shifting noise stopped all conversations. The noise continually got louder and more frantic as the seconds went by.

The Strawhats then heard a giant gasp of air and the memory returned. It was now night and Luffy's head was barely above the quicksand. His face was twisted in pain and anger as he attempted to pull himself free of his grave.

"MEAT!" Luffy screamed to the top of his lungs.

"He's near death in quicksand and he still screams for meat," Sanji said in a deadpan voice. He was certain those would be Luffy's last words.

Nami sighed. "That's just Luffy."

Luffy continued to fight for breath and he was obviously worn out. His eyes, however, were wide with what could only be described as disbelief and anger.

"What's up with that face?" Franky asked. He had never seen Luffy look quite like that.

"It is simple; he lost," Robin said. "Until now, Luffy has won against all of his opponents and was practically unbeatable back in East Blue and even the beginning of the Grand Line. Not only did Crocodile defeated him, he beat Luffy with ease after he had vowed to protect Princess Vivi. Luffy did not even touch Crocodile until he was near death. For a lack of better words, Luffy has been humbled."

Franky nodded. "Eating that hunk of humble pie sucks."

Zoro knew that feeling all too well. It was horrible and humiliating experience, but necessary for one to grow stronger. No one could remain undefeated forever.

Luffy growled in anger as he struggled more fiercely to free himself. His struggles, however, only made things worse and sand filled the hole. Within seconds, Luffy was buried again.

The memory began to get hazy, but the sounds of footsteps got the Strawhats' attention. Suddenly, Luffy was lifted out of the quicksand by dozens of disembodied hands and he was placed onto the safety of the desert's sand.

"Robin?" Nami questioned in surprise.

"You saved Luffy?" Chopper asked the archaeologist.

"Of course our sweet Robin-chan saved our dumb rubber headed captain," Sanji cooed.

Robin chose to say nothing as she continued to watch the memory.

Luffy lay on the ground, breathing hard, while Robin quietly stood next to him with a look of interest on her face. The Strawhats could now fully see just how terrible Luffy was. He was drenched in blood and was in real danger of bleeding to death. He was also still in shock given his violent trembles and needed immediate medical treatment. Nonetheless, he was still alive.

Chopper had to fight the urged not to run towards his captain. He wanted to heal those wounds, but could do nothing. He hated being unable to do anything to ease his captain's pain.

Luffy painfully turned his head towards Robin and gave her a glazed, half-conscious look. "Th…thank…you…"

Robin in the memory continued to stare down at him for a moment. She had a thoughtful expression on her face. She looked at Luffy the same way she looked at ruins. "Why do you fight?"

Luffy didn't understand the question.

The Strawhats were also confused by what Robin was asking.

"You people who carry the initial of D?" Robin attempted to clarify.

Luffy still didn't understand what she was talking about. "D?"

"It seemed I should not have asked," Robin in the memory said with a note of disappointment.

"Robin-san, what are you talking about here?" Brook asked.

Robin shook her head. "It was not anything of importance."

The skeleton swordsman knew she was lying, but chose not to ask anything further on the subject. Robin was a woman of many mysteries.

The Robin in the memory used her powers to retrieve Luffy's precious strawhat from the sand and caught it in her hand.

"I've found you!" a voice suddenly exclaimed.

Robin in the memory glanced behind her to see a pale looking man wearing strange clothes along with a turban limping towards her. He was using his sword as a walking stick.

"That's Pell," Chopper said as his eyes widened in horror. What happened to him?

"Pell?" Franky asked.

"One of Vivi's guards," Chopper explained. "He sacrificed himself to stop a bomb that would have blown up the rebel and royal army during the war."

"A bomb?" Brook questioned.

"Crocodile's end game plan was to blow up both sides of the war so he could take the throne unchallenged," Nami explained. She didn't bother to hid her disgust.

Brook, if he had eyes, somehow widened them in disbelief. "But that would also kill his own men, wouldn't it?"

Sanji snorted. "Like that shitty croc would have cared. He got rid of all of his underlings like they were chess pieces."

Robin nodded. "Crocodile was both ruthless and effective in his plans. As he puts it, he left no loose ends and nothing to chance."

"Where is Princess Vivi!?" Pell demanded.

"Oh my, awake already," Robin in the memory mused.

Franky tilted his head at Pell's crippled state. "What happened to him anyway? Looks like he was in the bad end of a fight."

Robin coughed awkwardly. "Pell had the misfortune of running into me when he was trying to protect Princess Vivi."

All the Strawhats gave Pell a look of pity. They all could guess what happened to him.

"Got to give him credit. A normal person wouldn't be able to move after Robin gets hold of them," Zoro said. He glanced at Robin. "Unless you held back."

"I didn't," Robin said bluntly. "Pell was the strongest warrior in Alabasta. If I had shown him any pity or mercy, he would have killed me."

"I have witnessed your ability," Pell said as he prepared to draw his sword. "I will not be caught off-guard again!"

Robin casually tossed Luffy's hat on top of his chest. "Do not overstress yourself. You are severely injured."

Pell continued to drag himself towards Robin.

Robin turned away and walked towards her desert croc that sat nearby. "What perfect timing. You can save the boy lying there."

Pell stopped and looked down at Luffy's bloody body.

"He is the brave knight who brought your precious princess all the way here," Robin informed. "Your princess is also perfectly healthy. She is heading towards Alubarna as we speak." She got onto her desert croc and paused in thought. She took a quick glanced at Luffy who was still lying prone on the desert's floor. "I do not know what is going to happen. The circumstances are what they are, after all."

Pell growled at Robin as she left. He fell to his knees in frustration.

Luffy grabbed Pell by the arm. He had managed to drag himself to the man. "Meat!"

There the memory faded away.

"It would seem we owe you our thanks, Robin-chan," Sanji said. "Without you being there, Luffy would have died in that sinkhole."

"Yeah, thanks Robin!" Chopper yelled happily.

Robin turned her head away.

"But why did you help? You two were enemies at the time," Franky said.

"I can no longer remember my exact reasons anymore. I was a different person back then," Robin answered honestly. "For whatever reason, I just could not let Luffy die there, even if I believed he stood no chance against Crocodile."

Although she spoke those words to her crew, that was not completely true. She may have believed Luffy stood little chance against Crocodile, she knew that there was a distant chance that he could succeed despite all the odds.

Luffy was, after all, a carrier of the Will of D. The people who carried that name were born to achieved the impossible and alter the course of history. Perhaps she saved Luffy not only out of interest of what he could do, but also because he carried the name of her other savior.

"The reasons doesn't matter. She saved our captain and that's all that matters," Zoro said, ending the subject.

Robin gave Zoro a grateful smile.

The new memory came and the Strawhats were now floating in the air.

Chopper screamed in shock and nearly jumped on Zoro, who quickly intercepted him before he could try.

"First the sea, now the air," Sanji mused as he looked around.

"It's moments like these that remind us of where we are," Usopp said as he watched the clouds float by him.

"Wow, look how high we are!" Luffy's happy yells got the pirate crew's attention.

He was riding on Pell's back, who was in his falcon form. Luffy looked fairly well, considering what had happened, but he was still quite pale in the face. His chest and torso were also heavily covered in bandages. Strangely enough, he had a large barrel strapped to his back.

"Are you sure you are okay, boy?" Pell asked with a note of concern as he glanced at Luffy. "You were near death just mere hours ago."

"I had plenty of meat, so I'm fine," Luffy assured as he patted his stomach.

"It takes more than meat to heal such serious wounds!" Chopper yelled at his captain.

Pell didn't believe him ether. "Even if you are a Devil Fruit user, you should not take such wounds so lightly. You were lucky that Crocodile missed your heart by mere inches."

Luffy lightly touched the area where he was wounded and winced slightly from the shooting pain that pulsed through his body. "Well, this isn't the worst injury I've ever gotten."

"Don't we know it," Usopp muttered, remembering how many times Luffy was gravely wounded when he was just a child.

"It was bad enough. He was impaled by a hook, for goodness sake. He's lucky that Crocodile didn't rip his heart out," Nami said, still traumatize by the image of Luffy hanging limp off of Crocodile's hook, slowly bleeding to death.

"I see," Pell said before he paused for a moment. "I guess I should not speak since I was also badly hurt by that woman. If it was not for my ability, she would have broken my spine and neck."

Luffy's eyes widened in wonder. "Hey, you can heal fast too?"

"We Devil Fruit users have higher endurance and healing capabilities compared to a normal person," Pell stated. "Although, some fruits are better than others at healing and recovering. Nonetheless, all us ability users can take a beating and stand back up, even when we are gravely injured."

"Wow, I never noticed that," Chopper said as he looked over his body in wonder.

"I do remember reading about that some time ago," Robin said in thought.

"No wonder you guys can take so much punishment," Nami said as she looked over Robin, Chopper, and Brook.

"But how does that explains Zoro and Sanji?" Usopp asked as he pointed his thumb towards the cook and the swordsman.

"They're both monsters. They hardly count as normal," Nami dismissed dryly.

"Huh, I never knew that," Luffy said in awe. "I thought it was something only my Gum Gum Fruit did."

The Strawhats suddenly saw flashes of Buggy, Wapol, and several members of Baroque Works.

"Is that why Big Mouth and Buffoon were able to take my attacks despite being so weak?" Luffy wondered out loud as he rubbed his chin.

"Buffoon?" Usopp asked in confusion.

"I think Luffy means Buggy," Nami translated with an amused smile.

"That is why you must not underestimate Crocodile," Pell warned. "Even if you have found a way to negate Crocodile's logia defense, he is still very dangerous and will take more than a couple hits to defeat even if you are physically stronger than him. That man did not become a Warlord by depending on his ability alone. As the saying on these seas goes, logias who think they are invincible do not survive long."

Zoro nodded in agreement. That annoying 'god' from Sky Island immediately came to mind.

Luffy laughed and smiled, losing his previous serious demeanor. "Don't worry, mister. Just leave everything to me. I'll make sure to kick Crocodile's ass this time."

Pell looked down. "There is Alubarna."

Below them was a huge city that was in the shape of a circle surrounded by tall stonewalls. Gunpowder and sand obscured their vision and the sounds of war could be clearly heard.

"Where's Vivi?" Luffy asked, quickly becoming serious again. "Can't see a thing with all this stupid sand."

Pell became worried. "This is no ordinary sandstorm. I sense Crocodile's hand in this."

Luffy growled. "Dammit, we have to find that sandy bastard and Vivi quick."

"I am not sure about Crocodile, but I am certain that Princess Vivi will be at the palace if the rebels have not taken it yet," Pell said.

"Then let's go!" Luffy yelled at the royal guard.

Pell flew towards the palace just in time to see Crocodile dangling Vivi from the palace's wall.

"That bastard!" Sanji yelled as he watched Vivi struggle in Crocodile's grip. "How dare he do that to Vivi-chan!"

"Princess Vivi!" Pell cried in horror.

"Fly in before that bastard drops her!" Luffy yelled.

Pell flew as fast as he could towards the palace, but he didn't reach Crocodile in time before he threw Vivi from the palace's wall. The descent would have undoubtedly killed her.

"Farewell, Princess Vivi!" Crocodile mocked as Vivi fell to her death.

"Crocodile!" Luffy screamed, catching the Warlord off-guard.

"Strawhat Luffy!?" Crocodile shouted in disbelief.

Pell quickly zoomed in and Luffy caught Vivi before she could hit the ground. Pell then quickly ascended into the air before anyone from the rebel army or Baroque Works could harm Vivi during the fighting.

"Made it," Luffy sighed in relief as he held Vivi tightly in his arms.

"Don't cut it so close next time, you rubber bastard," Sanji growled. He made a mental to kick Crocodile's ass if he ever saw him again.

Chopper also sighed in relief. "Too close."

Vivi was near tears as she hugged Luffy tightly and buried her head into his chest. "Luffy, Pell...we do not have much time before a bomb detonates in the Square. Everyone is going to die!" She paused as sobs wracked her body. "My voice is not reaching anyone. At this rate, the country will..." She could no longer stop her tears. She had reached her breaking point.

Nami felt like crying along with Vivi. Her tears of hopelessness were just like hers when Arlong had betrayed her.

Robin kept a stone expression, but she felt the pang of guilt return. Despite how she mocked and belittled Vivi, she kept fighting despite her weaknesses and the hopelessness of the situation. She felt bad thinking that Vivi was just a naive child who was way over her head.

"Don't worry," Luffy assured in a gentle voice, stopping Vivi's tears. He smiled at her. "We can hear you just fine."

Vivi returned Luffy's smile as they landed near the palace's wall. Just hearing his voice of assurance chased away all her fears and doubts.

Nami smiled at the reaction. Luffy just knew what to say. It was odd how someone so childish and dim could ease someone's heart with just a couple of words.

Robin felt the same way as she felt her heart warm. Luffy's presence alone seemed to make the impossible, possible.

Sanji looked between Robin and Nami and felt his heart burst in jealousy. How could Luffy get those expressions on Robin-san and Nami-chan's faces?

Luffy jumped off of Pell and started to spin his arm rapidly, warming himself up for the big battle.

"Be careful, Luffy," Pell warned in concern.

"I ate a ton of meat. I'm loaded with energy!" Luffy assured, ready for his rematch. He stopped spinning his arms and glared up towards Crocodile, who gave Luffy an annoyed look. "I…won't lose again!" He stretched his arms just as a loud scream reached his ears.

"Luffy's alive!" Chopper in the memory screamed in relief.

"Tony!" Vivi exclaimed, her voice strained with happiness and relief.

"Luffy!" Usopp within the memory yelled in joy.

"Vivi too!" Chopper continued to scream joyously.

"See, I told you he was alive!" Usopp yelled. He sounded like he was in tears "I never doubted him!"

"You wouldn't think so by the look on your face," Sanji in the memory teased, although there was no hiding his own happiness in his voice.

"Usopp, Sanji!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Oh, what happened, Vivi-chan!?" Sanji yelled in concern. "You're hurt!"

A loud clang suddenly caught Luffy's ears.

"Usopp!" Nami yelled. She sounded very angry for some reason.

"Nami, Mr. Bushido..." Vivi muttered. It looked like she would fall to her knees seeing her friends alive. "Everyone is safe!"

"Who asked you to make a toy for party tricks!?" Nami yelled at the sniper.

"I knew you could stand, damn you!" Zoro screamed angrily.

"Nami-swan!" Sanji yelled happily.

"W...wait it has some moves too..." Usopp muttered.

"I'll get you when this is over!" Nami threatened. "Vivi, what's going on? Why is there sand swirling everywhere?"

Vivi explained about the bomb to the other Strawhats.

While Vivi talked, Franky scanned over his past crew and saw how messed up they were. Usopp was covered head to toe in bandages, Sanji had sever discoloring on his chest showing that he had broken more than a few bones, Nami was littered in cuts and bruises and had a slight limp, and Zoro looked like he was hit by a blender and was literally leaking blood everywhere. The only person who looked halfway well was Chopper and his fur was dirty with sand and gun power. Everyone one on the crew also looked exhausted. They were all on their last legs.

"What happened to you guys?" Franky asked once he finished looking over his past crew. "You look almost as bad as you did at Enies Lobby."

"We fought the higher level Baroque Works agents," Nami said, wanting to rubbed her foot as she remembered that spike agent impaling her.

Usopp rubbed his nose as he remembered that four ton bat slamming into his face. "It was by far one of our toughest battles."

"We were all almost killed and Zoro and Usopp had the most sever injuries next to Luffy," Chopper said. He still didn't understand how Usopp didn't have brain damage or how Zoro didn't bleed to death from his wounds.

"Given you were fighting the crew of a Warlord, such injuries are not unexpected," Brook said. Still, it was painful seeing his crew so badly hurt.

"You guys look ready to drop dead and yet, there's still so much that needs to be done," Franky said as Vivi finished talking about the bomb.

Nami rubbed her forehead. "It was a very long day. Let's just say Luffy wasn't the only one knocked out after everything was settled."

Usopp sighed. "We all passed out in a nearby alley. It's a miracle the marines didn't find out, otherwise we would have been screwed."

"Sorry guys," Luffy said once everything had settled down among his crew. There was a hint of shame in his voice. "I went and lost to him. That's why...I won't lose again! You guys take care of the rest!"

"Go on, get out of here," Zoro said. He didn't sound worried at all, despite hearing about Luffy's lost.

"If you can't beat him, then who the hell is supposed to!?" Usopp yelled.

"I'll finish this," Luffy assured. "All of it!" He finally launched himself towards Crocodile.

"No matter how many times we fight, you will never be able to punch me," Crocodile said nonchalantly. "Or would you like to be impaled again?"

Luffy let go of the wall and moved in for the attack. Crocodile stood perfectly still, assured that Luffy couldn't touch him. That was his mistake.

With a strong left hook, Luffy decked Crocodile right in the face, knocking the Warlord off the wall.

"He touched him!" Franky exclaimed.

Brook made another observation. "Luffy-san's hand is wet."

Luffy was far from done as he began to spin his legs in place. "Gum Gum Buzzsaw!"

He grabbed Crocodile by his shoulders and while spinning his body around, he head-butted the Warlord in the face.

Crocodile's eyes rolled into his head as he slid across the ground. He didn't get back up.

"Get up!" Luffy yelled, knowing that the Warlord was far from done. "The water I got from Yuba showed me your weakness. When you get wet, you can't turn into sand. You're scared of water. That's why you stole the rain." He soaked his body with the water he had the barrel. "Now I can kick your ass!"

"He figured that all out when he was on the brink of dying?" Brook questioned in amazement.

"When it comes to battle, Luffy can be very observant," Zoro said. Now they would get to see a real right.

"Have to admit, I never figured Crocodile stealing the rain as part of him guarding his weakness," Sanji as he rubbed his chin. That rubber head could used his head ever now and then.

Crocodile started to chuckle as he sat up. His chuckles soon turned into a full-blown laugh.

While Crocodile was laughing, Luffy took off his hat and tossed it to the side.

"You think you can beat me?" Crocodile asked in amusement.

"Yeah," Luffy answered bluntly.

"I am impressed that you figured out my weakness while on the verge of death," Crocodile complimented. "There is still, however, a fundamental difference between you and I that cannot be overcome. That is the level of the Warlord."

"So what if you're one of the Seven Warlords!" Luffy exclaimed. "Then I must be…the Eighth Warlord!"

This caused a pregnant pause among everyone, including the Strawhats watching the memory.

"Really?" Sanji asked in a deadpan voice.

"If it was anyone else, I would call it an ego trip," Nami said dryly. "Since this is Luffy, it's just him being a moron."

Crocodile was not amused as he glared at Luffy.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy yelled at he attempted to punch Crocodile.

Crocodile easily dodged the attack. "This means nothing if I simply dodge." He reached and grabbed Luffy's arm. "Even if it is covered in water."

Luffy gritted his teeth.

"My hand can still suck the water right out of your arm," Crocodile informed as he dried Luffy's arm. It withered like a drying flower, causing some of the Strawhats cringe.

"I'll never get used to that technique," Usopp said as he rubbed his own arm.

Luffy was surprised that Crocodile could still do that technique, but he didn't let that slow him down. He ran in to kick Crocodile, but he turned to sand before Luffy could reach him. Luffy used the time he gained to quickly rehydrate himself by drinking the water he was carrying.

Luffy smiled at the cocky Warlord. "You're the one who said it. Depending on how you use your Devil Fruit ability, it can become stronger." He poured water on top of his head.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy yelled. This time he pulled his arm down and let it jiggle like a snap rubber band, surprising Crocodile.

Nonetheless, Crocodile was able to move out of the way. "Desert Spada!"

Luffy evaded, but it blew a part of a nearby wall.

Luffy charged Crocodile again. "Gum Gum..." It looked like he was going to use another Pistol

"Do you really think you can win by using that same attack?" Crocodile asked in a bored voice.

Crocodile was quickly caught off-guard when Luffy's Pistol stopped inches from his face and Luffy used the recoiled effect in reverse, making him appear in front of Crocodile in an instant. Before the Warlord could react, Luffy decked him across the face.

"Clever," Sanji complimented.

"Crocodile is still pretty good even with Luffy being able to hit him," Franky said.

"Yeah, that sand fruit is deadly," Usopp said.

"It is just as Pell warned. Crocodile did not become a Warlord by being completely dependent on his logia defense," Robin said.

"Not to mention, a logia is still a pain in the ass even if you can hit them," Zoro said as he recalled a certain snow woman.

"I've been planning this from the start!" Luffy declared as he took off his barrel and prepared to throw it on top of the stun Warlord's head. "I'll cover you with water!" He threw the barrel.

"And what a predictable plan!" Crocodile shouted. "Sables!"

Luffy and the barrel were knocked into the air by the sandstorm. Luckily, Luffy was able to save the barrel and it was undamaged in the attack.

Crocodile laughed at him. "Look how desperate you are, Strawhat Luffy! You can't do anything without that barrel."

"You're right," Luffy agreed as a light turned on in his eyes.

"Oh no, he's going to do something stupid again," Nami said in concern. Nothing good ever came when Luffy gave that look.

Robin began to laugh. She knew what was going to happen next.

Without another word, Luffy guzzled down the entire barrel of water. The look on Crocodile's face changed from smug confidence to shock and disbelief. Of all things, this was the last thing he was expecting.

To say the least, the look on Crocodile's face was comical. Luffy stripping naked couldn't have provoke a better response.

"The _hell!?_ " Sanji exclaimed once his mind processed what he had just seen.

"Is he nuts!?" Zoro also yelled. Was Luffy taking this seriously?

"He could have gotten water intoxication from pulling a stunt like that!" Chopper yelled in dismay.

"How about now!?" Luffy yelled confidently as he slammed the now empty barrel onto the ground.

"Are you crazy!?" Crocodile yelled once he found his voice.

"Now, I'm Water Luffy!" he proclaimed proudly. Just as he said that, there was a loud popping noise. Within seconds, water began to pour out of wound that Crocodile had given Luffy in their first fight. "Crap, I'm leaking."

Chopper put his hooves to his mouth in horror, thinking of how Luffy was making his wound worse, while Usopp just stared in disbelief.

Franky and Brook, on the other hand, were laughing hysterically. They were both nearly on the ground from laughing so hard.

Zoro had a look of annoyance and Sanji stared blankly at the scene as he slowly smoked his cigarette.

Nami put a hand to her forehead and shook her head in embarrassment, while Robin fought not laugh. Even if she knew the end result ahead of time, this was still funny.

Luffy finally managed to get the leak under control and keep himself from spitting up more water. "Guess you're not supposed to drink this much water."

Chopper shook his head. "Oh, Luffy…"

Robin in the memory just lost it and started to laugh unrestrained. It was not a mocking or belittling laugh, but a pure laugh of humor.

It occurred to the Strawhats that this was the first time they had heard Robin within the memory laugh like that. In fact, it was extremely rare for Robin to laugh without restraining herself.

Crocodile was not amused.

The Warlord charged Luffy, tired of all the foolishness. Luffy pumped water into his throat and spit giant water bubbles at Crocodile. The water hit, completely soaking the Warlord.

"That's nasty!" Nami exclaimed in disgust.

"He's literally shooting spit bubbles at a Warlord," Usopp murmured. It was so Luffy, but it was still strange and kind of disgusting.

"You know, despite how serious everything is, especially with that bomb around, I can't take this fight seriously," Sanji said as he puffed out some smoke.

Zoro nodded in agreement. Really, Luffy could be too goofy for his own good. Still, as ridiculous as it was, it had the desired effect.

"Gum Gum Bazooka!" Luffy yelled as he nailed Crocodile in the stomach, causing the Warlord to spit up blood and fly into stone structure.

"How was that?' Luffy asked as he wiped his mouth. "Sand croc!"

It took a few moments, but Crocodile eventually stood up from the rubble. Oddly enough, he was actually laughing.

"Why...why is he laughing?" Chopper asked. He seemed even more dangerous.

Robin folded her arms. "Crocodile is about to show Luffy the full extent of his Devil Fruit."

"What?" Chopper asked in confusion.

"Get out of here, Nico Robin!" Crocodile ordered calmly. He had an almost sadistic smirk on his face. "Unless you want to be sucked dry too. I have… _lost my patience_."

Luffy just noticed Robin standing next to an older man wearing green robes and an oddly shaped beard.

"Yes, as you wish," Robin said after a few moments of silence. She used her ability to subdue the older man and forced him to leave the palace's grounds.

"Who was that?" Franky asked.

"That was Cobra, Vivi's father," Sanji stated.

"Oh, so that was the king," Brook said.

"What did Crocodile mean by being sucked dry?" Chopper asked, not hiding his dread.

Once Robin and Cobra left, Crocodile put his right hand on the ground.

"Looks like we're going to find out," Zoro said. He suddenly got an uneasy feeling.

"Listen, Strawhat. All the rock upon this ground will eventually crumble," Crocodile stated.

Luffy gasped. He had an idea of what Crocodile was about to do.

His fears turned out to be true when Crocodile began to dry the entire palace's ground using his ability.

"Ground Sekko!" Crocodile shouted as everything collapsed and die around Luffy. The ground cracked and exploded as it was dried into nothingness.

Luffy nearly fell through the open ground.

"He's strong enough to do that?" Usopp asked in fear.

Robin nodded. "One of his strongest techniques. Luffy _really_ pissed Crocodile off."

Luff attempted to shoot Crocodile with several water bubbles, but Crocodile was able to dry the bubbles instantly with his hand.

"He absorbed the bubbles in mid-air!" Chopper exclaimed in shock.

"Are you trying to thwart my ability, Water Luffy?" Crocodile asked almost teasingly. "If so, you are sadly mistaken. The power of sand lies in its absolute dryness. Watch!" He put his right hand back on the ground.

Within moments, the ground burst with sand. Everything around the palace literally began to turn to dust.

"The ground is...dying!" Luffy exclaimed in shock. He slowly started to realize that as long as he stood on the palace's ground, he too was in danger of being dried into dust.

"Ground Death!" Crocodile yelled as everything exploded into dust and sand, blinding everything in a dust cloud.

Without a moment to spare, Luffy grabbed his hat before it was destroyed and jumped to the safety of the palace's wall. There were a few more minutes of shaking and crumbling, but it eventually subsided.

"That was close," Luffy muttered as he looked over the damage. "His right hand is nothing to laugh at. The garden turned into a desert."

"No joke," Franky said. The pure devastation that Crocodile had done was beyond anything he had seen of this type.

"Sheesh, that Warlord really was a monster," Sanji said as he scanned the remains of the garden. "He has a weakness to water, yet his ability can naturally guard against it."

Luffy continued to look around the garden's remains. He couldn't find Crocodile anywhere. "Where'd he go?"

As if answering his question, Crocodile appeared on top of Luffy in a whirl of sand. Crocodile grinned darkly at him as he leaned on the palace's roof.

"You made me exert myself too much," Crocodile said with a note of humor. He looked tired, but was more than able to fight. He grabbed Luffy viciously by his neck. He was close to choking him.

"No!" Nami exclaimed as she put her hands over her mouth.

"He's going to dry him!" Brook yelled.

Luffy attempted to escape that fate by shooting Crocodile with water bubbles at point-blank range. Crocodile easily evaded the desperate attack.

Luffy's eyes widened in horror.

"You missed," Crocodile hissed softly as he slowly dried Luffy.

Luffy gave a grunt of pain as his body began to crack and mummify before the Strawhats' eyes, causing some of them to turn their heads.

Luffy dropped his hat as his body dried and withered under the Warlord's power.

"Once again, you lose, Strawhat Luffy," Crocodile laughed as he held the dying boy in his hand. "What a fitting death."

From Luffy's fading vision, he saw the water bubbles he shot earlier beginning to descend.

"In six minutes, the Square and this garden will be engulf in an explosion," Crocodile said, unaware of the water bubbles. "Sorry, but I'm in a hurry." He casually tossed Luffy's limp body to the ground. "You may stay here and celebrate the birth of the Sand Kingdom's new king."

Luffy fluttered to the ground as Crocodile disappeared from the garden in a stream of sand.

"Luffy!" Chopper yelled as he ran to check his captain.

He was so badly dehydrated that Luffy could die in any minute from organ failure. Crocodile was a ruthless, heartless man. How could he subject someone to such a cruel death?

"Seriously, he lost twice to that sand croc?" Franky asked in disbelief as he looked at his captain's withered body. If he didn't know better, he would say that Luffy was dead.

"I think it's more accurate to say that he killed Luffy twice," Zoro said neutrally. "Luffy lost the first time because he couldn't figure out how to hit Crocodile and he lost again because he underestimated Crocodile's ability, despite Pell's warnings."

"How did Luffy-san come back from this? There is no water around to rehydrate him," Brook said as the memory hazed. It was obvious that Luffy was losing consciousness and succumbing to death.

"Keep looking," Sanji answered as he noticed the water bubble.

The water bubbles that Luffy shot earlier landed on the mummified captain. The water instantly rehydrated the fallen rubberman and he quickly sat up, gasping for air.

"Was that luck or did he plan that?" Nami asked.

Zoro sighed. "No way to know."

"That was close!" Luffy screamed. "I thought I was dead!"

He spent a couple of seconds catching his breath.

"That bastard, he's gone," Luffy growled in frustration. He turned his head. "I saw him fly that way. You're not going to get away that easily!"

Luffy got up to give chase to Crocodile and the memory ended.

"I didn't know Luffy had such a hard time beating Crocodile," Nami said. "Not to the point where Crocodile not only killed him once, but twice."

Chopper nodded. "It makes sense, however, given how grave his wounds were when I examined him at the palace. He was very close to death."

"Well, the shitty bastard _was_ out for three days. Before then, Luffy usually recovered just by eating," Sanji said.

"Luffy has a bad habit of pushing himself," Usopp whispered. There was a note of worry in his voice.

The memory engulfed the Strawhats and they were now inside a tomb where a giant bluish-gray stone block written in a language the Strawhats couldn't understand sat.

Franky's eyes widened when he saw the stone block. He walked up towards it and attempted to touch the stone. His hand, however, passed right through it. "So, this is one of the legendary Poneglyphs. The stone blocks that not only holds the history of our world, but the path to the dreaded ancient weapons."

Nami said nothing as she stared at the stone block. To think, Robin's life was ruined because of this simple stone.

"So, we are finally here," Robin whispered.

There was a loud crash and Luffy came running through a wall. He looked exhausted, but there was still a fire in his eyes. He was also covered from head to toe in blood.

Crocodile stared at Luffy in complete disbelief. It looked like he was seeing a ghost. As far as Crocodile was concerned, he was.

"You!" Crocodile screamed incredulously.

"You're trapped, Croc!" Luffy yelled, happy to finally have Crocodile cornered.

"Why are you alive!?" Crocodile demanded, losing all of his previous cool. "Why do you stand up to me every time I kill you!? Well, Strawhat!?"

"Where did he come from?" Cobra asked, looking just as surprised as Crocodile.

Robin in the memory, from her place on the floor, looked up towards Luffy. "Strawhat..."

"Robin-chan, what happened to you!?" Sanji asked in horror when he saw the state Robin was in. She was bleeding heavily from a wound in her chest.

"I was stabbed by Crocodile," Robin answered nonchalantly.

"That shitty sand bastard! I'll kill him if I ever see him!" Sanji yelled as he literally lit on fire.

"Turn that bonfire down," Zoro said in annoyance as he stepped away from the flaming cook.

"How many times do I have to kill you before you are satisfied!?" Crocodile continued to rant.

Zoro snorted. "Do a better job killing him."

"You haven't returned what you stole," Luffy said.

"What I stole?" Crocodile laughed. "Money, fame, trust, life, rain!? What do you want me to return? I've stolen more than I can count!"

Nami scowled at hearing those boastful words. Just like any typical pirate.

"The country," Luffy answered.

This caught Crocodile and the Strawhats by surprise.

"The country? That is a funny thing to say. I am just about to take this country! I will become king of this land and rule it!" Crocodile laughed.

"When we came to this island it was already gone," Luffy said with a barely contained anger. "This country wasn't hers."

Crocodile scowled at him.

"If this was really her country, she would be able to smile more!" Luffy screamed as his rage built.

The memory flashed for a moment and the Strawhats saw scenes of the ruined Alabasta, Vivi's despair over her dying country, and people dying in a needless war.

The images were like a punch to the face to the Strawhats. Through Luffy's memory, they were being shown the full scope of what Crocodile's cruelty had done. Their captain was right. Alabasta was already gone long before they arrived. All that was left was a decaying corpse. No wonder Vivi could see no hope.

Robin felt her guilt return and she lowered her eyes in shame.

When the memory returned to the tomb, Luffy charged Crocodile head on.

"Umm, how is he going to hit him?" Franky asked.

"Good point, he has no water," Usopp said.

Crocodile thought the same thing. "After that impressive speech, what do you expect to do without any water?"

Luffy viciously kicked Crocodile in the face, sending him flying into a wall.

"He got him!" Brook exclaimed.

"Yeah, but how?" Nami asked in confusion.

Zoro was silent for a moment before his eye widened. "Don't tell me..."

Crocodile slowly sat up and glared at Luffy in utter shock. The expression slowly left his face as a realization hit him.

The strawhat captain cracked his knuckles fiercely, ready for the next round. "Crocodile!" Luffy yelled as he stretched his arm to throw a punch.

Before Crocodile could react, Luffy slammed his fist into Crocodile's face, sending him back into the wall.

Crocodile stood up again and shook with rage. "Bastard...was that...your blood?"

The Strawhats noticed that Luffy's fists were drenched in his own blood.

"So that's how," Sanji whispered as his eyes widened.

"Blood hardens sand too," Luffy said neutrally.

"He's using his own blood to attack!?" Chopper yelled disbelief.

"Now that's hardcore!" Franky cheered.

"Is he crazy!? Who uses their own blood to fight someone?" Nami asked as she took everything in.

Crocodile quickly regained his composure and laughed. "Rainbase, the Royal Palace, and now in this underground chamber. You have seen hell twice and you still come back to challenge me. I will repay your tenacity, as a pirate!" He removed a piece of his hook and reveal another hook embedded under it with large holes. "It seems no matter what I do, you will keep trying to defeat me. I think it is time I treated you properly as the nuisance you are."

Luffy stared at him. "What is that?"

"A poison hook," Crocodile stated as he held up his weapon.

"Oh," Luffy said simply.

"As you are a pirate like any other I expect you to know this well," Crocodile said. "A duel between pirates is a battle to the death. There is no such word as 'unfair'!"

"Hate to say it, but the shit head is right," Sanji said. "If you want fairness, you should join the marines."

"Even so, using poison is under-handed," Brook murmured, remembering his first death along with the rest of his crew.

Luffy got into battle position.

"When the explosion happens above us, this place will be destroyed with it," Crocodile informed. "This is the end!"

The final battle had begun and the two pirates locked themselves in combat. Despite Luffy's best efforts, he was nicked several times by Crocodile's hook, sending a stinging sensation up his body. The poison in Crocodile's hook was so potent that it actually melted rock like acid.

They kept fighting, regardless of the fact that the tomb was slowly collapsing around them. True to Crocodile's words, only one of them would stand victorious.

Luffy landed several strong blows on Crocodile despite being poisoned, but nothing so far was strong enough to keep the Warlord down.

"This is bad," Chopper said in concern as the memory hazed. "By fighting like this, he's making the poison pump faster through his system. He can have organ failure at any time at the rate he's going."

"Even so, Luffy-san has hardly slowed down," Brook said in awe as he watched his captain fight.

"Impaled, buried alive, dried out; you may have been able to come back from all of that, but you will not stand again after this one," Crocodile said as he held up his hook which hissed poison. "This fight is over. The poison is already spreading through your body."

"You don't understand anything!" Luffy yelled.

Crocodile became annoyed. "I don't understand _what_ , exactly?"

Luffy didn't bother to answer as he charged Crocodile. He threw a punch, but Crocodile was able to avoid it. Luffy ran in again and attempted to slam his fist into Crocodile's body. The attack, unfortunately, missed.

"Gum Gum Gatling Gun!" Luffy yelled as he punched at Crocodile rapidly.

Crocodile, however, was still able to easily avoid the attacks.

"His attacks are getter slower," Zoro noted.

"Most likely because the poison is getting to him," Sanji said as the memory become hazier. "Even Luffy have his limits."

"Don't you understand?" Crocodile asked again. "You are already dead! The poison entered your wounds and is about to finish you off!"

Luffy looked like he was going to charge again, but he suddenly stumbled. The memory also became even blurrier.

"Your body is starting to go numb, is it not? No matter if you win or lose this fight you are going to be buried within this underground tomb!" Crocodile yelled.

Luffy attempted to keep himself on his feet, but he soon fell to his knees. He was breathing hard and everything started to darken.

"Your desires do not lie in this country," Crocodile said as he stared down at Luffy. "You are fighting for someone else's desire! Why would you die for that!? Just one or two crewmates. If you had abandoned them, they would have never have held you back! You are all utter fools!"

"Like I said, you don't understand anything," Luffy growled as his glared at Crocodile. His eyes were now bloodshot and slightly watery. "Vivi...she tells others not to die, but she's the first one to throws her life away to save someone else. If I abandoned her, she would die! You would kill her!"

"When I think about it, that kinds of sounds like Luffy," Sanji noted.

"That's because Luffy and Vivi are very much the same in that aspect," Zoro said. "Luffy understands the price of war and being a pirate, which is why he called Vivi naïve for wanting to save everyone and not risk the lives of her friends. At the same time, Luffy also wants no one to die and is the first to throw his life away to protect those he loves. The only real difference between them is that Vivi is willing to risk her life and die for a stranger, while Luffy isn't that kind. Luffy will not fight and die for a faceless individual."

Robin nodded. "That is very true. Although Luffy has helped and saved countless people, it was all more of an aftereffect of him trying to save someone dear to him."

"I do not understand you!" Crocodile yelled in frustration, bring the Strawhats back into the memory. "That is why I am saying you should just abandon such an annoying..."

"I don't want her to die!" Luffy screamed. "We are her friends! That's why, as long as she doesn't give up on her country, we won't stop fighting!"

The Strawhats, even the ones who were not members at the time, nodded their heads in agreement.

"Tell him, Luffy-san!" Brook yelled.

"Teach that sandy bastard what _real_ pirates are all about!" Franky cheered.

Now it was Crocodile giving Luffy a blank stare. "Even if you die?"

"When I die, that'll be that," Luffy said in absolution.

After a moment Crocodile laugh again.

"I'm getting sick of that bastard's laugh," Franky growled as he rubbed his ears.

"Your most valiant attempt at yelling will not make your body listen," Crocodile said confidently. "A fine state you are in, Strawhat Luffy."

Luffy once again attempt to stand, but his legs kept given on him. His eyes were glazed over and sound became mute. He could barely hear Crocodile taunting Cobra about some backup plan just in case his agents didn't set the bomb off on time. He was fading. He then completely collapsed to the floor.

"Luffy!" Usopp exclaimed. He wanted to run to his captain's side.

"Your moron, you can't make a heroic speech and then collapse so soon afterwards!" Sanji yelled.

A loud explosion suddenly rocked the tomb, but Luffy wasn't concerned about that. He couldn't lose. Not this time.

"Looks like that bomb went off," Brook said as the rumbling began to slowly subside.

The Strawhats who were members at the time lowered their heads, once again honoring Pell's sacrifice.

Crocodile laugh in triumph. "At long last, the new era has begun. The day my ambition becomes real! This country is mine!"

"Fool doesn't even realize that his bomb failed," Zoro said coldly. "If it hadn't, this entire place would have been buried."

Luffy used the last of resolve to stand up. He was still shaking, but his body refused to fall again. His eyes also had a burning fire beneath them. The memory itself also seemed to come back, becoming more vivid and all sounds returned.

"I've seen that look in his eyes before," Sanji whispered.

"Crocodile is about to get his ass kicked," Zoro said. This was the look Luffy gave when he was truly serious.

Robin started to smile. She'd seen this fight before, but now, she could fully appreciate watching Crocodile get his comeuppance. Watching these memories reminded her of why she hated that man.

Crocodile glanced behind him and was stunned to see Luffy back up. Now, he was really pissed.

"You...can't...defeat me!" Luffy yelled as he fully lifted his head.

Crocodile glared at the strawhat captain before he grinned. "You finally managed to speak and that is all you can come up with?" He casually approached Luffy. "A bluff from a loser who is about to die. How fitting. Groundless!"

Luffy's eyes were completely focused on Crocodile. "I am...the man who will become the Pirate King!"

This caused Crocodile to grin further. "Listen, you damn brat, the more you get to know these seas, the more you learn not to make impudent statements like that. I have already told you, there are thousands of rookies just like you on these seas, chasing their naïve little dreams!"

Luffy said nothing as he took several deep breaths.

"The more you learn about the level of this sea, the more you lose sight of those dreams!" Crocodile roared, like he was speaking from personal experience, as he attempted to strike Luffy with his poison hook.

Luffy effortlessly dodged the attack and brought his foot down on the hook. He slammed it into the floor, snapping the poison hook off like it was made of wood.

Crocodile gasped in shock.

"I AM...THE MAN WHO WILL SURPASS YOU!" Luffy declared.

With those words, Luffy stretched his arm back and slammed his fist into Crocodile's midsection. Luffy followed the punch with a heel strike with his foot, sending the Warlord flying. He immediately followed Crocodile and hammered the Warlord into the ground with his fist.

Usopp, Chopper, Franky, and Brook couldn't stop themselves from cheering Luffy on. They were all yelling for him to beat Crocodile into the ground. It was starting to sound like a sporting event in the tomb.

Luffy grabbed Crocodile by his shirt, picked him up, and swung him around like a ball and chain into the nearest wall.

Now Crocodile was the one struggling to stand up. He had a look of utter bafflement on his face.

"Amazing, Luffy's moving even faster than before, regardless of the poison," Nami said in awe.

"That's because he knows he has to win and Luffy is at his most dangerous when he's in that mindset," Zoro said.

"Although, why did Crocodile suddenly stop using his powers?" Sanji asked. "I mean, he's trying to match Luffy using brute strength. Crocodile is many things, but he's no physical fighter."

"Crocodile is no longer thinking rationally," Robin explained. "When Luffy showed up for the third time after he had killed him, it broke whatever was left of Crocodile's reason. In his mind, a man like Luffy should not exist. The added fact that Luffy is practically dying and he is still able to match him was simply too much for Crocodile to understand." Even she could not understand it at the time.

"That seems to be a common reaction," Nami mused.

Luffy simply had a way of breaking people with his sheer presence. Almost all of Luffy's opponents seemed to have some kind of mental breakdown just before they're defeated.

Crocodile growled in anger as he stood back up. Out of his broken hook came a large dagger.

All the Strawhats could see that something had snapped within Crocodile. His entire cool and calm demeanor was gone. What the Strawhats saw was a man whose nearly flawless plan of three years was being ruined by a person he perceived as a nobody. A pirate who didn't even _exist_ a month ago.

"You are just some rookie who came out of nowhere! You can't beat me! Do you have any idea who I _am_!?" Crocodile screamed in rage as he charged Luffy.

He attempted to stab Luffy with the dagger, but Luffy effortlessly ducked it, leaving Crocodile wide open.

"I don't give a damn who you are! Whoever you are...I WILL SURPASS YOU!" Luffy screamed to the top of his lungs as he kicked Crocodile high into the air like a soccer ball.

Crocodile managed to get himself together and hovered himself in mid-air. "I will destroy you along with this tomb!" He raised his right hand into the air. "Sables Pseudo!"

What looked like a shockwave of sand came hurling at Luffy, causing everything within range to be blasted into dust. The rubberman, however, was able to jump out of harm's way as more of the tomb crumbled around him.

Luffy inhaled air into his lungs and blow himself into a giant balloon. When he was big enough, he twisted himself around several times. Once that was done, he released all the air from his lungs, sending him flying upwards. He was rapidly approaching Crocodile.

"Gum Gum..." Luffy began to yell as he pulled his fists back.

Crocodile, however, was having none of that. "Desert La Spada!"

The Warlord launched an attack that made his sand appear as giant axes.

"Storm!" Luffy screamed as he finished his own attack.

Much like his Gatling, Luffy's arms appeared to have multiple and he smashed right through Crocodile's final attack.

Without anything to hinder his fists, Luffy's attack slammed into Crocodile. Within moments, the Warlord was being plummeted with hundreds of punches at once across his body, knocking him even higher into air.

Luffy kept attacking, even when Crocodile hit the ceiling of the tomb. The rubberman kept hammering away until the ceiling started to break and crack under the force of the assault.

In the span of less than a minute, the ceiling completely shattered and Crocodile was sent flying out of the tomb faster than one of Usopp's fireworks, leaving a trail of sand in his wake. Sunlight came pouring through the hole, bathing Luffy in its warmth. The match had been decided.

"He sent him fly through bedrock!" Franky exclaimed in shock. He couldn't see Crocodile anymore as he disappeared over the horizon. "How far did he fly?"

"Well, let's just say it took several minutes for him to come down," Nami said in amusement. It was more than a little satisfying seeing that bastard get what he deserved again.

"Huh, that's how sand croc got into the sky," Sanji mused as he stared upwards.

Chopper's mouth dropped in awe. Luffy was just amazing.

"Amazing, what a feat of strength!" Brook yelled. "A finale fitting of a song!" He took out his guitar and began to play a few cords.

Zoro smiled proudly at his captain. He may have died twice, but the final victory was his. Crocodile, despite all his power and cleverness, underestimated Luffy's will and failed to take him seriously until it was too late. He paid a heavy price for his arrogance.

Luffy quickly descended to earth and landed hard on the stone floor. He was breathing hard in utter exhaustion and was shaking badly.

Cobra slowly crawled his way to Luffy's bloody and poisoned body and knelt beside him. He lowered his head before the rubber captain and gave a grateful smile. "You have my thanks."

Despite being tired and very close to death because of the poison flowing through his body, Luffy gave a huge, happy grin. "No problem."

Cobra's smiled grew wider as he stared at the ceiling that was collapsing on his head. He had a content expression. Even if he died here, his kingdom and daughter were saved.

The memory became fuzzy, most likely because of Luffy's decreased state of consciousness. They could also hear Luffy's breaths becoming more labored and shallow. Then, a small clack on the floor reached the Strawhats' ears.

Cobra turned his head and saw a small glass vial lying on the floor.

"Hurry, give it to him," Robin's voice ordered through the fading memory. "It's the antidote to Crocodile's poison. Even if he is buried beneath the rubble, his rubber body may allow him to survive."

"Robin, you saved Luffy-san again," Brook said, looking at their Robin.

"That's our Robin-chan! She has the heart of an angel!" Sanji sung.

Cobra gave Robin a suspicious look, but carefully took the antidote. "Back then, you said that only history was inscribed there. Why did you lie?"

The current Strawhats gave their Robin a questioning look.

Robin kept a blank expression. It would seem Luffy was still conscious during this moment. She was hoping that her captain would not remember this conversation.

"You knew," Robin in the memory said humorlessly. "How naughty."

"The history of our country is not inscribed on that stone," Cobra said as he lifted Luffy's head and gently poured the antidote into his open mouth. "All that is inscribed on that stone are the details about the weapon your organization desired. And, of course, its location. If you had translated it for Crocodile, this country would be currently his. Am I wrong?"

"Wait, weapon? Do you mean _the_ ancient weapon of legend?" Franky asked in disbelief.

Robin sighed and nodded. "Yes. The battleship Pluton is buried within this country."

Franky gasped when heard this. "Pluton...Pluton is here!? And that sandy bastard wanted to get his hook on it!?"

"With Pluton, Crocodile could have created a military state that rivaled the World Government," Robin said. "That is why Crocodile needed and tolerated me."

"Excuse me, but what is this Pluton?" Brook asked, completely lost.

"A terrible weapons build during a time long forgotten," Robin answered. "It is a battleship capable of sinking an entire island."

Chopper's mouth dropped in shock. "An entire island!?"

Nami narrowed her eyes. "No wonder the government wanted it."

Franky's hands shook. "If awaken, Pluton can destroy this world. That's why Tom and the other shipwrights of Water 7 gave everything to protect the blueprints, just in case some fool succeeded in bring that thing back to life."

"Blueprints?" Brook questioned.

"My mentor, Tom, had the blueprints to Pluton. That ship was built in Water 7," Franky said.

"But why keep something that dangerous around?" Brook continued to question.

"It was a countermeasure. If Pluton was ever awaken, another ship just like it could be built to even the odds," Franky explained, hating recalling such painful events. "The government learned about it which is why Tom..." He couldn't finished.

"None of that matter now. Franky destroyed the blueprints and Robin have no intention of telling anyone how to revive that battleship," Zoro said. "It's over and done with."

The memory cleared a little as the antidote took effect. The sound also became less muffled.

"I am not interested," Robin in the memory said in an exhausted voice. "I do not care whether your people live or die. I could not care less. I never intended to give Crocodile the weapon in the first place."

Nami was a little put off by how indifferent Robin sounded about the lives of millions, but Robin has never been one to care too much about faceless people. She was all but willing to sacrifice the world to protect them from the government. Spending over twenty years being used and betrayed by everyone would harden anyone's heart.

"I do not understand," Cobra said as he placed Luffy back on the stone floor. "Then why did you come here?"

There was a slight pause. "Hopes and expectations are two different things. What I wanted was the Rio Poneglyph. Out of all the Poneglyphs in this world it is the one stone that tells the True History."

"The True History?" Cobra questioned.

"Enough," Robin sighed in defeat. "I have searched for twenty years and this was the only lead I found. This place was my last hope and it was a failure. If I die here, that suits me just fine. I am tired of walking the road I followed here when all I wanted was to learn of some history. There are too many enemies within my dream." She sounded close to crying.

Chopper felt tears fall from his eyes. That defeated tone was just like the one she used at Enies Lobby.

Brook was taken aback by Robin's words. He had never heard her so broken.

Franky growled under his breath. He knew the enemies that Robin spoke of. Those same enemies hunted him and took a way the person he admired most.

"One further question, if I may," Cobra said. He sounded almost shell-shock. "Are you saying the threads of the history that cannot be told can be woven together and the Poneglyph is the record of it?"

Robin said nothing.

"If that is so, then why have we been...?" Cobra asked in wonderment.

Luffy chose this moment to come back to life. All the Strawhats could see he was on his last legs and it was a miracle that he was even still conscious. His breathing was fast and the Strawhats could hear a loud thumping sound. It was probably Luffy's heart beating in his own ears. Most likely, the antidote had speeded up his heart.

Nonetheless, he stood up and, without any effort, picked up Cobra and threw him over his shoulder like a sack of rice. He then walked over to where Robin sat and picked her up as well. She was now, in a rather undignified way, hoisted in Luffy's arm.

Sanji growled. "Dammit Luffy. That's no way to hold a woman."

"Let's get out of here," Luffy said in a somewhat strained voice as he fought to stay awake.

"Wait a second!" Robin exclaimed in surprise and anger. She glared at Luffy with so much fury that it startled most of the Strawhats. "I have no reason to live! Put me down and leave!"

Luffy barely gave her a glance. "Why the hell should I listen to you?"

Robin gasped in shock, but said nothing more. She knew that she was defeated.

Luffy used the last of his strength to jump out of the tomb using the opening he had made with one powerful leap. When he reached the outside world the sun was gone. Instead, the entire sky was darkened by storm clouds and it was raining heavily.

Cobra gasped in shock and disbelief. "Rain...it is raining..."

Robin in the memory looked completely surprised. The curse that Crocodile had subjected to the desert kingdom for three years has been broken. "The rain has returned...at this very moment?"

Brook looked at the rain in awe. "As soon as that Warlord was defeated, the rain returned? Is there a connection?"

"If you are asking if Crocodile personally stole the rain, no. Not even he is that powerful," Robin said. "Whether it was by luck or a coincidence, the rain happened to return upon Crocodile's defeat."

"It was just in time too," Usopp said softly. "With the rainfall also came the end of the civil war and Vivi was able to talk sense to her people."

Brook didn't speak for several seconds. "It's like fate ordained that Luffy would be the victor."

Luffy landed hard on the pavement and ungracefully dropped Robin and Cobra onto the wet, stone street. He took several deep breaths as he looked up at the falling rain, cooling his hot cheeks.

"Dry guy...it's raining...just as you said..." Luffy said in a hoarse voice as he remembered Yuba and the man who gave him water. "It wouldn't be beaten by mere sand..."

Cobra cried in happiness as he wet his face in the freshly falling rain. It was like gold to him. "At last...at long last, our nightmare is finally over."

Robin in the memory stared into the sky with wide eyes. "Was it fate?" Unconsciously echoing the words of her future crewmate.

Luffy paid no attention to any of them as he started to smile. "Vivi...I did it. I...I got your country back. Now...you can truly smile again..."

The memory suddenly blurred and fade as the Strawhats watched and before long, darkness filled the scene. There was a loud thud that echoed across the memory before there was nothing more.


	19. The Adventure Continues

The Strawhats waited patiently for the next memory to come. As they waited, they reflected on what they had been shown a moment ago.

"Robin, are you alright?" Nami asked the older woman gently. She had been silent for a while now.

Robin nodded. "I am fine, Nami-chan. Seeing that just brought back some bad memories."

"If you want to talk about it, Robin-chan, I would happily listen," Sanji said in his most gentle voice. There was no hint of lust in his tone.

Robin gave a small smile as she shook her head. "It is all in the past now. As I said before, that woman no longer exists. I have a family now, and a reason to live. Those events in that tomb are not even a distant dream anymore."

Nami, regardless of the older woman's words, hugged Robin tightly.

"But that was amazing!" Usopp yelled, completely pumped from seeing the battle with the Warlord. "He knocked Crocodile through solid rock like he was nothing!"

"Yeah, he showed him!" Chopper also cheered.

"Still, that Warlord was no joke," Franky said. "Luffy should have died several times over. I'm not sure if Luffy won by blind luck or divine intervention."

"Luck is a part of skill and Luffy has plenty of it," Zoro said neutrally. Whether they liked it or not, everyone needed luck every now and then.

The Strawhats nodded in agreement.

The new memory finally came and the Strawhats stood on the deck of the Going Merry. The ship shook violently and there was a lot of shouting. They were obviously in the middle of a battle.

"Dammit, shoot your cannonballs at us!" Luffy yelled in frustration. "I can bounce them back!"

Instead of cannonballs, the Going Merry was being embedded with giant metal spikes that pierced through the hull.

"Goodness, stop joking around!" a voice whined.

Next to the Going Merry was another ship that had somehow avoided any damage during the barrage. It was a pink ship that had a figurehead of a swan, but that wasn't what got Franky and Brook's attention.

On the Going Merry was an extra member who certainly wasn't a Strawhat. He was a fairly tall, skinny, pale man with swans on his shoulders and a long pink coat. He wore wild make-up on his face and looked like a ballerina. By the swans theme of his outfit, he was obviously the captain of the other ship.

"Who's this cross-dressing weirdo?" Franky asked as he looked over the strange man.

"Oh, that's Bon Clay, also known as Mr. 2," Nami said when she noticed the former agent.

"Huh, you mean that guy you said worked for Baroque Works?" Franky asked. "The transforming Devil Fruit user?"

"Yeah, same person," Nami confirmed with a nod.

"He's certainly not what I would expect from a Baroque Works agent," Brook said. He didn't appear to be dangerous and seemed a little eccentric, but Brook knew from his own experience that looks could be deceiving.

"Crocodile was an equal opportunist. As long as you could do your job effectively, Crocodile did not care about your personal life or quirks," Robin said as she stared at her former comrade.

Admittedly, Mr. 2 was one of the few agents she personally liked. He not only moved the Going Merry to keep the marines from finding it, but he also hid the fact that she was on the ship to the Strawhats on the good faith that she would not harm them. She owed him a lot for that.

"Why is he helping you escape from the marines anyway?" Brook asked, getting back to the main matter.

"We teamed up and were helping one another escape from the marines," Sanji explained as he smoked his cigarette. "Despite the guy being a shitty bastard who gave us more than a little trouble and tried to kill Vivi-chan, he saved our butts back then."

Usopp nodded. "Yeah, that guy was our friend."

Although, he was still sore at Mr. 2 for beating him up and daring to steal his goggles so he could effectively impersonate him to get to Vivi. Then again, he should be thankful. He could had outright killed him after the stunt they pulled.

"It seems to be quite common for you guys to become allies with your former enemies," Brook observed.

"It's one of Luffy's talents," Zoro said with a small smile. "He can make just about anyone his ally, no matter how bad the blood runs."

"If they keep hitting the ship with these iron spears, it's only a matter of time before we sink!" Sanji in the memory yelled, getting the current Strawhats back into the memory.

The marines shot more spears at them.

"Crap, here they come!" Nami in the memory yelled as more of them hit Merry.

"Hey, there's no way I can patch all these holes!" Chopper in the memory screamed as he came up from the bottom of the ship. He was holding several planks of wood.

"Hurry up and do something, you guys!" Nami in the memory yelled at her crew, especially Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro.

"We can only protect one side at a time!" Sanji in the memory yelled, sounding more than a little frustrated. "Going up against eight ships is too much!"

"Even when we're stronger in hand-to-hand combat, even if we rush them or retreat, they won't break their formation!" Zoro in the memory growled in irritation.

"You guys really had a hard time before Sunny," Franky noted as he watched Merry just get hammered with spikes. It was amazing that the small ship hasn't sunk yet.

If they had their precious Sunny, they would have Coup de Burst out of the entrapment, or at least used the Gaon Cannon to break the marine's formation.

"The Going Merry wasn't a battleship," Usopp said as he watched his beloved ship get torn apart by the marines. Merry never did fully recover from this encounter. Between this and the incident with the Rainbow Mist, Merry was nearly a wreck. "It was never meant to take this kind of abuse."

Franky nodded. "True, but I've never seen the marines used spike ammo before." Maybe he should reinforce the Sunny just in case they run into this problem in the future.

"I'm quite surprise they never used this again. It's nearly the perfect counter for Luffy's ability," Sanji observed.

"Spike spears are the specialty of the captain who patrols this area," Robin said. "They are more expensive to make than normal cannonballs."

During the sea battle, Luffy noticed two familiar figures on two of the marine ships. One of them was undoubtedly Fullbody and the other man looked vaguely familiar to some of the Strawhats.

"Hey, isn't that the hypno-guy from Usopp's village?" Brook asked as he pointed to the marine ship. "I thought he was Kuro's first mate. Why is he a marine?"

Usopp shrugged. "We never figured that out, actually."

"The Black Cage Corp: Black Spear Squadron!" Jango exclaimed proudly.

Fullbody laughed cockily as he stuck his tongue at the memory Strawhats. "You pipsqueaks won't beat us, dork!"

"Hey Hypnotist, I thought you were a pirate!" Luffy screamed at Jango.

"Shut up!" Jango yelled. "I have my own reason for this!"

"You know, between Vergo and this guy, I'm beginning to wonder about the marines' background checks," Franky said.

"I was thinking the same thing," Robin mused.

Either they let Jango joined because they did not see his career as a pirate as a big thing, given that he was only active in weak sea of East Blue, or the marines have lacked their standards.

"I think I recognize that guy on the left," Sanji in the memory said nonchalantly.

"It may as well have been one-hundred years since we last met! That impudent, harrowing cook, and his buddies, this is the day you sink to your doom! I've powered up, you see," Fullbody declared.

Jango took out one of his chakrams. "Look closely at this ring. This is the day I prove that I'm not weird. One, two, JANG..." He began to finish his spell, but was cut off when a cannonball suddenly hit his ship. Luffy was just as surprised as Jango.

"Brother!" Fullbody yelled in distress as Jango's ship slammed into his and they both sunk into the ocean.

"What the..." Franky asked in confusion.

"What caused that?" Brook finished for the cyborg.

Luffy was also baffled as he looked towards the source of the cannonball that had taken out two marine ships and saw Usopp staring completely flabbergasted in the distance.

"Usopp, that was you!?" Luffy exclaimed in surprise before he smiled. "That was awesome!"

Usopp turned towards his captain, lost for words for a few seconds. "Yes...exactly as I calculated! That's what you get when you rely on me!"

"That was so cool, Usopp!" Chopper cheered with stars in his eyes. "You took out two marine battleships with one cannonball."

Usopp rubbed his nose proudly. "I just had the talent even then."

"More like dumb luck," Franky mumbled.

"As Zoro-san said, luck is also a skill," Brook said. Either way, it was a good shot.

"Usopp has almost as much dumb luck as Luffy," Zoro said in a dry tone.

"Nose-chan, amazing, good going!" Bon Clay also cheered. "Now the two ships to the south are gone! Full speed in that direction!"

"Bon Clay, we have a problem!" one of Clay's men yelled.

"What is it!?" Bon Clay yelled in annoyance.

"It's the Black Cage!" the man screamed.

Bon Clay was more than a little horrified to hear this news.

"Who's that?" Luffy asked.

"Black Cage Hina, the Marine Headquarters Captain who patrols this area of the sea!" Bon Clay exclaimed in fear. "This is not good at all! Let's get out of here super quick!"

None of the Strawhats in the memory moved to escaped.

"What are you guys doing!? Let's run away!" Bon Clay yelled. "If we exit south, we can escape with minimum damage! If we stay here, we'll be done in for sure!"

Captain Hina's ship was quickly approaching them.

"If you want to go, then go," Luffy said with absolution. "We can't."

"What do you mean, you can't!?" Bon Clay screamed in frustration.

Bon Clay's own crew started to yell for him to return to his ship.

"We made a promise to be at the eastern harbor at noon," Nami said. She had none of her usual reserves. "There's no time to sail back. We have to press forward."

"Promise?" Brook repeated.

Nami's eyes became downcast. "We made a promise to Vivi to meet her at that harbor. She was going to tell us her decision about whether she wanted to become a pirate and sail with us."

"A princess who wanted to become a pirate," Franky said in awe. "Well, now I've heard everything."

"You must have left a powerful impression on her if she considered leaving her life and the country she loved," Brook said.

Usopp smiled as he felt tears build in his eyes. "She left a powerful impression on all of us. It was hard leaving her behind."

Sanji sighed. "In the end, it was for the best. A country can't run without its ruler. Besides, she needed to repair all the damage that Crocodile and his cronies did over the last three years."

"Really, that's the silly-silliest thing I've ever heard!" Bon Clay yelled angrily, breaking the current Strawhats' tender mood. "What kind of treasure could possibly be there that's worth your lives!?" He turned his back on them. "Go ahead and die then!"

"We're going to see our friend," Luffy answered with conviction in his voice.

Bon Clay was left in a complete state of shock. He wasn't expecting that answer. "F...for a friend?"

There was a moment of silence between the two pirate groups.

Bon Clay suddenly turned to face his crew. "We're going to fight the marines!"

Bon Clay's entire crew screamed in surprise.

"Well, he changed his tune fast," Franky humored.

"If it is one thing Bon Clay's values above all else, it is the bonds of friendship," Robin said in fondness.

"Running away now would defy the way of Bon Clay!" he yelled to his crew. "Friends who risk their lives to see another friend, knowing that you abandoned them, how will you enjoy your breakfast tomorrow morning!?"

Everyone on his crew was stunned as they realized that their captain was right.

"Listen up, boys, and the Strawhat team as well! Pay heed to my words!" Bon Clay yelled in tears.

With his plan made, Bon Clay and his crew left to confront the marines to buy the Strawhats time to meet Vivi. There was a battle between Hina and Bon Clay's men that ended with the Okama's ship being destroyed in a blaze of fire.

Franky weep openly at the touching scene. "That's so beautiful! What a stand out pervert!"

Brook also began to cry. "His heroism has inspired a new song within me!"

Even the Strawhats who knew this would happen were moved again.

"I wonder if Bon Clay is alright?" Chopper asked as he wiped some tears.

"Knowing him, I am sure he will land on his feet wherever he is. He will not die just from that," Robin said. Nothing could keep that man down.

"That decoy Nami-san is still wrong!" Sanji yelled with fire in his eyes.

The Going Merry reached its destination without further incident, but Vivi was nowhere in sight. They heard her, however. She was speaking through a loudspeaker to her country about her experience during the last two years.

"Vivi..." Chopper in the memory said softly. Both Luffy and he were leaning against Merry's rails.

"You heard that speech, right?" Zoro in the memory asked with his arms folded. "That was Vivi's voice."

"It's a broadcast of that ceremony in Alubarna," Sanji in the memory said, not hiding his disappointment. "So, it's settled. She's not coming."

"No, that only sounded like Vivi's voice!" Luffy denied. "She's definitely going to be at the place we promised, right?"

"Yeah, she is," Zoro in the memory answered.

"Let's go. It's past noon," Sanji in the memory said.

"She has to be here!" Chopper in the memory wept.

"Let's go off the ship and look for her! I know she's there!" Luffy yelled.

Zoro sighed as he watched the scene. His captain hated to leave a friend behind. That was one of the thing he admired about him the most.

"We have a problem!" Usopp in the memory suddenly yelled. "The marines are coming again!"

Several marine ships started to approach the Merry.

"Just how many damn ships do they have!?" Zoro in the memory asked in annoyance. "Shit, we're moving on!"

"Turning to starboard!" Usopp in the memory yelled.

"Give it up, Luffy," Sanji in the memory said forcibly. "She's from a different world."

Luffy's eyes narrowed and his body visible flinched.

Looking back, Sanji could see that his words must have reminded Luffy of his brother Sabo. Didn't Sabo's father and that Bluejam bastard used those same words to describe what Sabo was? Vivi was from a different world than them, but he shouldn't have used that as an excuse for why she wouldn't want to be a pirate.

" _Everyone!_ " Vivi's voice suddenly echoed through the coast. Her voice didn't come from a loudspeaker.

On a nearby cliff was Vivi, all decked out in her princess outfit. She was also there with her pet duck Carue.

"What a pretty outfit. I bet the panties on it is just lovely," Brook said with a voice filled with lust. This comment earned a slapped upside the head from Nami.

"Vivi!" Luffy screamed happily.

"Carue!" Usopp yelled.

"So, that was the name of that duck," Franky muttered.

Vivi and Carue both waved happily at the pirates.

"See, she's here!" Luffy yelled at his crew.

"Turn the ship around and hurry!" Usopp in the memory yelled.

"The marines are almost here!" Chopper in the memory screamed.

"I'm here to say goodbye!" Vivi yelled, stunning Luffy and the other Strawhats.

"What, she's just...?" Luffy began to ask.

"I...cannot go with you!" Vivi said as she spoke through the speaker. "Thank you for everything. I want to have more adventures with you, but I can't because I love my country! That is why I cannot come with you!"

Luffy stared at Vivi, completely stunned. They could see the hurt in his eyes. He then smiled in acceptance.

"I...I will stay here, but if we ever meet again, will you still call me your friend!?" Vivi asked, close to breaking down in tears.

Luffy immediately knew the answer. "Of..."

Nami quickly cut him off by slamming her hand into Luffy's mouth. "You idiot, don't answer! The marines have seen Vivi already. If they get any proof of Vivi's affiliation with us she will become a criminal."

Luffy frowned deeply, knowing his navigator was right.

"Let's make this a silent farewell," Nami said in a somber voice.

As if rehearse, all the Strawhats slowly lined the back of Merry, facing away from Vivi. Without a word, they tore off the wrappings on their left arms and held it up so Vivi could clearly see the 'X' mark, giving Vivi their answer to her. They didn't know how, but they could sense that Vivi had done the same along with Carue.

" _This is proof that we're friends! The 'X' is a mark of friendship!_ " Luffy's words from before echoed across the sky.

At that moment, no matter the distance or time that passed, Vivi was and would always be a Strawhat and a friend dear to Luffy's heart.

With that, the memory concluded.

Brook and Franky were both actively crying while the older Strawhats fought to keep their own tears from falling.

"I...I miss Vivi..." Chopper sniffed before he fully burst into tears.

"Me too!" Usopp sobbed.

"Vivi-chan!" Sanji cried into his arm.

Nami gently wiped her eyes. "I wonder how she's doing now? I hoped everything is still fine in Alabasta."

"I love you guys!" Franky said as tears flowed out of his eyes and nose like waterfalls. "That was the most beautiful thing...I'm so moved..."

Robin had soft smile on her face. Despite all the misdeeds she caused back in Alabasta, she was happy that she helped produce such a powerful memory in Luffy.

The next memory started and the Strawhats were back on the Going Merry. This time, there were no marines in sight and nothing but clear waters ahead of them.

"The marines are not chasing us anymore!" Zoro in the memory informed his crew.

He was met with several sad groans.

"We shook them off, didn't we?" Zoro asked in annoyance.

More groans followed. All the Strawhats, excluding Zoro, were lying down on the railings looking extremely depressed.

"Hey now, what's with these lifeless responses?" Zoro asked.

"We miss her!" all the Strawhats answered in unison.

"Quit whining about it!" Zoro snapped. "If you didn't want to leave her behind, you should have just taken her by force!"

"You neanderthal!" Chopper in the memory screamed in horror.

"You suck!" Nami in the memory yelled.

"Moss head," Sanji in the memory muttered.

"Three swords," Luffy grumbled.

"Zoro-san, how could you be so insensitive!?" Brook yelled at the fellow swordsman.

"Kidnapping a lady, not cool, Zoro," Franky scowled as he folded his arms and side-eyed Zoro.

"It was true!" Zoro yelled, defending himself.

"Moss head has a heart as warm as a bucket of ice," Sanji said as he flicked some ashes off his cigarette.

Franky nodded, looking rather disgusted at the swordsman. "You're real pirate, Zoro."

Brook shook his head in disapproval.

Zoro gritted his teeth, knowing he was on the losing end of this.

Zoro in the memory turned around in annoyance just as the door to the galley opened.

"So, you finally got away from the island," a female voice said.

"Yeah," Zoro answered without realizing whom he was talking to.

"Well done," Robin in the memory complimented as she stepped out of the cabin.

Zoro finally realized who it was, along with the rest of the Strawhats. Predictably, chaos erupted.

"Here for revenge!?" Zoro yelled as he got his sword ready. "Bring it on!"

"Why are you here!?" Nami demanded as she took her Clima-Tact out.

"Who is she?" Chopper asked in confusion. Up until this point, he had never seen Robin before.

"It doesn't matter who she is!" Sanji exclaimed with hearts in his eyes. "She's a beautiful lady!"

Robin in the memory calmly walked past all the Strawhats and casually disarmed each of them as she passed.

"Do not point dangerous things at me," Robin reprimanded in an almost sweet voice. "I have told you this before."

"Wow, Zoro, Robin disarmed you twice," Franky laughed.

Zoro growled under his breath. Damn Robin and her broken ability.

"How long have you been on our ship!?" Nami in the memory yelled.

"The entire time," Robin answered nonchalantly as she pulled out a lawn chair. "These clothes are yours, right? I am borrowing them."

"What do you think you're doing, Baroque Works!?" Nami screamed in anger.

"Monkey D. Luffy," Robin said slowly as she took a seat and made herself comfortable. "You did not forget what you did to me, did you?"

Sanji immediate grabbed Luffy and pushed him into a wall. "Luffy, what the hell did you do to this beautiful lady!?"

"You, don't lie!" Luffy yelled as he glared at Robin. "I didn't do anything!"

"Yes you did," Robin answered casually. "You put me through some very excruciating treatment. Take responsibility."

Sanji really lost it when he heard Robin's explanation and began to shake his captain harder. "Excruciating treatment, what the hell did you do to her!?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Luffy yelled in confusion. "What do you want me to do!?"

Robin leaned forward and looked directly at Luffy. "Let me join your crew."

All the Strawhats within the memory were understandably shocked and surprised, except for Sanji was practically jumping for joy.

"Back then, you forced me to live when I wished to die. That is your crime," Robin said specially to Luffy, never taking her eyes off of him. He knew what event she was referring to. "I have no place to go or to return to. So, are you going to let me stay on your ship?"

"I get it. I guess it can't be helped," Luffy said in a completely neutral tone. "Okay."

No one, except Sanji of course, was happy by the decision and the memory ended.

"Wait, that was it!?" Franky shouted in disbelief as he turned towards Robin. "You just asked and he let you join!? You guys stole my speedos, made me run butt-naked around Water 7, and crushed my balls to get me to join!"

"That was because you were stubborn," Robin said with a note of humor.

"Don't be mad; letting Robin-chan join was one of Luffy's best decisions," Sanji said with a huge smile. It was one of the happiest days of his life.

Brook stared at Franky. "What's this about ball crushing?"

"I'm sure we'll eventually see it," Nami said before she turned towards Robin. "But Robin, what would you have done if Luffy had said no? I mean, you acted so certain that Luffy would let you join."

Robin was silent for a moment. "To be honest, I was terrified the entire time. If Luffy had said no, I would have no place else to go and I may have killed myself if left alone."

Nami gasped at the brutal honesty of Robin's words.

"I was at the end of the line and Luffy was the only salvation I saw," Robin continued softly as she remembered stumbling half dead through the desert, lost and alone.

What was ironic was that she found the Strawhats' ship by accident. It was at the very moment she mused about how she was saved twice by a man of D. She did not know why, but she felt compelled to follow this man who had exceeded all her expectations. Who would have imagined that such a spur of a moment decision would change her life forever?

"Perhaps Luffy sensed this and took pity on me, but I am forever grateful that he took me in. He saved my life twice over," Robin said barely above a whisper.

"He could have just been returning the favor," Zoro said. "You also saved his life twice."

Robin shrugged before she smiled. "Perhaps, but I owe him far more than he can ever owe me."

The next scene came and the Strawhats now found themselves in what looked like an old bar. There were more than a few shady people surrounding them and most of them were huge.

"Why is everyone so big around here?" Usopp asked as he looked around.

"This place looks familiar," Zoro said in a deadpan voice.

Nami knew where they were. She wished she could forget. "This is Mock Town."

"You mean that pirate town we visited before going to Sky Island?" Sanji asked.

Nami nodded. "Yeah, I can _never_ forget this place." She hated this town.

"Man, this town pisses me off!" Nami in the memory exclaimed as she slammed her drink down.

Zoro sat next to her, drinking his rum, while Luffy sat next to the swordsman waiting for his food.

"I'm sorry to hear that," the bartender said kindly as he took Nami's glass. "Mock Town has become a place where pirates unload their riches."

"Shabby pirates need not enter, huh?" Nami asked sarcastically.

"Looks like nothing I say will console you," the bartender said as he sat a drink down for Nami. "It's on the house."

"You're in a bad mood, sis," Franky said.

Nami sighed. "You had to be in that town. It's the most horrible place we had ever visited."

"Glad that I didn't have to go," Usopp muttered.

"Because so many rich folks gather into this town, brawls and murders become common," the bartender went on. "They usually don't kill the towns people, thought." He sat two cherry pies down on the bar, one for Luffy and another one for the man next to the rubber captain. "Here you go."

"Well, I still don't like this town," Nami continued to complain.

The bartender laughed in good nature. "I guess I understand how you feel. Sorry to tell you this, but you won't find any ordinary people here. Well, your Log Pose should set in about four days. It would be best to leave without causing any trouble."

Nami stared at her Log, which was pointing up. "Four days? Then, we can't stay any longer than two days." She turned back to the bartender. "Hey, mister..."

She didn't have time to ask the question before Luffy and the man next to him slammed their fists onto the bar.

"Hey mister!" they both yelled, getting the bartender's attention.

"Huh, what is it?" the bartender asked.

"This cherry pie is nasty!" Luffy yelled at the same time the other man said how good it was.

They both realized that they just said the opposite thing and glared at each other for a second. They both reached for their drinks and took a swig of them.

"This drink is especially delicious!" Luffy exclaimed at the same time the other man yelled how disgusting it was.

They both once again realized that they had said the opposite thing and glared at one another.

"Jerk, you got something wrong with your tongue?" the man asked viciously.

"You got something wrong with your head?" Luffy asked back snidely.

"Oh, a bar fight," Franky said eagerly.

"Don't get too excited," Zoro warned in a dry tone.

Sanji sighed. "That shitty bastard always has to cause trouble."

"Well, I'm not a cook here so I don't care what you say," the bartender said neutrally.

The two men, however, were too focused on each one another to pay attention to the bartender.

Luffy finally turned his eyes away from the man and faced the bartender. "Mister, I want fifty pieces of meat to go!"

"Old man, I want fifty-one of those cherry pies to go," the man said.

This pissed Luffy off. "Actually, I meant fifty-two."

Now the man next to Luffy was angry. "Wait, I want fifty-three pies!"

"No, fifty-four cuts of meat!" Luffy countered.

"Fifty-five pies!" the man demanded.

"Sixty cuts of meat!" Luffy yelled.

"Seventy pies!" the man yelled.

"Eighty!" Luffy quickly countered.

"One-hundred!" the man screamed.

"Feels like I'm in an auction house," Franky said as he looked between the two men.

Nami rubbed her head in frustration.

Now the two pirates were at each other's throats, ready for a brawl.

"You want to fight!?" they both yelled at each other.

"What the hell are you fighting over!?" Zoro in the memory screamed at the pair.

"What just happened?" Brook asked in bafflement.

"I still have no idea," Nami sighed as she continued to rub her head.

Robin stared at the bigger man for a moment. "Is that not Blackbeard?"

"Blackbeard?" Sanji questioned.

Robin nodded. "I am certain that is him. I remember seeing his picture in the newspapers."

"Yeah, that's him," Zoro said as he narrowed his eye.

It was hard to believe that this seemingly goofy man would be such trouble in the near future. Then again, Luffy was also not intimidating looking by first appearance. They both had unassuming auras.

"Funny, they have the exact opposite taste," Usopp mused.

"Yet, they are the same in many ways," Robin whispered as if she knew something.

"Luffy, you promised me," Nami in the memory scolded her captain. "Besides, we don't have that kind of money! We're not shopping!"

Blackbeard grinned at Luffy. "You're a pirate?"

"Yeah, that's right," Luffy said in a low voice.

"What's your bounty?" Blackbeard asked.

"Thirty-million," Luffy answered.

This got Brook's attention. "Luffy-san already had a thirty-million belli bounty?"

Sanji nodded. "Yeah, Luffy's preliminary bounty was thirty-million, the highest in East Blue's history."

"Amazing, it usually took several campaigns for a pirate to get their bounty that high back in my time," Brook said.

"It should not surprise you. Luffy got his initial bounty for defeating all the most powerful pirates in East Blue, notably Arlong since he did sail under a Warlord," Robin stated.

"How do you know that, Robin?" Nami asked in surprise.

"Unlike Crocodile, I researched Luffy using Crocodile's connections as a Warlord," Robin said. "He may have never taken Luffy seriously, but I have always been interested in Luffy since I learned his name."

Zoro side-eyed Robin in suspicion. "Why were you interested in Luffy?"

Blackbeard looked surprise when he heard the bounty. "Thirty-million? You? How the hell can that be!? Liar!" His yelling interrupted the Strawhats' current conversation.

"I'm not lying, it's the truth!" Luffy yelled angrily.

"Stop it!" Zoro in the memory yelled.

The bartender sat a package on the bar. "Come on now, I'll thank you for not fighting in this pub! Just take these and leave! Fifty cherry pies."

Blackbeard gave one last glare at Luffy before he grabbed his package and left.

Not long after he left, someone started calling for Luffy.

"Is there a pirate wearing a strawhat in here?" a man with blond hair and crazy looking eyes asked.

"Couldn't he look and tell. Isn't like strawhats are common," Usopp said.

"Oh, not this asshole," Nami mumbled. Zoro didn't look happy to see the man either.

"Who's he?" Brook asked.

"Someone not worth remembering," Zoro muttered.

"It's Bellamy!" someone in the bar yelled.

"You, the one with a thirty-million bounty, Strawhat Luffy?" Bellamy asked as he looked at Luffy. He began to approach the strawhat captain.

"What?" Luffy asked impatiently.

"Looks like he's calling you out, Luffy," Zoro said casually as he drunk his rum.

"Hey, isn't Bellamy the name of the guy who rented out that hotel?" Nami asked.

"I'm meeting a lot of big guys today," Luffy commented as Bellamy got right in his face. Bellamy was a huge man who completely dwarfed Luffy.

"I'll have the most expensive liquor you got," Bellamy ordered. He pointed at Luffy. "And give the shrimp anything he likes."

"Oh, that's nice of him," Chopper said. He thought he was a bad person.

"Keep watching," Zoro said.

"Sure," the bartender said as he went to place the order.

"Huh, looks like this place is full," Bellamy said with a grin.

"What is this place? It's filthy!" some female pirate exclaimed.

"And they're all drinking cheap rum," someone else added.

"Look, it's those guys from before," Nami in the memory whispered to Zoro.

One of the newcomers slashed one of the people out of their seat using a giant knife-like sword.

"You could have at least cleared some seats for us," a man with long blue hair and dark yellow tinted glasses said with a smirk. He held his bloody knife proudly.

This caused several people to run out of the bar.

"That's him, isn't it?" someone in the bar whispered. "Big Knife Sarquiss."

"Big Knife? What a lame pirate name," Franky scoffed.

The bartender brought out the drinks for Bellamy and Luffy and sat them down before walking away.

"Well, drink up," Bellamy said causally.

"Hey, thanks," Luffy said cheerfully. "What, you're a nice guy." He started to drink his drink.

Bellamy suddenly put his hand behind Luffy's head and slammed him into the bar so hard that he broke it in half.

Chopper gave a scream of surprise.

"What's that man doing?" Brook asked in equal shock.

Bellamy gave a wide grin when he realized that Zoro had a sword to his neck.

"And what are you doing, underling?" Bellamy asked in a hushed voice.

"That's the question you should answer," Zoro sneered.

Bellamy chuckled at him.

"Zoro, wait a minute!" Nami exclaimed in horror. "We still haven't gotten any information yet and..!"

"Shut up!" Zoro yelled harshly. "This guy asked for a fight and I'm giving it to him!"

"How dare you tell Nami-san to shut up, you barbarian!" Sanji yelled at his rival.

"That bastard slammed Luffy's head into a bar," Zoro growled at the cook. "He's lucky that I didn't cut his throat right then."

Sanji snorted. "That rubber bastard been through worse. I bet he hardly felt it."

"That wasn't the point. He attacked a member of the crew. Such actions needed to be punished," Zoro retorted.

Luffy slowly stood up and rubbed his face.

"So, you can still stand?" Bellamy mused before he laughed.

Luffy growled at the man. "Okay then. I hope you've prepared yourself."

Bellamy grinned at him.

"Finally, a bar fight!" Franky cheered.

"What's up with you and bar fights?" Nami asked as she sweat-dropped.

Everyone in the bar cheered. Like Franky, they were happy to see a good fight.

"This won't be a fight, it will be a test!" Bellamy laughed. "Come on, show me what kind of power you have!"

"Luffy, wait!" Nami yelled desperately before she turned towards the bartender. "Mister, we came seeking information on Sky Island! Do you know anything about it!?"

The bartender gave Nami a perplexed look.

Bellamy glared at Nami and the entire bar went dead silent.

"Wow, what did you say Nami?" Usopp asked as he looked around the silent bar.

"Something that got us into a bunch of trouble," Nami said as she rubbed her forehead.

"I don't like those looks," Brook said in an uneasy voice.

"What did…that woman just say?" someone muttered in disbelief.

Luffy looked around, confused by the sudden silence.

Nami in the memory was unnerved but continued her questioning. "Because if you know the way to Sky Island..."

Then, the entire bar erupted into laughter, surprising the Strawhats. The people began to mock them for searching for some fantasy island.

"What, the Log Pose is pointing directly at the sky!" Nami yelled angrily at the crowd as she held her Log Pose out.

The people in the bar stopped laughing for a moment, but started back up again and mocked Nami by parroting her words.

"Those shit heads," Sanji growled as he watched the memory. How _dare_ they laugh at a lady.

"What's so funny?" Usopp asked in confusion.

Bellamy sat back down as he attempted to control his laughter. "You guys believe that old cock and bull story about there being some island in the sky? What era do you live in? There are many unique sea currents in the Grand Line. One of them is called a Knock-Up Stream." He then stared at Nami. "I'm guessing you've never heard of it before."

The Strawhats in the memory just stared at him.

"Ships that fell victims to that current are blasted high into the sky only to fall straight back down into the sea. A bunch of ignorance sailors from long ago saw ships falling down from it and imagined an island in the sky. What a load! Even crazy stuff like that has a rational explanation!" Bellamy exclaimed. "All dreams can be explained!"

The bar was still laughing.

Luffy said nothing, but his fists were balled tightly.

Bellamy sighed. "What a shock. I was going to let you into my crew if you passed the test for the New Era, but you're a lost cause." He glared at Luffy with almost hateful eyes. "Listen up, the age where pirates dream is over! The City of Gold, The Emerald City, the greatest treasure, the One Piece, fools with their eyes on dream treasures don't notice real treasure all around them! In this era of the sea, the very men who are able to cross it all die chasing illusions like those!" His smile got bigger. "And what do we say about those men?"

Brook shook in rage at Bellamy's words. Those 'foolish' pirate dreams were what drove his crew and many others back in his time to the sea. To hear this runt talk like he knew everything disgusted him. He couldn't even begin to imagine the wonders of the sea if he only believed what his eyes could see. Even if he no longer had eyes.

"What's wrong with dreaming?" Chopper asked in confusion, not understanding why his friends were being mocked. "I mean, even if he doesn't believe in dreams, why is it bad for others to believe?"

"Bellamy is one of those individuals who believes that their view of the world is absolute and those who sees otherwise are ignorant and beneath them," Robin said.

Franky sneered, wanting badly to punch Bellamy. "If doesn't want to believe in dreams, fine. But don't go around pushing that view-point down other people's throats."

Luffy glared at Bellamy, but let him continue his rant. Soon, his fists loosened and all of his anger drained away.

"Looking at dream chasing idiots like you really makes my stomach turn!" Bellamy yelled as he punched Luffy in the face.

Luffy did nothing to stop the punch and allowed himself to be flung back.

"Luffy!" Nami in the memory exclaimed in shock

Zoro stared blankly at his captain.

"Huh, why did Luffy let that bastard hit him?" Franky asked.

"Keep watching," Zoro said firmly.

In his eye, this was one of Luffy's greatest moments as both a man and a captain. He was glad that the rest of the crew could witness this and maybe Nami could finally understand what had happened.

"It's because of weaklings like you that the rest of us pirates get a bad reputation," Bellamy continued to rant. He dropped his liquor glass near Luffy's head, who was lying flat on the floor.

Brook was furious now. "No. It's pirates like you that have turned pirates into nothing but mindless thugs."

Luffy didn't move from his place on the floor. He didn't even look angry. His face was completely void of any emotion.

The rest of the bar joined Bellamy in his teasing and dismissal of Luffy's ideals. They threw food and liquor at the memory Strawhats.

"Bellamy, looks like these folks want a show!" Sarquiss encouraged with a grin.

Bellamy grinned eagerly. "Well now, that's an easy request."

"Luffy, Zoro, forget about the promise!" Nami yelled. She was closed to panicking. "Beat the crap out of these guys already!"

Luffy slowly sat up, unmoved by the chaos around him. "Zoro, whatever happens, don't fight back."

The order stunned memory Nami, but Zoro's stony expression was all the confirmation Luffy needed.

Usopp, Chopper, and Franky were all surprised by the command.

"I see," Brook muttered in understanding as his own anger dissipated.

Several minutes went by as Zoro and Luffy got the crap beaten out of them by Bellamy's crew. They were cut, punched, kicked, food was thrown at them, and liquor was spat into their faces. Still, neither Luffy nor Zoro raised a hand to defend themselves.

"What...what's going on?" Franky asked in bafflement as he watched the brutal scene.

"Why didn't you guys fight back?" Chopper asked as he kept count of all their wounds. No wonder Zoro and Luffy came back to the Merry so beat up.

"From all you have seen in Luffy's memories, you have to ask that question?" Zoro asked neutrally as he watched the beating dispassionately.

Brook nodded. "Some fights are not worth fighting."

Sanji couldn't keep himself from smiling. "It's just like when Shanks faced those bandits. One does not have to fight stupid battles to prove that they are strong."

"You guys could at least dodge or something," Franky argued.

"Why bother? Those wusses punched like old women anyway," Zoro dismissed. "They couldn't even break skin without glass."

"I still would have liked it if you knocked that bastard out," Nami said as she watched the part where she dragged Luffy and Zoro out of the bar. She felt her rage return when Bellamy actually offered to buy her.

Robin put a comforting hand on Nami's shoulders, calming the younger woman. She knew that Bellamy had hit a sore spot.

"Sky Island does exist!" someone suddenly yelled just as Nami got Luffy and Zoro onto the open street.

Nami turned to see Blackbeard sitting on the ground eating his cherry pies. "These cherry pies really are the best!"

"You're the man from before," Nami in the memory said.

"Why the long face, miss?" Blackbeard asked cheerfully with a wide grin. "Those two won that fight."

This caught Nami off-guard.

"And the tongue lashing you gave them was pretty impressive too. You got guts, woman," Blackbeard complimented as he began to laugh.

Luffy and Zoro used this time to get up and dusted themselves.

Luffy turned to face Blackbeard. He gave the man an odd stare.

"This New Era they talk about is shit," Blackbeard said, his grin never leaving his face. "The age where pirates stop dreaming, huh?" He laughed. He slammed his liquor bottle onto the ground. "People's dreams will never end, am I right!"

Luffy looked at the man. It was like a strange connection passed between them.

Blackbeard's yelling had drawn a crowd and they began to laugh at him.

"It isn't easy to surpass a person!" Blackbeard laughed. His laughter echoed across the town. "Let them laugh. If you seek the top of the pirate world, you will find fights your fists alone could never take you to! Follow it!"

His words echoed in Luffy's head and the memory faded away.

The Strawhats stood silent for a moment.

"Huh, if I didn't know what a little weasel that Blackbeard was, I would call him a super guy just now," Franky said.

"Yeah, he acts nothing like a man who would killed and betrayed his comrades and captain," Sanji said in wonder.

"That man has many layers," Zoro said as he crossed his arms. "None of it hides the fact that he's a bastard."

Within moments, the mist took the Strawhats to next memory. They were back in Mock Town and it was night now with the moon almost full. Luffy stood on one of the roof tops, looking down at something with an intense expression. Whatever was going on, Luffy was pissed.

The Strawhats followed Luffy's line of sight and saw Bellamy smiling cockily outside the bar.

"Oh, this is when Luffy went back to Mock Town to get back old man Cricket's gold," Usopp said.

"Cricket, who's that?" Brook asked.

"He's a kindly man we met in Jaya," Nami explained. "He's the distant descendant of Montblanc Noland."

"Noland, that name sounds somewhat familiar," Brook said in thought.

"You may know Noland best from the story, King of Liars," Sanji stated.

Brook nodded. "I've heard of that story. It's a very popular children's tale from North Blue if I remember correctly."

"Yeah," Nami said. "To make a long story short, Cricket helped us to get to Skypiea by modifying the Merry so she could fly. While we were out looking for a South Bird to act as a compass, Cricket and his allies were brutally attacked by Bellamy and his crew. They stole all the gold Cricket found while searching for the City of Gold."

"Well, that's what pirate do," Franky said almost dismissively.

"It was a bit more personal than that," Sanji said. "The reason why Cricket was searching for the City of Gold was because Noland's name had all but cursed his family and haunted him since he was a child. He wanted to put to rest once and for all whether the City of Gold existed or not for his own sanity. That gold pretty much represented all his work."

"I understand," Brook said with a nod.

"More importantly, that hyena attacked a friend of Luffy's," Zoro said, remembering the shape Bellamy had left Cricket and his friends in. "The gold itself was secondary for Luffy."

"You got something you want to say to me, you little brat?" Bellamy asked arrogantly. "Well, speak up!"

"I do!" Luffy yelled. "Gives back pops' gold! Every bit of it!"

"What gold?" Bellamy asked. He then to laugh loudly in understanding. "Oh, you mean the junk we got from old man Cricket?" He snorted at Luffy before hunched over. His legs suddenly changed into springs and he jumped into the air.

"An ability!?" Nami exclaimed.

"Spring Spring Fruit," Robin stated.

Bellamy twisted in mid-air and landed gracefully on the roof where Luffy stood. "Maybe it's news to you, but that's what pirates do. Ever heard of looting?" he mocked. "But what am I saying? You're just a pathetic dreamer who can't open his eyes long enough to see the real world."

"Well, if stealing is what we pirates do, I guess I should just steal the gold back then," Luffy said.

"Now you're talking!" Franky encouraged.

Bellamy laughed at Luffy like he had told a funny joke. "That's cute, but be serious! Can you really fight? Do you even know how to throw a punch?" He laughed even louder.

"What a stupid question," Sanji said as he knocked ash off his cigarette.

"That hyena's a stupid person," Zoro said neutrally.

"Hopefully Luffy will kick this guy's ass soon so we don't have to listen to him anymore," Franky said.

"Seriously," Nami said. This was one of the few times she couldn't wait for Luffy to beat someone up.

Luffy didn't take the bait.

"I saw your fighting skills earlier," Bellamy went on. "You're very good at just standing there."

Luffy continued to stare at Bellamy blankly.

"Standing there isn't going to get the gold back. What, you're freezing up like this afternoon?" Bellamy continued to mock. "Admit it, you're too scared to fight me!"

"This afternoon was different. I'm not scared," Luffy said neutrally.

Bellamy burst into laughter again. "We'll see about that real soon, Strawhat! I'm sick of listening to you! So, I think I'll shut you up for good this time!"

"You're the one doing all the talking, idiot," Nami said in annoyance.

"This fool really is like that bandit," Sanji said as he recalled Higuma. Both of them were essentially bullies who picked on people weaker than themselves. Just like Higuma before him, Bellamy made the grave mistake of overestimating himself and buying into his own hype.

Bellamy used his ability again and his legs turned to springs. He kicked the roof as he jumped, knocking the rooftop off the building.

"He did that just by jumping!?" Brook exclaimed in surprise.

"Maybe he isn't just all talk," Franky mused as he rubbed his chin.

"The Spring Spring Fruit is a powerful ability in the hands of a good and creative user," Robin said. She had a feeling that Bellamy was neither.

"Don't worry, this won't take long!" Bellamy exclaimed as he landed on the sides' of one of the buildings. "Spring Sniper!"

He launched himself at Luffy who was standing balanced on a piece of the falling roof. Luffy didn't look even a little bit concerned as Bellamy attempted ram him like a rocket.

Luffy jumped off the debris and soared through the air much like Bellamy, impressing some of the onlookers. He landed somewhat clumsily on another roof, but was able to regain himself.

Bellamy shot himself at Luffy again. The rubber boy dodged the hyena pirate, but he lost his balance and nearly fell off the roof. Luffy kept himself from falling by grabbing the roof's edge.

"Luffy isn't looking too impressive right now," Usopp noted.

"Looks like he's sizing up Bellamy," Sanji stated neutrally. "If all Bellamy can do is bounce around like a ball, there isn't much to him."

"Come on, is that really the best you can do!?" Bellamy bragged.

Luffy easily pulled himself back to the roof and stared at Bellamy.

"You'll never get the gold back at this rate, shrimp!" Bellamy shouted as he launched himself at Luffy again, which the rubberman dodged with ease by jumping off the roof.

"Looks like this Bellamy guy really is just a one trick pony," Franky said, slightly disappointed.

"Not only that, but Luffy is able to evade Bellamy's techniques despite his speed being enhanced by his Devil Fruit," Robin observed.

"Even if that hyena did manage to hit Luffy, blunt force is useless," Zoro stated as he yawned in boredom.

"Luffy-san hasn't even used his own ability yet," Brook noted.

Bellamy landed gracefully on the ground and glared at Luffy. "You're nothing but a little boy who still believes in dreams! You disgrace the rest of us by calling yourself a pirate! It's time to stop this foolish dreaming and grow up!" He hunched over again. "Now, let's end this!"

He launched himself at Luffy and hit the boy captain while he was still falling. Luffy gave a shout of pain as he spun to the ground. He landed hard, breaking the wooden ground on impact.

Bellamy laughed in triumph as he landed on another roof. "See, there's no point in trying. I've eaten a Devil Fruit, so you don't stand a chance against me!"

Zoro rolled his eye at Bellamy. As if a Devil Fruit automatically made you invincible.

Robin also shook her head. These were the kinds of ability users that Crocodile hated. It was almost funny that his own distaste for people like Bellamy had rubbed off on her.

"Way to pound him into the ground, Bellamy!" Sarquiss yelled as he began to laugh.

"Ah, the kid's hurt. Maybe he needs his mommy," another pirate on Bellamy's crew mocked.

The whole crew laughed.

"Wow, the entire crew are jerks," Usopp said.

"And they all have irritating laughs," Sanji said as he rubbed his ears.

"They do say that a crew is a reflection of their captain," Zoro stated.

"Looks like your dreams are at an end," Bellamy said cruelly.

Luffy easily stood up and stared at Bellamy, shocking some of the onlookers.

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" Bellamy asked in mild annoyance. "Fine, have it your way! We're just getting to the good part!"

He launched himself again and began to bounce from one building to another at rapid speeds like a pinball. He was becoming fairly hard to see. Luffy wasn't at all impressed.

"So, you want the gold back, huh!?" Bellamy asked as he moved so fast that he almost disappeared for normal sight. "Because Old Man Cricket is you're friend!? Wake up! He's nothing but a decrepit fool who spends all his time chasing after a four-hundred year old lie! But that's probably what you like about him, right!? You like to call yourselves pirates, but you know nothing! There's no City of Gold! No island in the sky! Just oceans and ships and the men who sail them!"

As Bellamy spoke, Luffy eyes narrowed and darkened in anger. The Strawhats could feel their captain's rage even within the memory. That hadn't seen Luffy like this since his fight with Arlong.

Bellamy had struck a nerve. It wasn't him mocking dreams that finally pushed Luffy over the edge, but the gall he had to put down someone he called a friend. The fact that Bellamy was also an oversize bully who picked on those weaker than him also fueled Luffy's anger. They all knew that Luffy was finished playing with Bellamy.

Nami felt a small pang of sympathy for Bellamy. He was going to get it worse than most from Luffy. At the same time, she had waited a long time to see this bastard get what was coming to him.

Luffy lifted his right arm and slowly made a fist. His knuckles cracked with each finger he put down. "You asked if I know how to throw a punch," he said in a calm voice.

Bellamy finally moved in for the kill. "So long, Strawhat!"

When Bellamy got closed enough, Luffy slammed his fist into Bellamy face, leaving a giant knuckle imprint in his cheek. Bellamy coughed up a fountain of blood as he fell and his eyes rolled into his head. When he landed, he left a giant imprint into the wooden pier, making it look like he had fallen from a great distance.

Luffy's knuckles were drenched in Bellamy's blood as he stared at the unconscious pirate. His expression was blank, showing neither pleasure nor triumph over his victory. There was no sense of pride to be had over beating a fool and a weakling.

Usopp, Chopper, and Brook gasped when they heard Bellamy's skull crack as he slammed into the ground. They all wondered if Luffy had caved the pirate's head in.

Nami was taken aback by the brutality of the blow. Luffy really didn't have to hit Bellamy that hard. Yeah, the asshole deserved every bit of it, but it still came across as overkill.

At the same time, it was funny to see Bellamy go down in one hit after all his boasting. Zoro was right back then, him going with Luffy would have been unnecessary. She felt almost ashamed for thinking that Bellamy could harm Luffy at the time.

Robin, Sanji, and Zoro had blank expressions as they stared at Bellamy's still form.

"Sheesh, after all of that blabbering, Luffy didn't even have to use his ability," Sanji said as he flicked some ashes at Bellamy.

"Stupid hyena should have kept his mouth shut," Zoro said, completely unsympathetic towards the fallen pirate.

"But damn, is he still alive?" Franky asked as he looked over Bellamy's body.

"He is still breathing, so Luffy did not kill him," Robin answered nonchalantly.

"Although, it was barely from a lack of trying," Brook whispered.

"He...he's going to be hurting for awhile. But he'll heal faster thanks to being an ability user," Chopper said slowly as he did a quick once over at Bellamy.

Blood dripped from Luffy's fist as the entire town went silent.

"Hey...quit messing around, Bellamy," Sarquiss stuttered in disbelief. His smile was completely gone. "Get up, the joke's over. We know that runt couldn't beat you. Come on, get up!"

Bellamy didn't even twitch.

"This really isn't funny anymore, now snap out of it!" Sarquiss yelled fiercely at his captain. "You have to get up and show that kid who you are! You're a real pirate, not like him! You bounty is up to fifty-five million, you can't lose to some rookie!"

Zoro snorted at the man. "A loser would do good to stay quiet. Their howling only makes them even more pitiful."

Luffy turned towards Bellamy's crew and gave them a cold glare. The newer members of the crew scattered and ran like cockroaches, while the core force of the Bellamy Pirates was frozen in fear. "And now, pops' gold. Give it back!"

There, the memory concluded.

"I wonder why we were shown that particular memory?" Usopp asked as he took in everything. "It isn't like Bellamy was a threat to Luffy or us."

"Simple, it shows what happens to anyone who harms anyone Luffy calls a friend, even when he's known them for only a short time," Sanji said. "The theme these memories follow seems to be showing us is not only how Luffy bonded with us, but those around him."

"That appears to be the case," Robin said in thought. "It also seems to show growth. Luffy would not fight Bellamy when it was just about his own pride, but the moment Bellamy hurt and mocked someone close to Luffy, he showed no mercy. That is in contrast with Luffy from the start of the memory who would have fought Bellamy the moment he mocked him at the bar."

"No kidding," Nami said. Luffy's 'demon' look wasn't a sight she wanted to see often, regardless of who the poor fool was.

"But if this was to show us that Luffy only fights when needed, why was he going to get into it with Blackbeard over pie of all things?" Franky asked.

Usopp folded his arms. "Good question. I'm still not sure what all of that was about."

"That was strangely out of character for Luffy-san," Brook noted.

Robin narrowed her eyes for a moment. "Perhaps the reason Luffy wanted to fight Blackbeard was not over a minor grievance. It is possible that Luffy sensed something within Blackbeard he did not like and instinctually wanted to fight him."

"So him fighting over pie and meat was just an excuse," Sanji said, following Robin's line of thinking.

"I believe that was the case," Robin said. "Luffy acted very unlike himself when he was in Blackbeard's presence."

Zoro remained silent as he took in his crewmates' words. He knew something was off about Blackbeard the moment he laid eyes on him. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew that man was dangerous. Luffy, being more sensitive than him, would have felt this danger more acutely. Given what they knew now, Luffy's instincts proved to be right again.

"But if Luffy is such an evil detector, why didn't he sense CP9 when they were spying in Water 7?" Nami asked.

"CP9 is not evil. They are morally questionable, ruthless, and bloodthirsty, but they all believed in their own brand of justice. You have to remember that CP9 fought for what they believed was the greater good. In that sense, they are no different than Smoker," Robin said. "From what we have heard about Blackbeard, however, he only cares for himself and will murder those he calls his comrades to get ahead. In Luffy's eyes, those are acts of evil."

Nami nodded. "It does makes sense when you put it like that."

The mist engulfed the Strawhats and they were on the Going Merry. The ship was being pulled by another ship around a giant whirlpool. The oddest thing, however, was the way the Merry was decorated. The Going Merry was fitted with what could only be described as chicken gear.

"Why's the ship dressed like a chicken?" Franky asked as he took in the sight.

"Because we were going to Sky Island," Sanji said with a fond smile. "Old Man Cricket and his team redesigned the Merry to fly using the Knock-Up Stream."

"But chickens can't fly," Brook said.

"Told you it should have been a pigeon," Zoro said dryly.

"I don't want to get sucked in!" Usopp in the memory suddenly screamed in fear as the Going Merry started to be pulled into the whirlpool.

"I don't remember signing up for all of this!" Nami in the memory screamed in panic.

"Don't worry, Nami-swan! I'll make sure nothing happens to you!" Sanji in the memory yelled.

"I have never seen one quite this big before," Robin in the memory said. She sounded unusually concerned.

Chopper looked more excited than scared as stars shone in his eyes.

"This is bad, I've changed my mind!" Usopp in the memory screamed as tears ran down his cheeks

"Sorry, Usopp, too late for that," Zoro in the memory said as he looked towards his captain, who was screaming in joy. "You know who is already excited."

"Let's go to the sky!" Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs as he raised his arms.

A giant yellow snake-like sea king suddenly appeared from the whirlpool, freaking out many of the memory Strawhats.

"Never a dull moment with you guys," Franky humored.

"Pretty much," Nami sighed.

The sea king was sucked into the whirlpool, disappearing beneath the waves. This scared the memory Strawhats even more given how powerful sea kings were.

With their task complete, the ship pulling the Going Merry cut the rope, allowing the Strawhats to sail into the Knock-Up Stream. It was at this point that some of the Strawhats completely lost their nerve.

"Don't be so unreasonable, Luffy! Let's go back while we still have time!" Usopp in the memory begged. "Don't you understand that this Sky Island stuff is just a bunch of make believe? It's not worth getting us killed!"

Luffy didn't turn to address Usopp. "It's all make-believe? Is that what you think?" He sounded almost insulted.

Usopp flinched when he heard Luffy's tone. He hadn't noticed it until now.

"Usopp's right! I think this is a really bad idea!" Nami in the memory yelled at her captain, in tears.

"It may be a stupid dream, but I have to try," Luffy said with conviction in his voice as he stared at the huge whirlpool. He turned towards his crew and gave a wide grin with sparkles in his eyes. "It could be our greatest adventure."

Usopp and Nami in the memory had tears streaming down their faces. "No, it's too late."

"Man, you guys were some babies," Zoro humored.

"Leave Nami-san alone. She had every right to be scared," Sanji growled.

The Merry got closer to the center of the whirlpool and the sky grew darker with every passing second. It looked like a giant storm was coming.

"Instead of wasting your time bickering, you all may want to take a look," Zoro in the memory said. Even he looked nervous. "It's sucking us in."

The Strawhats screamed as they went head long into the whirlpool. They hovered above the hole for a moment before they began to descend. As soon as the dropped happened, the Going Merry stopped.

The waters around the Merry became calm and the whirlpool disappeared like it was never there. The sky, however, remained dark.

"What happened?" Brook asked in confusion. "Where did the whirlpool go?"

The Strawhats in the memory voiced the same question.

"Well, that was unexpected," Franky said as he looked at the now calm sea.

"I forgot that this happened," Nami mused.

A rumble began to shake the Merry.

"I feel it," Nami in the memory said with wild eyes. "It's starting."

The crew looked at Nami in confusion.

"The whirlpool sunk under the surface," Nami in the memory explained.

"Oh, you guys are going to explode into the air like a champagne cork," Brook summarized.

"More like cola that just had a bucket of mentos dumped into it," Franky mused.

"Hold it right there!" a voice suddenly yelled.

The Strawhats of both the past and present turned to see a small ship heading towards them. The ship was obviously a pirate ship given its black sails with a mark of three skulls on it. The ship looked almost makeshift and not suitable for the Grand Line.

Zoro narrowed his eye. He remembered this moment. "Blackbeard."

"Blackbeard? What's he doing here?" Brook asked.

Blackbeard laughed. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Strawhat Luffy."

"It's him!" Nami in the memory exclaimed. "It's that Mock Town guy!"

"What guy?" Sanji in the memory asked in confusion.

"I've come all this way to collect on your one-hundred million belli bounty!" Blackbeard yelled with a huge grin on his face. "So, don't be shy!"

Franky narrowed his eyes. "That guy wanted Luffy's bounty, why?"

"We never did find out," Sanji said with a shrug. "We kind of blasted off before we found out what he wanted."

"Hundred million!?" Luffy shouted back at Blackbeard. "What are you talking about!?"

"Don't play dumb with me, kid!" Blackbeard laughed.

"Playing?" Nami humored with a short laugh.

Blackbeard held out Luffy's wanted poster. It showed that it had been raised from thirty-million to one-hundred million. He also held out a wanted poster of Zoro with a bounty of sixty-million.

"Sixty-million, very impressive first bounty, Zoro-san," Brook complimented. "That's double even Luffy-san's initial bounty. You young rookies are so fast tailed."

Zoro couldn't stop himself from smiling in pride.

Sanji growled in jealousy. Why the hell didn't he get a bounty back then? He did more work than that shit head swordsman.

Luffy and Zoro in the memory were also pleasantly surprised by the new bounties.

As the crew took in the new bounties, the water beneath them started to bubble and rise. It soon looked like Merry was standing on a hill.

"Looks like that Blackbeard guy picked a lousy time to come after you," Franky humored.

The Strawhats within the memory quickly braced themselves as the water rose even higher and the rumbles became even more violent. Within a few seconds, it looked like the Merry was standing on a small mountain.

There was a moment of silence before the water exploded under the Going Merry and the ship was sent flying upwards. The Strawhats watching the memory felt their stomachs drop as they were shot like a cannonball into the air.

"Oh, I didn't miss this feeling!" Usopp yelled as he the memory shook.

"Yeah," Chopper moaned as he fought to keep his lunch.

The Merry rode the Knock-Up Stream like a pillar into the atmosphere. It was a surreal and unforgettable sight.

"You guys really are flying!" Franky exclaimed.

Usopp smiled at the shipwright. "I told you! Merry is the ship that flew in the air!"

As the Merry got higher, the hull started to pull away from the stream. At the rate they were going, the Going Merry would fall back into the sea and kill her crew. The crew were understandably panicked as falling ships and sea kings began to rain from the sky.

Nami was the first to regain her composure and ordered the sails to be opened. As she said, even if the Knock-Up Stream was a pillar of water, it was still part of the sea. With her navigational skills, they were able to pilot the Merry up the Knock-Up Stream.

"Pretty cool thinking, sis!" Franky praised.

Nami only smiled in response, looking more smug than usual.

"Nami-san is so smart and gifted!" Sanji cooed as he spun around.

When Merry completely left the pillar of water, it actually started to fly.

"It's like a kite!" Brook exclaimed in awe.

Franky laughed. "This little ship really does have some moves."

"That's our Merry!" Chopper yelled as he raised his arms.

"Hey Nami, are we almost to Skypiea!?" Luffy yelled at his navigator.

"If it exists, it's past those clouds!" Nami in the memory yelled excitedly as she pointed towards the clouds ahead of them. It was like they were going into the heavens.

Luffy looked up with stars in his eyes. "Past those clouds! I can't wait to find out what's up in the sky! Let's go and find out!" he shouted to the heavens as the memory faded.

"Wow, that was a super memory!" Franky yelled as he struck a pose.

"Lamb-chan was really amazing," Brook said.

"It's Merry!" Usopp yelled at the skeleton swordsman.

Nami frowned. "Going to the sky was one of Merry's greatest moments. Too bad it was also one of her last."

All the Strawhats, save for Brook, became somber.

"Merry..." Chopper sobbed.

The mist took the Strawhats again and they stood on what looked like clouds. What got their attention, however, was a giant black ball mass that was hovering in the air. The ball was shooting lightning everywhere and the sky was darkened by storm clouds. It looked like the world was ending.

"What the hell is that!?" Franky yelled when he saw the black mass.

Chopper's mouth also fell opened. He had never seen this before. "It's huge!"

Nami's eyes widened. "That's Eneru's Raigo. We're on Skypiea."

"So this is the Sky Island you went to," Brook said as he stared at the ball mass. "But what is a Raigo?"

"It is Eneru's ultimate attack," Nami explained. "He was going to use that thing to destroy all of Skypiea."

"Destroy Skypiea!? That guy could destroy an entire island!? Was this guy really a god or something!?" Franky yelled in disbelief and shock.

Nami shook her head. "He wasn't really a god despite all his power. Just an egoistic logia user," Nami said. "Eneru has the power to control lightning, one of the stronger Devil Fruits in existence, and was nearly unbeatable. We, and everyone on the island, would have died if Luffy wasn't immune to Eneru's ability."

Franky folded his arms. "So, you guys got lucky again, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess we did," Usopp said as he rubbed his head.

"But why would this god want to destroy his own homeland?" Brook asked. "It doesn't make any sense."

"For a lack of better words, Eneru was a nutcase," Sanji said bluntly. "He wanted to destroy everything and go to the moon, just 'cause he could. You know, being god and all."

"He wanted to go to the moon," Brook said. "He really is crazy."

"He may have been crazy, but there was no doubting his power," Robin said as she recalled being zapped by Eneru. That was one of her more painful memories.

A loud crack got the Strawhats back into the memory and they saw a giant beanstalk falling in the distance.

"That's one big beanstalk," Franky said dryly.

Zoro nodded. "Yes, it was."

A zoom sound was heard and the Strawhats saw Luffy and Nami riding a waver up the collapsing beanstalk. Nami was driving as Luffy rode shotgun. What was odd about the scene was that Luffy had a giant golden ball attached to right arm.

"Why does Luffy-san have a golden ball on his arm?" Brook asked.

"Eneru wrapped the gold around Luffy when they first fought. He did it to hinder Luffy's ability to fight," Nami explained. "At the time we couldn't get it off, so we kind of left it there."

"Here I come, Eneru!" Luffy shouted as they got closer to a ship that was flying near the ball mass.

Franky's eye widened when he saw the ship. He actually appeared to glow. "Is that...a flying ship!?"

"The Maxim, Eneru's ship," Nami said. "I don't know all the details, but Eneru was able to make that ship fly using his Devil Fruit as well as two hundred Jet Dials as a backup power supply to keep it in the air."

"That's one awesome ship!" Franky exclaimed in excitement. "Imagine what I can do if I could make the Sunny fly!"

Stars appeared in Chopper's eyes at the thought. "That would be amazing!"

"Give back the Golden Bell!" Luffy continued to yell at god.

"Bell?" Brook questioned.

"The Golden Bell of Jaya," Robin said. "Proof that the City of Gold exists."

"The City of Gold was in the sky?" Brook muttered. "Now that I think about it, I recall reading that in the log. From what Nami-san wrote, a giant Knock-Up Stream blew an entire section of Jaya into the sky. Somehow, that part of Jaya became part of Sky Island."

Nami nodded. "Yeah. Luffy wanted to ring the bell to tell Cricket that the City of Gold was in the sky, not under the sea as he theorized."

"I wonder if Cricket heard the bell?" Usopp wondered.

"Given how loud that ringing was, he had to be deaf not to hear it," Sanji said.

"This has gone on long enough, mortals!" Eneru shouted over the lightning roar. "I have lost my patience! It's already large enough." He raised his arm towards the Raigo and a bolt of lightning left his arm. "Now disappear along with this irksome land!"

Nami in the memory eyes widened when he saw Eneru prepare to throw the Raigo.

Luffy growled at the arrogant god.

Eneru gave a cocky grin. "Raigo!" The giant black ball of lightning began to descend upon the Sky Island.

Luffy prepared himself before he gave one last look at his navigator. "Nami...thanks."

"Huh?" Nami in the memory asked.

"I promise it won't be for nothing!" Luffy declared as he jumped off the waver, knocking Nami off balance and sending her falling into a nearby cloud.

"Wait, Luffy!" Nami screamed as she fell. "The ark is over there!"

"Luffy, you shit head," Sanji growled. He knew that Luffy did it to get Nami out of harm's way, but he could have done it more gently than that.

Luffy was not heading for the ark. He was going straight for the heart of the Raigo.

"Luffy, don't go in there!" Nami in the memory screamed in pure fear and panic. "The swirling air currents and lightning could kill even you!"

"What can you do before this insurmountable power, Man of Rubber!?" Eneru mocked.

Luffy said nothing as he flew right into the Raigo. Thunder raged across the memory, forcing the Strawhats to cover their ears.

"Damn, I think my ears are bleeding!" Usopp yelled over the lightning.

"My ear drums would explode, if I had any ears anyway!" Brook laughed.

"How didn't Luffy become deaf from this?" Franky asked. It felt like a bomb went off in his ears.

Robin fought through the pain in her ears and looked up to see Luffy beginning to bounce the golden ball on his arms. Lightning struck him several times, but they didn't bother Luffy.

"Gum Gum Fireworks Golden Baton!" Luffy screamed as he waved and bounced the golden ball. The ball began to glow with lightning.

"What's Luffy doing?" Chopper asked once he had regained his bearings.

"You and your thunder!" Luffy yelled through the rumble of thunder. "We made it all the way to Sky Island and you had to come and turn the weather bad, you lightning jerk!"

"That would be your main concern," Usopp said dryly.

"I see, he is using the gold on his arm to conduct the electricity and destabilize the Raigo," Robin said in awe. "Ingenious."

Nami nodded. Even now, she was impressed by Luffy's thinking.

"But how did Luffy know to do that?" Usopp asked. "He couldn't have known that gold ball would break the Raigo, could he?"

"I doubt he did know, or even understood what he was doing," Zoro said as he watched his captain work. "Most likely, he's allowing his instincts to guide him."

"That sounds like Luffy," Sanji said as the Raigo started to break apart. Cracks formed on the ball mass and the lightning became wilder.

"CLEAR THE SKY!" Luffy shouted as the Raigo shattered like glass and exploded in a brilliance ray of light.

The aftermath blinded the Strawhats, forcing them to cover their eyes. When they could see again, the sky was completely clear. There was no lightning or thunderstorm in sight.

"He broke that giant mass of lightning," Brook said in awe.

"An attack that could destroy an entire island, beating by a golden ball," Franky mused before he laughed.

Robin smiled. "I bet Eneru greatly regrets giving Luffy that gold."

Eneru was equally in a state of shock as he stared at the clearing sky.

Luffy gave a loud cry as he fell from the sky. He pulled is arm back and twisted his arm rapidly.

"You dare to destroy my Raigo! You monkey of the Blue Sea!" Eneru yelled in outrage.

Luffy glared at Eneru. "See ya later! I'm going to ring the bell with it!"

"Insolent mortal!" Eneru shouted as lightning shot out of his body.

Before Luffy's eyes, Eneru had transformed into a giant sumo wrestler-like deity made of lightning with two golden tridents in each of his hands. He really did look like a god.

"What the hell is that!?" Luffy yelled in disbelief.

"He turned into a god!" Chopper yelled in panic.

"Huh, didn't quite see that coming," Zoro said in a deadpan voice.

"Ring what!? The Golden Bell!?" Eneru dared. "When it rings again, it will signal the closing of the war! Are you trying to make that prediction come true!? I am God!"

Luffy growled as Eneru hit him with a giant wave of lightning.

The attack would have killed any other creature, stopping their heart in an instant. Luffy, however, was no ordinary creature. By the power granted to him by his Devil Fruit, the attack didn't bother him at all. In fact, Luffy looked like he was mildly enjoying his lightning bath.

"Even at your strongest, one man with a paramecia ability will never overcome my invincible logia power!" Eneru yelled as he continued to zap Luffy.

"Whether it be a logia or paramecia, no Devil Fruit makes you invincible," Robin said, annoyed by Eneru's words.

Zoro nodded in agreement. "Eneru is powerful, but there are more than a few people in the world who can kick his lightning ass. Luffy happens to be one of them."

"That won't work on me!" Luffy yelled as he took every bit of Eneru's attack. He jumped on Eneru's out stretched arm and ran on it. "And quit calling yourself god! What god would try to destroy everything!?" When he got close enough, Luffy viciously kicked Eneru in the face, causing blood to spill from his lips.

Zoro couldn't stop himself from given a satisfied smile. He had wanted to see Luffy kick god's ass for years.

With Eneru's head turned, Luffy moved to throw his attack at the golden bell, but he was caught by one of Eneru's tridents. He had to hold the burning trident to keep it from impaling him in the back. Worse, his arm that had the gold ball was stretching away from him, pulling his body back into the trident.

Luffy screamed in agony as the trident burnt his hand, causing smoke to leave the limb.

"Luffy!" Chopper screamed in horror. He could see the skin on the hand seemingly melt on the golden trident.

Eneru gave a cocky smile. "Oh, you deftly managed to avoid being impaled."

"Luffy!" Nami in the memory screamed.

Eneru laughed in triumph. "What will you do, Man of Rubber? You have nowhere to run! Your own arm is driving you farther onto my trident! But if you try to escape, you will fall!"

Luffy continued to scream and struggled to free himself, but he couldn't fight the recoil of his own ability.

"I am impressed you made it this high," Eneru said with a huge grin. "But you will go no further! Neither you nor this land! I will form another Raigo!"

Luffy glared hatefully at Eneru when he heard those words. He wasn't going to allow this false god to have his way anymore. He let go of the trident and allowed himself to fall.

"So, you chose to fall!" Eneru laughed in triumph.

"Luffy!" Nami in the memory screamed as Luffy fell past her.

Luffy was far from done and grabbed onto the cloud Nami was kneeling on. He glared defiantly at Eneru.

"Nami, get out of the way!" Luffy warned in a cold voice.

The Strawhats knew by Luffy's eyes that he was finished playing around.

"What!?" Eneru exclaimed in shock.

"Don't underestimate me, Earlobes!" Luffy yelled. The nickname caused some of the Strawhats to snicker. "Gum Gum Rocket!"

Luffy launched himself off the cloud by using the gold ball on his arm to recoil his body upwards. When he got within range he twisted his arm again.

"The same attack again?" Eneru mocked.

"Until the bell rings!" Luffy shouted as he prepared his final attack.

Eneru brought his tridents up in an X formation to block Luffy's assault. "This time I will pierce through your body!"

Luffy took Eneru's challenge. "Gum Gum Golden Rifle!" He threw the punch at Eneru so fast that it appeared to be a blur and it made the sound like a real rifle has been fired.

Eneru's eyes widened in horror as he realized that he had made a big mistake deciding to shield Luffy's attack.

The attack slammed into the false god and sent him flying back as the punch carried him away. Eneru lost his 'god' form and screamed as Luffy's Rifle shattered his defenses.

Luffy kept pushing, sending Eneru flying right into the golden bell that stood on the other side of the Maxim.

"Let them hear it!" Luffy screamed as Eneru rammed into the bell. Luffy hit the bell so hard that the gold ball on his arm shattered on impact.

A loud ring echoed across the heavens, letting its song be heard by all in both the sky and the blue sea. For the first time in nearly four-hundred years, the Golden Bell of Jaya sung again.

There, the memory ended and disappeared into the mist.

"Huh, so that is how god fell," Sanji humored.

He had to admit, of all Luffy's enemies so far, seeing Eneru get the crap beaten out of him was by far the most satisfying. That arrogant bastard needed to be taken down a peg or two.

"No wonder you refer that man as a god," Brook said. "He indeed had a fearsome Devil Fruit. Without Luffy-san's ability, I can't see how you all would have survived."

"As Franky said, we got lucky," Nami said. "By some twist of fate, Luffy was Eneru's natural enemy."

"It's still annoying that god beat all of us so effortlessly," Zoro said as he folded his arms. He despised the fact that he couldn't even touch that lightning freak and he effectively got one-shotted. "I wish we could meet him again to see how much we have grown since that time."

Usopp side-eyed Zoro. "You _would_ want to fight a god again."

The next memory appeared and the Strawhats now stood on a grassy plain. It appeared to be either a spring or summer island. The island, however, had strange feature. Namely, part of the island had ice on it and the ice stretched into the sea for what looked like miles.

"Huh, where did this ice come from?" Brook asked.

"It's like Punk Hazard again," Franky said. "Are we still on Sky Island?"

Robin's eyes widened. "This is..."

"Look, I can skate!" they heard Chopper in the memory yelled as he did some impressive skating acerbating on the ice, much to Luffy and Usopp's delight.

"That's so cool, Chopper!" Luffy yelled.

"That's what you get when you're on a Winter Island!" Usopp yelled as he cheered Chopper on.

"This is the island where we met Aokiji," Nami said.

"Aokiji, you mean that guy we met at Dock Island?" Franky asked.

Zoro nodded. "The same. He was also the one who fought and lost to Akainu."

"You met an admiral here?" Brook asked. "Didn't he try to arrest you?"

"Well, sort of. He wasn't too interested in us actually," Sanji said. "He even helped us rescue some people who were trapped on this island."

Brook nodded. "Given what I saw of him, it sounds like something he would do."

"If we're here, that means we completely skipped all the Davy Back Games," Usopp said in realization.

"Huh, you're right," Nami noted.

"I guess it wasn't that important," Sanji said with a shrug. It wasn't like he wanted to see Foxy and his terrible duo again anyway. Well, he wouldn't mind seeing Porche again.

The Strawhats in the memory had enough fun on the ice and started to walk back to warmer weather. They all stopped walking when they noticed Aokiji staring oddly at them.

"So, that's Aokiji from two years ago," Brook said as he tilted his head. "He's so different from the man I met."

Sanji lit a cigarette. "Well, being fried by a magma bastard and losing your leg would make a person look like crap. I also doubt Aokiji can afford a suit like that given his current, or should I say, _lack of_ career path."

"What is it?" Luffy finally asked after a couple seconds of silence.

"How do I put it? You're the spitting image of your grandpa, Monkey D. Luffy," Aokiji said in his usual easy manner.

All the color drained out of Luffy's face at the mention of his grandfather.

"Reckless and childish," Aokiji continued. "Yet, hard to fully understand."

"Now that we know Luffy's grandpa better, I'm inclined to agree," Sanji said.

"Grandpa?" Luffy whispered as fear overtook him. The Strawhats could see the years of abuse flashing before his eyes.

"Grandpa? Luffy's?" Usopp in the memory repeated as he took noticed of Luffy's ever whitening face. "Hey, what's wrong, Luffy?"

"Oh, it's nothing!" Luffy said all too quickly. "I mean it's..."

"Your grandpa helped me out a long time ago," Aokiji said. "I came here to see Nico Robin and you with my own eyes."

Robin looked ill, like she wanted to run away from the island. It was a look that Brook had never seen before.

"And so, are you ready to die?" Aokiji asked nonchalantly. "The government still doesn't consider you a threat, but based on your past encounters, we know you can be a formidable crew. You may be few in number, but with the number of rogues gathered here you will become trouble soon."

"Well, can't say he's wrong," Franky said with a wide grin.

"Aokiji has always been too observant," Robin whispered.

"Given the circumstances surrounding your initial bounty, your numerous daring exploits, and the speed at which you are gaining strength… I've fought pirates and outlaws for many years, but you scare the shit out of me," Aokiji said almost like he was having a dinner conversation.

"H...hey, why are you saying this!?" Usopp in the memory asked in a panic. "You said you came just to see them!"

"Among your crew, the one I regard as the most dangerous is you, Nico Robin," Aokiji said as he looked directly at her.

"Hey, you're really after Robin!" Luffy yelled. "I'll kick your ass!"

Aokiji paid no mind to Luffy's threat. "The size of her bounty doesn't simply reflect her strength. It also represents the size of the threat she poses to the World Government. That is why a seventy-nine million bounty was place on your head at the age of eight."

"What, you had a bounty since you were eight and it was that high!?" Brook exclaimed in disbelief.

Robin closed her eyes. "Yes."

"How did you live? Bounty Hunters from all over the _world_ would be after you!" Brook asked, but he stopped himself when he realized how she had survived given her dealings with an organization like Baroque Works. "I see...you must have suffered so much."

Robin said nothing and continued to watch the memory.

"Even as a child, you managed to survive," Aokiji said. "You betrayed, sidestepped, escaped, and then found yourself a new partner to make use of. Time and time again you've rebounded and now you've chosen this crew as your next haven."

Robin in the memory's eyes widened as his words stabbed her like a hot knife.

"You jerk!" Sanji yelled angrily. "Are you trying to say something!? What do you have against Robin-chan!?"

"Stop it, Sanji!" Usopp yelled as he grabbed Sanji.

"I don't have anything against her," Aokiji said casually. "The only reason I know is because she escaped from me once. That was, however, a long time ago. You'll learn soon enough that protecting that woman leads to regret and if you doubt me, know that every organization Nico Robin has joined until now has been brought to ruins." He stood up and approached Robin. "Not one member escapes, except her. Why is that, Nico Robin?"

"If those organizations were anything like Baroque Works, their destruction was no big lost to the world," Franky said.

Robin in the memory backed away from him.

"Stop it, her past has nothing to do with us!" Luffy screamed angrily.

"That's right," Usopp yelled. "If it did, we wouldn't have a former pirate hunter or this ex-thief woman on our crew!"

Nami in the memory was not amused about being named by Usopp and clocked him on the head. "Watch it!"

"Today is more important than the past," Sanji in the memory said.

"Robin is one of our friends!" Chopper in the memory yelled. "Don't talk bad about her!"

Robin looked like she was ready to cry seeing her crew stand up for her.

"I see," Aokiji said. "The poor fools don't suspect a thing."

Robin angrily crossed her arms. "What do you want!? If you want to arrest me, then why don't you just do it!?

Robin's outburst stunned Brook. He had never seen Robin lose her cool.

"Treinta Fleurs!" Robin screamed as thirty hands engulfed Aokiji's body.

"Robin, don't!" Usopp in the memory screamed in fear.

"My, my," Aokiji said nonchalantly. "Did I say too much? What a shame. I must have overestimated how reasonable a woman you were."

"Clutch!" Robin yelled.

She broke Aokiji in half, shattering him into pieces of ice.

Chopper within the memory screamed in horror. "He disintegrated and died!"

All the Strawhats within the memory were just as freaked out.

"Brutal! If he wasn't a logia, you would have killed him," Brook said.

Franky whistled. "Remind me to never to get on your bad side."

Naturally, however, Aokiji reformed himself.

"No, it didn't work!" Usopp yelled. "Run for your lives!"

Chopper also began to scream in terror.

"Well, that was a downright mean thing to do," Aokiji said.

Robin was frozen in fear. She knew she had acted rashly.

Aokiji reached to the ground and picked up several blades of grass. He threw the grass in the air and blew on them, freezing them in place. He soon had a sword made of ice.

"I wasn't planning on killing you, but..." Aokiji moved in for the kill.

Robin crossed her arms to defend herself, but found that she did not have to since Zoro had blocked the blow with his own sword. Zoro and Aokiji stared at each other for a moment.

"Slice Shoot!" Sanji yelled as he moved in for his own attack. He quickly kicked the ice saber out of Aokiji's hand.

Usopp cheered in victory.

Luffy also ran in to join the battle.

"Don't hog all the good shots, you shitty cook," Zoro in the memory said with usual shark grin.

"You're one to talk, you natural treasure," Sanji in the memory countered.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy yelled as he shot his attack.

Aokiji grabbed Sanji's leg and Zoro's arm before Luffy completed his attack. He then allowed Luffy to punch him in the stomach. This proved to be a mistake by Luffy since his arm froze the moment he touched the admiral, causing him to reel back in pain.

Aokiji also froze Zoro's arm and Sanji's leg, sending them to ground as well. In mere seconds, the three strongest Strawhats were on the ground screaming in agony as they clutched their frozen limbs.

"Ah, that bring back some painful memories," Sanji muttered as he rubbed his leg.

"This is just like Sabaody," Franky mummer, remembering how no one could even touch an admiral.

"Hn, I bet we can take him now," Zoro said confidently.

"I doubt an admiral would be easy even now," Nami whispered.

"O…oh no! I have to treat them!" Chopper in the memory yelled, going into doctor mode despite the desperate situation. "If they get frostbite, their appendages will start to rot!" He turned towards Usopp who was shaking in fear on the ground. "What are you doing, Usopp!? Go and help them!"

"I want to! They need my help!" Usopp yelled in a quivering voice. "B...but I can't move! D…did he freeze me too?"

"No, you're too scared to move!" Chopper screamed.

Usopp completely broke down. He looked closed to tears. "Luffy!"

"Sanji, Zoro!" Chopper also yelled.

"Robin, run!" Nami yelled at the older woman.

Robin herself, however, seemed frozen in place much like Usopp.

"You have some very loyal friends, but you will never change, Nico Robin," Aokiji said with a smile.

"No, I'm not..." Robin started to say.

Aokiji leaned in and grabbed her in what looked like a hug.

"Robin, watch out!" Luffy warned. "Get away from him!"

It was too late. Aokiji was already freezing Robin's entire body.

"Robin-chan!" Sanji in the memory screamed in horror, while Zoro could only watch, wide-eyed.

The other Strawhats also screamed in horror.

Within seconds, Robin was turned into an ice sculpture as Aokiji stood over her.

Robin cringed at the memory. She remembered all too well the pain of being frozen.

"What a scary ability," Brook said as he shivered. "He can just freeze people by mere touch."

Luffy quickly stood up and stared in disbelief at his now frozen crewmate. His face quickly went from stunned, to disbelief, to uttered rage.

"You!" Luffy screamed.

Aokiji stared at Luffy with bored eyes. "It's nothing to scream about. If you thaw her out, she'll still be alive. Her body, however, is extremely brittle in this state so you'll have to be careful. If any part of her breaks, she will die." He raised his fist. "For instance..."

"What!?" both Zoro and Sanji in the memory screamed.

"I could smash her like this!" Aokiji yelled as he threw his punch.

Robin, however, was saved at the last moment by Luffy. He managed to grab her and bend his body completely backwards, evading Aokiji's punch.

"That was too close!" Luffy huffed in relief.

Aokiji was unbothered by this and moved in to stomp her. Robin was saved again when Usopp suddenly ran in and took Robin out of Luffy's arms.

Usopp, Nami, and Chopper promptly began to celebrate their close call.

"What are you doing?" Aokiji asked in annoyance.

"Usopp, Chopper, run back to the ship!" Luffy ordered. "Treat Robin and thaw her out!"

"Aye captain!" they both yelled as they ran away with Robin in toll.

Aokiji walked towards them. "Don't bother. The world would be a better off if you did not save her."

Nami attempted to attack Aokiji with her Clima-Tact, but the admiral easily caught the metal staff.

"Just a thought, doesn't that go for every pirate?" Nami asked almost smugly.

"You seem to understand, miss," Aokiji said. "Now please step aside." He pulled Nami hard until she fell forward.

"Nami-san!" Sanji yelled as he ran towards the admiral. Zoro quickly did the same. "You're not..."

"Going to mess with us!" Zoro finished.

"Wait, guys!" Luffy yelled, stopping Sanji and Zoro's advance. "Don't attack him. I'll fight him one-on-one."

Aokiji turned towards the strawhat captain.

"We're going to finish this fight ourselves," Luffy said as he raised his unfrozen arm.

"I do not mind, but I do not have any ship to take you in," Aokiji stated casually. "I will have to kill you."

"He actually tried to fight an admiral by himself!?" Franky asked in disbelief.

Zoro nodded, although he was obviously upset. Luffy could have been killed. "It was his order."

Brook said nothing, but he remembered all too well how the entire crew was outmatched by that one admiral back in Sabaody. Luffy must have known he couldn't win. Was he so determined to protect his crew that he was willing to go as far as commit suicide?

None of the remaining Strawhats liked or agreed with the order, but they quickly left Luffy alone to face Aokiji.

"You are really surprising," Aokiji said once the crew was out of sight.

Luffy charged forward and Aokiji attempted to grab him. Luffy was ready for this and ducked the grab, leaving Aokiji open. Aokiji, however, was unconcerned about dropping guard as he simply stared at Luffy.

Luffy quickly kicked the admiral into the air, sending him flying.

"Hm, that the same thing he did to Crocodile," Sanji noted.

"Except simple blood won't make him hit Aokiji," Zoro said.

Just like his battle with Crocodile, Luffy blew himself into a balloon and twisted himself around. He released the air and made himself fly into the sky.

"Gum Gum Storm!" Luffy screamed as he hit Aokiji multiple times with his fists, shattering the admiral into pieces.

This effort proved to be futile as Aokiji reformed right on Luffy and grabbed him. Much like Robin, he had Luffy in what looked like a hug.

"Ice Time," Aokiji whispered.

Luffy's body stiffened as he felt his body freeze. He couldn't break Aokiji's hold; otherwise he would fall and break apart on impact. He could do nothing as he slowly froze. Soon, the memory went completely black.

Usopp gasped in horror. So, that's how the battle ended.

"Not even close," Brook said softly. "He beat Luffy-san in seconds."

Franky hissed under his breath. "He is an admiral on top of being a logia type. Unlike you can bypass his ice defense, he's pretty much invincible."

The Strawhats heard what sounded like a thud.

"It would seem the memory is still active," Robin observed.

"How!? He was just frozen!" Nami exclaimed.

Robin lowered her head. "When Aokiji froze me, my mind was still active for a few seconds. I could hear, but I could not move or communicate with anyone. I also felt my body slowly shut down when I was within the ice."

"That's horrible!" Chopper exclaimed. He had no idea that Luffy and Robin went through that.

The Strawhats started to hear a bumping noise in the distance.

"What's that?" Usopp asked as he looked around.

"That would be Luffy's heartbeat," Robin informed. "I experienced the same thing."

The beats were steadily becoming slower.

"Aw man, you tricked me," the voice of Aokiji suddenly said. "The moment I accepted to fight you one-on-one, I settled on defeating only you. Was that your plan? If I attack your crew now, I would be the bad guy. Right, captain?"

The Strawhats were shocked to hear this. Was that Luffy's plan all along? To sacrifice himself so his crew could escape unharmed? There was no way he could have known that Aokiji would spare him.

"Or, did you really think you could beat me?" Aokiji asked with a note of humor. "I'll give you a piece of advice. If you continue to be associated with Nice Robin, she will become more than you can handle."

Aokiji's voice became fainter and Luffy's heartbeat slowed even more.

"The violent nature of the star she was born under will be more of a burden than you can bear. That is what it means to allow that woman on your ship," Aokiji said.

There was a suddenly the sound of ice breaking and, for a moment, the Strawhats thought that Aokiji had shattered Luffy.

"Monkey D. Luffy! It would be simple to smash and kill you right now, but I have a debt to honor," Aokiji said. "This makes us even for you taking care of Crocodile for us. And besides...eh, never mind. Just something stupid Smoker told me. See ya!"

Aokiji's voice disappeared and all was quiet except for Luffy's growing faint heartbeat. It got so slow that it was barely noticeable anymore.

"There he is!" someone yelled.

Luffy's hearing had faded too much for any of the Strawhats to know who the speaker was.

"Luffy!" another voice called.

"He's still in one piece!" a voice yelled.

"That's good news!" the second voice exclaimed.

"I'll carry him!" the voices yelled together.

There, Luffy's heart stopped and the memory completely ended.


	20. Baron Omatsuri

Within moments of the last heartbeat, the next scene appeared before the Strawhats could fully take in Luffy's heart stopping. Strangely, the mist this time looked different as the memory formed. Instead of being a bluish tone, the mist was tinted a light red, almost like it was tainted by blood.

Before any of the Strawhats could speculate on the change they were back on the Going Merry, sailing the peaceful seas. Luffy was sitting on Merry's head, appearing to be deep in thought. Most likely, he was reflecting on his recent defeat by Aokiji.

"If you are a pirate, among pirates, among pirates, among pirates, then gather your crew of friends and set sail for our island. The name of the island is Omatsuri," Robin said. She appeared to be reading a letter that came out of an old bottle that was sitting on a nearby crate.

"Omatsuri Island?" Usopp in the memory asked as Robin finished reading.

"Yes, Omatsuri Island," Robin confirmed with a small nod. On the crate with the bottle was an Eternal Pose sitting on top of an old and worn-out map. "I have never heard of this island before."

"I don't remember any of this," Usopp said as he rubbed his head in confusion. "Not to mention, how obscure is this island if Robin has never even heard of it?"

Nami nodded her head. "I have no memory of any of this either. Not even a faint recollection. I also never heard of an island called Omatsuri. This can't be right."

"It's a trap," Usopp in the memory concluded bluntly.

"Why do they call it Omatsuri Island?" Zoro in the memory asked as he trained with his weights. "Do they hold a festival there or something?"

"I will read the rest," Robin said as she looked over the note. "Omatsuri Island is the only pleasure island resort in the Grand Line. As the name implies, every day is a festival. You will also enjoy our many spas and beauty salons."

"Spas and beauty salons!" Nami in the memory exclaimed in excitement. She practically had stars in her eyes.

"That _would_ win you over," Zoro teased.

Nami puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "Still, I don't remember any of this."

Robin put her hand on her chin. "So, this is a memory that only Luffy remembers?"

"But how's that possible?" Chopper asked. "We're all here experiencing this memory. We should remember this."

"That is the key question," Robin said more to herself.

"What is this place? It sounds fabulous!" Nami in the memory yelled as she ran to look at the note herself.

"Your night-time life will be filled with beauties from around the world and a selection of fine beverages," Usopp in the memory read.

"Beauties!" Sanji in the memory yelled with hearts in his eyes. He practically flew over to join the growing group. "That's a great island!"

Sanji blushed at his past self's behavior.

"Dinner will be a full course of exquisite cuisine," Nami in the memory read in excitement.

Surprisingly, this didn't get Luffy running over with his mouth drooling. It was Chopper who practically jumped up and down in excitement as he dropped his medical book and ran towards the group.

"Exquisite cuisines!" Chopper in the memory yelled. "What's that!? What kind of food is it!?"

"I didn't know you were that into fancy food," Sanji humored as he glanced at their Chopper, who was blushing.

"The mention of such good food makes my stomach rumble. If I had one!" Brook laughed.

"I don't remember even doing that," Chopper muttered.

"I'm telling you, it's a trap," Usopp in the memory said.

Usopp nodded his head in agreement with his past self.

"A trap, what a load," Nami said as she grabbed the note from Robin. "Omatsuri Island sounds wonderful! Everything is perfect!"

"Which is why it's a trap!" Usopp yelled at the memory.

"It does sounds too good to be true," Franky said.

"You can tell it's a good island just by its name!" Sanji in the memory exclaimed in excitement. "I guarantee it!"

Zoro snorted at his rival. "That would be your logic."

"Shut it, moss head!" Sanji yelled.

"Come on, it's a trap!" Usopp in the memory insisted.

The group began to argue back and forward while Zoro attempted to ignore them.

"Geez, what do _you_ want to do, captain?" Zoro asked nonchalantly as he continued to train.

Luffy said nothing.

"Hey, Luffy!" Zoro called in annoyance.

Luffy still didn't answer.

"Luffy!" Zoro yelled as he turned towards Luffy. "Are you listening!?"

"Nami, read that first part again," Luffy ordered, speaking for the first time.

"Huh, okay," Nami said as she looked at the note. "If you are a pirate, among pirates, among pirates, among pirates, then gather your crew of friends and set sail for our island."

Luffy slapped his knee as he came to a decision. "I've decided! We're going to Omatsuri Island!" he yelled as he stood up on Merry's head. "The reason is, of course, because we're pirates!"

The memory faded as Luffy declared his decision.

"Yeah, that sounds like Luffy," Zoro said as he closed his eye.

"Still, when the hell did all this happen?" Sanji asked in frustration. "No one remembers this!"

Robin paused in thought. "I do remember, not long after we met Aokiji, that we did all wake up on an island with no memory of anything that had happened."

"No memory?" Brook repeated.

"Yes, we all were wearing our best clothes too, but we could not recall why or even how we got there," Robin said.

Chopper's eyes widened. "I remember that! Luffy was mortally wounded when we found him. He had deep injures across his entire and was very close to death by puncture wounds in both of his lungs and blood lost. He was unconscious for several days and it took him over a week to completely recover."

Usopp's eyes also widened in remembrance. "Yeah, I remember that too. Luffy was very sick with a high fever and he kept having nightmares, even after his wounds had healed."

Usopp felt terrible for forgetting. That was honestly one of the scariest periods before the whole mess at Water 7. Seeing Luffy thrash around violently in bed, screaming his crew's name in tears was something that had scared the crap out of him. Luffy was a strong man who feared nothing. Even after nearly dying at Aokiji's hand, Luffy still kept his cheerful, bright demeanor and even joked about his near death experience.

Although Luffy had more than his fair share of nightmares in the past, they were nothing like the ones that haunted him after they had left that island. To see Luffy helpless and in pain with whatever demon tormented his dreams was another reminder to him at how dangerous the Grand Line was and how he was out of his league if a monster like Luffy could be reduced to tears.

"How could you guys just forget something like that!?" Franky exclaimed in disbelief at his crew, breaking Usopp out of his stupor.

"Well, we didn't know the cause of Luffy's wounds and we'd kind of forgotten about it after we reached Water 7. Luffy also refused to say what had happened and the people who were with him didn't really say much on the subject either," Chopper explained. "The only explanation we got from them was that Luffy fought and defeated a powerful old pirate, saving them."

"But what happened to you guys?" Brook asked.

"According to the people with Luffy, we were captured at some point during the fight," Nami said with a small shrug. "They wouldn't tell us anything else after that. They wouldn't even give us the pirate's name."

"Must have been some badass pirate if he managed to capture all of you except Luffy," Franky said before he started to rub his chin. "Although, that doesn't explain the memory lost. Maybe that pirate had an ability that effected memories."

"Yeah, we tried to get Luffy to tell us more about what happened, but the shit head wouldn't say," Sanji said. There was a hint of irritation in his voice. "We would have pressed harder, but moss head told us it was none of our business."

"And it wasn't," Zoro said firmly. "If Luffy wanted to tell us, he would do it himself, _without_ us prying."

Sanji folded his arms and grumbled. He never did like that decision. Even if Luffy was the captain, it wasn't good for him to keep an entire incident a secret, especially an incident that wiped the memory of the entire crew.

Also, something deep in his gut kept telling him that he had forgotten something very important on that island. For no real reason at all, he felt a pang of guilt whenever he looked at Luffy after they left that strange island. It only lasted for a second, but it was so overwhelming that it was almost a physical pain. He felt that way for weeks and it wasn't until Franky joined that it finally went away.

"Looks like we're going to find out regardless of his wishes," Usopp muttered with dread in his voice as the next memory appeared.

The Strawhats stood on what looked like an abandoned tropical island. Only the sounds of nature greeted them. It was nothing at all like what the note detailed.

"Yes, this was the island we woke on," Robin informed as she looked around.

"So, we'll finally find out what happened here," Nami murmured. For some reason, a sense of dread pulsed through her chest.

"I guess this would be ideal for a hermit or something," Zoro in the memory said in a bored voice.

"Jeez, you're such a loudmouth," Sanji in the memory said as he smoked his cigarette.

"Huh, you say something?" Zoro in the memory growled.

"That is odd," Robin in the memory said as she looked around the seemingly abandoned island.

"What is it?" Chopper in the memory asked.

"There were flowers drawn on the map, right?" Robin asked in confusion. "However, I do not see any flowers on the island."

"We've been duped," Zoro in the memory said nonchalantly. "Okay, let's get going."

They started to move back to the Going Merry, when Chopper paused.

"Huh?" Chopper questioned as his ears perked up. "Do you hear something?"

Luffy ran forward and listened around for any noise. There was a faint sound in the distance. It sounded like drums.

"This way!" Luffy yelled as he pointed into the jungle.

Luffy took off running with his crew following shortly behind him. The jungle was dense and some of the Strawhats could barely keep up with each other.

After passing several rivers and thick bushes, the Strawhats stopped and gasped in shock. Before them stood what looked like an amusement park in the middle of the jungle. It was colorful, bright, and indeed looked like a high-end resort.

"Huh, looks like there was a resort out here, after all," Franky said as he allowed his eyes to wonder.

"I wonder, who built it?" Brook asked.

"Spas and beauty salons," Nami in the memory whispered as she looked at a group of buildings.

Sanji looked like he was going to fall to his knees in prayer when he saw the nightclubs. "Beauties from around the world!"

Chopper began to drool when he saw the restaurants. "Exquisite cuisines!"

"T...this is..." Sanji in the memory stuttered with tears in his eyes.

"Everything we've hoped for!" Nami in the memory finished for him.

Sanji in the memory turned his head when he saw what looked like a row of ladies with giant feather fans lined up on the sides of them.

Sanji was more than happy to see them. "Come into my arms, my finely selected beauties..." He got a nasty surprise when he saw that the 'ladies' were all men dressed in ballerina outfits.

"Hey, what gives!?" Sanji from both the memory and present screamed in shock.

"That's disappointing," Brook said as his shoulders slumped.

"Look, they have leaves growing out of their heads!" Luffy yelled as he pointed at the cross-dressers.

Indeed, all the cross-dressers had what appeared to be sprouts coming out of the top of their heads. Robin quickly took note of this odd quirk. Something told her that this was important information.

"Yeah, them too!" Usopp in the memory yelled as he pointed to more people who had appeared. They all had sprouts in their heads. "What are these guys!?"

"Well, this island just became weird," Zoro muttered as he continued to watch the memory.

"Isn't that par the course with us?" Nami asked dryly.

A row of elephants began to approach the small pirate crew from the entrance of the amusement park. On top of the middle elephant stood a tall man who was dressed in a black, flowery outfit with red pants. He had a long stream of braids coming down his face like a waterfall and a thin mustache that pointed upwards. He generally had a mean looking demeanor, but it was kind of offset by the strange toy looking flower he had on his clothes. The flower even had face, which was constantly smiling.

"Looks like the boss of this island," Sanji said. He appeared familiar, but he just couldn't recall.

"Is that the pirate Luffy defeated?" Chopper asked.

Nami shook her head. "No clue, but he doesn't appear dangerous." She would dare say he looks goofy looking.

"That flower..." Robin whispered to herself. Why did she get an uneasy feeling about it? Like it wanted to consume her?

"Look, first leaves now flowers!" Luffy yelled as he pointed to the strange daisy-like flower on the man's shoulder.

"A flower..." the Robin in the memory observed with interest.

The elephants stopped and the man looked over all the Strawhats. "Pirates!" the man yelled, stopping all the drums. "Brave pirates who traverse the Grand Line!"

"Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" Luffy shouted excitedly as he raised his arm.

"Luffy!" Usopp in the memory yelled, not liking any of this.

"I congratulate you for reaching Omatsuri Island," the man said with a smile. "My name is Baron Omatsuri."

"Baron Omatsuri?" all the Strawhats repeated. They obviously didn't believe that was his real name.

"Wait, so his name is Baron Festive?" Franky asked with a slight snicker.

"Seems so," Zoro answered neutrally.

"He seems to take his job seriously," Brook noted.

"Yes!" the Baron exclaimed with a nod. "I am your host, the master of this island! It's coming, it's coming!"

Sanji, Nami, and Chopper got excited as they turned their heads.

"You have all faced a long and perilous journey. Please enjoy your well-deserved rest," the Baron said in a loud, cheerful voice.

Zoro snorted at the memory. "There has to be a catch."

"Something doesn't seem right about him," Brook said as he tilted his head. "His eyes seem to have a great sadness in them."

The Strawhats in the memory took no notice as they got excited at the thought of staying at the resort.

"You may enjoy yourselves to your heart's content!" the Baron said before his smile got wider as he crossed his arms. "But before you do, you must undertake the Ordeal of Hell!"

This stopped all celebration among the Strawhats.

"Knew it," Zoro said as he watched the scene.

Usopp sighed. "I knew this place was too good to be true."

"Ordeal..." Robin in the memory muttered.

"….of Hell?" Zoro in the memory said, now interested in the island.

Nami sighed. "Figures that Zoro would get excited about an Ordeal of Hell."

Usopp nodded. "Zoro's ideal vacation would be a death arena."

"Ordeal..." Nami in the memory stuttered, losing all her previous excitement.

"...of..." Chopper in the memory stammered in fear.

"…Hell?" Sanji in the memory finished in shock.

"I knew it!" Usopp in the memory yelled as he backed away

"Um...I...I have a question!" Nami in the memory yelled as she raised her hand.

"What is it?" the Baron asked almost impatiently.

"The note said something about spas and salons!" Nami yelled.

"Spas?" the Baron asked.

"Beauties from all over the world and a selection of beverages!" Sanji added.

"Beverages?" the Baron questioned like he had never heard these things before.

"What about exquisite cuisines?" Chopper asked.

"Exquisite cuisines...cuisines..." the Baron mused.

"We're leaving," Nami, Sanji and Chopper in the memory said at the same time as they turned to leave.

Luffy immediately grabbed his crewmates, stopping them in their tracks. "Hold on, hold on, hold on! Pops, what's the Ordeal of Hell!?"

"He would be interested in that," Nami muttered. "Zoro and Luffy really do have the same wave link."

"The Ordeal of Hell is a test of strength! Countless many have failed to endure the task and fled barefoot from the island," the Baron explained.

Luffy laughed excitedly. "That sounds great!"

"Only to you, Luffy," Sanji grumbled.

"If you do not absolutely trust in your friends, you would be well advised to leave the island!" the Baron declared.

All of the Strawhats knew at that moment that Luffy would take the ordeal no matter what now.

"Don't be stupid!" Luffy yelled. "We'll accept your challenge!"

"Luffy!" Nami in the memory yelled in horror. She grabbed Luffy by his cheeks and began to stretch them as she pulled Luffy to the ground. "Luffy, what are you saying!? What would you gain from accepting this!?"

"Even if there was something, we don't have any obligation to participate," Sanji in the memory said in a calm voice as he knelt by his captain's side.

"That's right, Luffy!" Chopper yelled. "It's dangerous!"

"I know that we don't have to, but I want to try it," Luffy said with a wide grin.

"Hey!" Usopp in the memory yelled as he ran to talk sense into his captain. "See, I told you so! I told you this was trap!"

"It is?" Luffy asked.

"It's the Ordeal of Hell!" Chopper yelled.

"That's right," Luffy said brightly.

"We don't know what will happen!" Usopp screamed.

"Yeah," Luffy said with a nod.

"Luffy!" Chopper screamed in panic.

"What?" Luffy asked as he turned towards Chopper.

Usopp finally sighed in defeat. There was no changing Luffy's mind. "Why are you always so carefree?"

"It doesn't matter if it's a trap or not, you guys can handle it," Luffy said without a single shred of doubt.

The crew looked at Luffy with wide eyes.

"Besides, I trust all of you," Luffy said.

They all blushed at the compliment.

"You're such a sweet talker, captain," Sanji in the memory sighed.

All the Strawhats watching the memory nodded in agreement.

"I swear, Luffy can talk us into doing the dumbest things," Usopp muttered, although he was smiling as he was saying that.

"Worse yet, he doesn't even try," Sanji sighed as he rubbed his forehead. "That rubber bastard is very charismatic."

"Luffy and charismatic, sounds almost like an oxymoron," Nami murmured.

Brook began to laugh. "That's the mark of a good captain."

"Hell...hell, huh?" Zoro in the memory mused with his signature shark grin. "I would like to see what this is all about."

"Zoro!" Usopp in the memory exclaimed at the swordsman.

"Count me in too," Robin said as she approached the group. "I am a bit interested in the Baron."

"Robin!" Chopper in the memory shouted.

"Oh well, I'm up to it," Sanji said as she stood up.

Nami sighed. "That leaves me no choice. Let's just get this over with."

"Luffy, if you're going to do this, then I'm with you!" Chopper cheered.

Usopp looked like he was going to object before he sighed in defeat. "Fine, then, I'll do it too!"

The Baron laughed almost evilly. "So, all of you are participating? Very well, prepare for the Ordeal of Hell!"

The resort and the trees around the Strawhats shifted and reveal that they were standing on a circular platform surrounded by water.

"I will now reveal the Ordeal of Hell that you will undertake!" the Baron yelled. "It is," He paused for effect, "Goldfish Catching!"

"Huh?" Franky muttered in disbelief. "That's his Ordeal of Hell? Why not ring tossing?"

"What does ring tossing have to do with hell?" Usopp asked.

"Have to admit, catching a goldfish was the last thing I was expecting," Nami said as she sweat-dropped. This guy really was a fruitcake.

The audience, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, cheered when they heard the ordeal was about to begin.

"Why does this remind me of the Davy Back Fight?" Sanji asked as he looked at the audience. "And why do they all have sprouts in their heads?"

"Maybe it's the gimmick of this crew," Franky suggested with a shrug.

"Maybe they're the Sprout Head Pirates or something," Zoro offered.

The name made several of the Strawhats chuckle.

Robin glanced over the crowd. "Yet the Baron does not have a spout himself."

"Goldfish catching?" Usopp in the memory repeated in disbelief as a circular fish tank appeared in the middle of the arena.

"The rules of Goldfish Catching are simple! The team that captures the largest goldfish in three minutes wins!" the Baron proclaimed. He held up a paper fishnet. "By the way, this paper dissolves easily in water!" He laughed for a moment. "And now, allow me to introduce my valued confidant who shall be your opponent! Go forth, Muchigoro!"

"Aye!" Muchigoro exclaimed as he jumped down from the Baron's side and ran into the arena. The crowd went wild cheering his name. When he reached the arena, he held out a paper net in a dramatic fashion. "Yo, I'm Muchigoro!"

Muchigoro was an average sized man with large bug-eyes and a long face. Despite trying to look fierce, he had a friendly aura around him. Like everyone else on the island, he had a sprout coming out of his head. None of the Strawhats, past or present, were impressed by him.

"What did he say?" Zoro in the memory asked.

"Muchigoro," Usopp in the memory answered.

"He looks like an eel," Nami in the memory said.

"Maybe he's a loach," Chopper in the memory suggested.

"He's just an idiot," Sanji in the memory concluded.

"No, my name is Muchigoro!" he yelled in annoyance. "Baron Omatsuri's first mate!" He jumped back and forward rapidly.

"Yep, an idiot," Sanji in the memory muttered.

"Now, which one of you will compete?" the Baron asked.

"Here, here, here, here!" Luffy yelled excitedly as he raised his hand.

"Hold on," Usopp said as he cockily pushed his sunglasses up and grin cockily. "Let me handle that Muchigoro or Sushigoro or whatever his name is!"

"Oh, weren't you shaking in your boots about the Ordeal of Hell just a second ago?" Nami in the memory humored.

"He got a burst of confidence after hearing Goldfish Catch," Sanji in the memory stated dryly.

Usopp in the memory said nothing to counter this. "Hey, Tamegoro!"

"It's Muchigoro!" he yelled in anger.

"You'll regret being my opponent!" Usopp declared. "You will be facing the man known as the master of Goldfish Catching!"

"Master!" Chopper in the memory yelled in awe.

"Master!" Muchigoro yelled in surprise.

"Master!" Usopp in the memory confirmed.

"What an idiot," Sanji said as he watched the scene.

"Awesome!" Chopper in the memory screamed.

"You're awesome!" Muchigoro also yelled.

"Yeah, awesome!" Usopp in the memory declared proudly as he began to laugh.

"They're all idiots," Zoro muttered.

"Hey!" Chopper and Usopp yelled.

"It's not a lie, right?" Chopper in the memory asked.

"Please say you're lying!" Muchigoro pleaded in fear.

Usopp stopped laughing as he stared at Muchigoro. "I'm lying."

The Strawhats from both the memory and present sighed.

"It was a lie!?" Muchigoro yelled in anger.

"Yeah, a lie!" Usopp in the memory laughed.

"You lied again!" Chopper in the memory yelled in disappointment.

"Shit, he tricked me!" Muchigoro screamed.

Zoro shook his head. This was someone's first mate?

"Muchigoro, don't let them build up momentum!" the Baron yelled.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Baron!" Muchigoro yelled at his captain.

"We shall now begin!" the Baron yelled. "Ready..."

"Go!" the flower on the Baron's chest yelled.

"Did that flower just _talk?_ " Brook asked in surprise.

Robin nodded. "It certainly did." This place kept getting more mysterious.

Usopp in the memory struck a dramatic pose and aimed the paper net for the fish tank.

Muchigoro grinned evilly as the Strawhats began to look around in confusion.

"What's that?" Sanji in the memory asked as a strange noise reached his ears.

From out of the water came the biggest goldfish that any of them had ever seen. Even the goldfish from Little Garden wasn't this huge. It could rival the size of some sea kings.

"That's a big fish," Zoro mumbled as he watched the goldfish fly over his past counterpart's head.

"I bet his poop could make an island!" Usopp yelled in fear.

"It has been known to happen," Robin said knowingly.

"What's that!?" Luffy screamed as the fish jumped over them.

"That's my pet goldfish, Rosario," Muchigoro said cockily.

The goldfish landed back into the water and created a giant wave that drenched the pirate crew.

The Baron laughed in delight as one of his crewmates covered his head with an umbrella. "Look at that! Laugh at them, Muchigoro! They're nothing but feeble cowards!"

Muchigoro laughed along with his captain. "Rosario is a good kid who would never do that!"

Luffy also laughed as the water hit him. He was having the time of his life.

"Hold on, what's the big idea!?" Nami in the memory demanded.

"Oh, I told you it was Goldfish Catching," the Baron said with a smirk.

"How are we supposed to catch that!?" Nami in the memory yelled.

"Just put the goldfish in the bucket," the Baron said casually as a giant yellow bucket floated by the Strawhats.

"He certainly did not mention this," Robin in the memory said in a calm voice.

"He duped us!" Zoro in the memory yelled.

Luffy was having too much fun to care. "This is getting interesting!"

"No it's not!" Nami in the memory yelled at him.

Usopp handed Nami the paper net. "Pass." He started to run for it. "The rest is up to you, Nami!"

"Hey, wait!" Nami in the memory screamed.

Usopp sighed and shook his head at his past self.

"Oh, fine. I'll do it!" Nami in the memory yelled as the giant goldfish started heading towards her. She finally realized what mess she was about to get into as the goldfish grew closer. "Forget it!"

Zoro began to laugh loudly.

"That's not funny, Zoro!" Nami yelled as she smacked the swordsman.

"Nami-san, look out!" Sanji in the memory yelled as he kicked the goldfish away from Nami. Once he hit the ground, he jumped and kicked the fish again, knocking it further into the air.

"Looks like I win the day," Sanji smiled at his counterpart. His smile faded, however, when he saw his past self begin to fall into the sea.

"Zoro, pass," Nami in the memory said as she handed the paper net to the swordsman.

"Me?" Zoro in the memory asked in shock.

In the background, Sanji could be seen falling into the water. This earned several chuckles from the current Strawhats.

Sanji blushed in embarrassment for his younger self.

"Nice showing, love cook," Zoro teased.

"Shut up," Sanji grumbled under his breath.

"Jeez, I guess it's up to me," Zoro in the memory grumbled as he took the paper fishnet. He stuck the net in his mouth and jumped into the air. He began to remove his sword, ready to slice the goldfish into sushi.

"Swords are not allowed in Goldfish Catching!" the Baron yelled, enraged.

"Hey, he should have said that from the start," Franky pointed out.

Zoro snorted. "I bet he just made that rule up."

"Then again, it would be hard to put pieces of a fish into a bucket," Robin said.

Zoro was forced to re-sheath his sword and used the sword's sheath to hit the goldfish. "You damn fish!"

"Hey, you tried to cut my Rosario into pieces!" Muchigoro yelled accusingly.

"What did you expect me to do!?" Zoro yelled in annoyance.

"I'm going to try! Pass me the net!" Luffy yelled as he ran passed Zoro. The swordsman handed Luffy the net and the rubberman started to stretch his arm. "Gum Gum Pistol!" He punched the fish, knocking it back and destroyed the paper on the net. "It tore!"

"There's no way you could catch that huge goldfish with that tiny net!" Nami in the memory yelled.

"You are absolutely correct," the Baron said smugly. "Muchigoro, show them!"

Muchigoro casually tossed his paper net. "You have to catch Rosario with this!" From out of nowhere he pulled a giant paper net.

"No fair!" Nami, Usopp, and Zoro in the memory shouted.

"Why he's using that!?" Nami in the memory yelled.

The Baron smiled as he twirled his paper net. "Who said you had to use this net? I only said that the paper dissolves easily in water."

"He duped us again!" Nami in the memory yelled in disbelief.

"Yep, this is exactly like the Davy Back Fight," Nami muttered as the memory went on. Both the Baron and Foxy were a bunch of cheaters who could be lawyers.

"Maybe we should sign contracts the next time we do stuff like this," Sanji muttered.

Chopper nodded his head in agreement.

"One minute left!" the flower squealed.

"You have one minute left!" the Baron repeated the flower.

"Rosario, be a good girl and come here!" Muchigoro yelled to his pet as he put the net by his bucket.

The fish followed her master's order and landed in the paper net. Muchigoro quickly threw her into the air and she started to fall into his bucket. The crowd cheered as Muchigoro came within inches of victory.

"Well done, Muchigoro!" the Baron praised.

"Thank you, Baron!" Muchigoro yelled proudly.

"Oh, so there was never any rules to begin with," Robin in the memory said as she crossed her arms. She used her ability to create a net within Muchigoro's bucket, making the goldfish fly right back out.

"Clever," Franky said.

Brook laughed. "That's our Robin. Always thinking ahead."

The fish didn't make it to the Strawhats' bucket. Instead, it began to fall on top of them.

"Crap, it's going to fall on us!" Zoro in the memory yelled.

Everyone, except Chopper, ran for cover.

"Chopper!" Luffy yelled.

"I can handle this!" Chopper in the memory shouted as he ate a Rumble Ball. He went into his Guard Point and the goldfish landed on him.

The flower started to count down as Chopper used his Guard Point to bounce the goldfish into their bucket, winning the rigged game.

"Wow, you were amazing, Chopper!" Usopp yelled at the doctor.

Chopper blushed and had to fight not to do his happy dance.

The crowd was silent as the Strawhats were declared the winners by the flower.

Chopper was left completely dazed from having the giant goldfish crush his head and fell into the water.

Luffy saw this happen and without thinking, he dived after the reindeer.

"You idiot!" all the Strawhats, save for Robin and Brook, shouted.

"That moron never could swim, so why the hell does he keep jumping into the water to save people?" Zoro asked in frustration.

Robin just chuckled. Luffy's protective instinct always overwhelmed his need for self-preservation.

Sanji, who has been in the water since near the beginning of the game, rescued the two Devil Fruit users.

From Luffy's fading vision, the Strawhats saw what appeared to be ruins of sunken ships at the bottom of the sea. There were dozens of them.

"How did all those ships get there?" Brook asked as the memory blackened.

Robin's eyes narrowed. "Those ships have been in ruin for many years."

The memory went back to normal as Luffy was brought onto dry land and scolded by his crew for being dumb enough to dive into the water.

Muchigoro was on the ground, crying about his loss and the Baron looked less than pleased as he stood next to his first mate.

"Anyway, guys, we won!" Luffy yelled to his crew as he pumped his fists.

"We won!" all the Strawhats yelled in triumph.

"I'm sorry, Baron!" Muchigoro yelled as he continued to cry. "I'm so useless! I've brought disgrace to your name!"

"Congratulations!" the flower cheered the Strawhats as they celebrated their victory.

"Wait, the contest is not yet finished!" the Baron suddenly yelled, silencing the Strawhats.

"We just finished it," Zoro in the memory said after a moment.

"You must undertake the next ordeal!" the Baron proclaimed. "I will not let this travesty go unpunished!"

"Sore loser," Sanji muttered at the memory.

"How dare you make my Muchigoro cry!" the Baron yelled, truly enraged.

"Hold on, you never said anything about this!" Nami in the memory yelled.

"He lost. Just accept it," Zoro in the memory said.

"Silence!" the Baron shouted. "The matter is not settled! You will do as I order you to do!"

"What are you talking about?" Sanji in the memory asked in a bored tone.

"You're taking this sore loser thing a bit far," Usopp in the memory said.

"Another ordeal?" Luffy questioned. "Sounds like fun! Let's try the next one too!"

The crew didn't like that decision and that was where the memory ended.

"Well, that was a little strange, although that gold fish catch looked fun as anything," Franky said.

Usopp side-eyed the cyborg. "You would find something like that fun."

"Although, I can't see what caused all of us to forget this," Nami said as she rubbed her chin. "This looks no more dangerous than our other adventures. Really, it just looks like another Davy Back Fight."

Chopper nodded. "Yeah, and I don't see how Luffy could get so injured."

Sanji folded his arms. "That Baron is obviously behind everything, but how?"

The next memory appeared and the Strawhats were back in the jungle. They heard their counterparts arguing about a way to get off the island and get to shore where the Going Merry was anchored. Despite Nami having a map and leading the party, they became hopelessly lost.

Luffy kept insisting on doing the next ordeal, but no one listened to him.

"Kind of odd seeing Nami-san lost," Brook mused as their counterparts went in circles.

Nami frowned as she looked at the map. "I shouldn't be having that much of a problem. I mean, the map is a little confusing, but I still should be able to find the shore."

"Maybe there is something on this island that is keeping our past selves from leaving," Robin suggested.

After wondering around for several more minutes, the crew somehow found their way to a giant stage in the middle of the jungle. In the center of the stage was the Baron himself.

The Baron laugh at them. "I've been expecting you, courageous pirates!"

"Oh, flower guy!" Luffy yelled cheerfully.

None of the other Strawhats were happy to see him.

"Where did he come from?" Franky asked. "And who puts a stage in the middle of the jungle?"

"This entire island is loony," Sanji said as he smoked his cigarette.

"Wh...what?" Nami in the memory stuttered in disbelief.

"We can't enjoy our vacation," Sanji in the memory sighed.

"We can't get off this island," Zoro in the memory growled in annoyance.

"The only thing we can do is..." Robin in the memory started to say.

"The Ordeal of Hell!" Luffy yelled in excitement.

"Part two!" the Baron yelled as lights appeared on the stage along with people with their feather fans. "Ladies and gentlemen, I shall announce the next ordeal! It will be...Ring Toss!"

"Looks like he stole your ring toss idea, Franky," Usopp joked.

"I bet the next ordeal will be a shooting game," Franky said after some thought.

Zoro snorted. "Is this supposed to be Hell or a carnival game?"

The Strawhats in the memory were completely baffled by the game of choice.

"Each team has two boats with two people on-board," the Baron explained as the stage showed a depiction of the game. "The first team to ensure all their opponents in rings wins! Let me now introduce my confidants, the Four Wise Men!"

From the stage, four pillars rose from the floor and each of the Wise Men were given a spotlight.

"The leader, Keroji!" the Baron yelled, causing the crowd to cheer. "The man striker, Keroshot! The repair extraordinaire, Kerodeek! And the youngest, and only female, Keroko!"

"Can you really be considered Wise Men if you have a female?" Brook asked mostly to himself.

"What, are they seriously calling this a competition?" Nami in the memory asked in disbelief. "They're a bunch of old geezers!"

"From my point of view, you're a bunch of snotty kids," Keroji said casually.

"Snotty!" Nami in the memory yelled angrily. "You've got some nerve! You may be right, but what's with that attitude!?"

"She's angry," Keroshot observed. "The girl had a short temper and lack of maturity."

Zoro had to bite his lip to hold back his laughter.

"He's kind of right," Brook muttered, earning a death glare from Nami.

The Nami from the memory also didn't take the comment too well. "Well, excuse me for having a temper! That's my personality! And what's _with_ that attitude!?"

"My, my, I'm quite tired. Can I go to sleep?" Kerodeek asked with a yawn.

"Don't sleep!" Nami in the memory yelled. "Are you serious about this!?"

"You're pretty arrogant for just being a little younger than us," Keroko mused.

This made most of the current Strawhats chuckle. Nami was not amused and neither was her younger self.

"I'm not a little younger!" Nami in memory screamed. By this time, all the Strawhats in the memory had moved away from her. "I'm way, _way_ younger!"

"Now then, who among you will enter?" the Baron asked, ignoring the argument.

Luffy, of course, immediate volunteered, but Nami backhanded him.

"Me!" Nami yelled angrily. "Let me handle it!"

"Nami can be so scary," Chopper whispered as he looked at the scene.

Usopp nodded in agreement.

"Nami got fired up all of a sudden," Usopp in the memory muttered.

"If Nami-san is entering, maybe I should too," Sanji in the memory muttered. He started to smile. "Robin-chan, will you enter too?"

"Give it a rest, will you?" Zoro in the memory said in annoyance.

"I didn't invite you," Sanji in the memory growled.

"Who would accept an invitation from you?" Zoro asked as he walked away.

"Half-wits are better off on the sidelines," Sanji in the memory said.

"Who do you think you're talking to!?" Zoro in the memory yelled as he ran back and grabbed Sanji by his collar, starting their usual argument.

Between that and then, it was decided that Usopp would be Nami's partner and Sanji was paired with Zoro. Once the teams were formed, they were taken to start the ordeal. The remaining Strawhats were allowed to rest in the resort until the ordeal was over.

"How the hell was I paired with you?" Zoro growled as he stared at his rival.

"No clue, actually," Sanji said. "That shit head captain blurred the event."

"I guess he did not find it that important since he was not chosen to take part in the game," Robin surmised with a note of humor.

Franky shook his head. "Putting those two on a team is asking for trouble."

"Well, when they actually do work together, they're nearly unstoppable," Nami said as she remembered the Groggy Ring from the Davy Back Fight.

"If they can get to that point without killing each other," Usopp mumbled, causing Chopper to nod in agreement.

Quite frankly, being around Zoro and Sanji was a pain without having a middleman that could control them like Nami, Luffy, or even Chopper.

Luffy groaned as he looked around the spacious resort lobby. "I wanted to play ring toss too."

Chopper's eyes were wide as he took in the amazing sight. The resort was high quality with chandeliers, tall ceilings, grand staircases, and golden arches.

"Let them handle it," Robin assured her captain. "We can rest in the meantime."

Luffy was too busy groaning as Chopper and Robin went in their separate directions. While Luffy was looking up, something hit him on the head.

"Was that a rock?" Chopper asked.

"More like a pebble," Zoro said as he looked for the thrower.

Luffy didn't really notice the rock, given that his rubber skin easily deflected it. A bigger rock hit him, getting his attention. He looked around in confusion.

"What hit me?" Luffy asked, not seeing any of his crewmates around. As he turned his head, an even bigger rock cracked his skull making a dull thug sound.

"Who the heck is doing that?" Franky asked as he also started to search around hotel lounge.

"His skull would have caved in if he was not made of rubber," Robin observed off-handedly.

Luffy searched more frantically for his attacker, but found no one. "What, what?"

This time, a rock the size of a basketball smacked him in the head, nearly knocking him to the floor.

This made all the Strawhats snicker.

"Who's there!?" Luffy demanded as he searched the area. "Who are you!? Stop hiding and come out!" Out of the corner of his eye, Luffy finally found his attacker, who was lifting a boulder size rock over his head. Luffy side-eyed the man before he turned to face him. "There you are!"

The man became startled when Luffy saw him.

"Hold it!" Luffy yelled as he ran up the stairs to catch the rock thrower.

The man ran, still holding the giant rock over his head.

"What is that moron doing?" Sanji asked.

The man eventually dropped the rock and ran through the resort. The man ran through a maze of hallways, room, and passages as Luffy chased him everywhere. Luffy finally cornered the man in a large circular room with a pool in the middle.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Luffy yelled.

"I'm happy that you could join me," the man said with a cocky smile.

The Strawhats could see that the man was short, had a funny mustache, and wore what could be described as an archaeologist outfit with a matching hat.

"Oh, it's that guy," Sanji said in recognition.

"You know him?" Brook asked.

"He was one of the people who were on the island," Zoro said, remembering the strange little man. "He helped us treat Luffy's wounds when we found him."

"Huh?" Luffy questioned.

"I braved many dangers to reach this mansion and make you a wonderful proposal," the man said.

"Many dangers?" Luffy asked.

"Allow me to introduce myself, I am the captain of the Toothbrush Mustache Pirates, Brief!" the man said.

"Toothbrush Mustache Pirates?" Brook repeated. "Is he serious?"

"Well, that has to be ranked as one of the dumbest pirates' name ever," Franky muttered.

"No kidding," Usopp said as he sweat-dropped.

"It's a mouthful. Couldn't it just be Mustache Pirates or something?" Sanji asked.

"I'm a brave man who has organized a resistance movement against Baron Omatsuri's tyranny!" Brief declared.

"What tyranny? Everyone looked perfectly to me," Brook said, now really confused.

"Yeah, the Baron seemed really nice to his crew. Although his public relation skills sucks," Nami said.

"Huh?" Luffy asked, not getting it at all. "You got snot hanging from your nose."

"This is my toothbrush mustache!" Brief yelled as he pointed towards his mustache.

"Kind of does looks like snot," Usopp said.

"I would say dirt personally," Zoro said dryly.

"It's proof that I'm part of the Toothbrush Mustache Pirates!" Brief shouted proudly. "By the way, we have a special greeting among our crew. Watch this. Mustache!" he yelled as he put his figure to his nose like it was a mustache.

There was a slight paused among the Strawhats

"That's kind of lame," Chopper whispered.

"This is the geek group of the pirate world, isn't it?" Franky asked.

Sanji nodded. "Seems so."

"I don't remember Brief being so strange," Nami mumbled.

"Well, cool, huh?" Brief said proudly. "Try it."

Luffy wasn't convinced to do that.

"What's wrong?" Brief asked, disheartened. "You do it like this!"

"What's your proposal?" Luffy asked, getting back on subject.

"Oh, that's right," Brief said, remembering why he had come. For some reason he began to look at Luffy through his binoculars. "You have six crewmates with you, right?"

"Yeah," Luffy confirmed.

"I saw them. They're really a superb team," Brief said.

"Yeah, that's right," Luffy said proudly.

"They are wonderful friends," Brief went on.

"Naturally!" Luffy answered.

"Their teamwork is perfect," Brief continued to compliment.

"That's nothing!" Luffy proclaimed.

Brief put his binoculars down. "That's the thing. Listen to me. Will you be my crewmate?"

Luffy wasn't expecting that.

"Will you join Toothbrush Mustache Pirates?" Brief asked.

Luffy gave him a blank stare.

"Hey, did you hear me!?" Brief yelled after Luffy didn't answer. "I'll say it again! Will you join the Toothbrush Mustache..."

Without warning, Luffy stretched his arm and grabbed Brief by his collar. He pulled the small man to his side of the room.

"Please, no violence!" Brief pleaded.

"No," Luffy said to his face. "Why would I want to be your crewmate?"

Brief chuckled. "Everyone has that attitude at first. But if you stay on this island, you'll change your mind before long. Let me give you a piece of advice. Beware of Baron Omatsuri. He destroys crews."

There the memory stopped.

"Huh, looks like things are becoming interesting," Zoro said, barely hiding his excitement. This memory has been boring so far.

"I still don't see what's so dangerous about that Baron. He seems too much of a fruit loop to be dangerous," Franky said.

"Those are the type of people you have to be the most careful of," Robin said in a knowing voice.

"I wonder what Brief meant when he said the Baron destroys crews," Nami muttered in worry.

The memory started and all the Strawhats were reunited at the resort, except for Chopper. It was evening and the sun was slowly beginning to set, giving the jungle an almost surreal look.

Robin was asking Usopp something about flowers, but that wasn't the current Strawhats' concern. Something was wrong. There was a tense air among the crew that they had never seen. At least, not seen until Usopp left the crew.

There was a hard edge around Zoro and Sanji that neither of them felt before. The two always fought, but it was always been in a sibling or rivalry manner. This time, however, the aura around them spoke of real hostility, if not downright hatred.

Usopp and Nami also didn't seem to like each other at the moment. The death glares that Nami was shooting at the sniper were unnerving. None of the Strawhats had ever seen Nami look so mad, at least not at her friends. The feeling appeared to be mutual with Usopp as he attempted to ignore Nami.

Zoro became unnerved at these events, losing his pervious excitement. What had happened to the crew?

"Come to think of it, where'd Chopper go?" Zoro in the memory asked as he looked for the reindeer.

"Oh, he told Robin that he would be back soon, so he should be back soon," Usopp answered.

"Hey, does anyone know where Chopper is?" Sanji asked, obviously not hearing Usopp.

"I just said he would be back soon!" Usopp yelled in annoyance.

"Ah, where's Chopper?" Nami asked.

This really got Usopp angry. "I said..."

"Nobody asked you!" Nami snapped, startling the Strawhats watching the memory.

"What's going on?" Chopper asked as he looked between Nami and Usopp. "Why's everyone so angry?"

"It appears something happen during that game," Robin said in a troubled voice. She wished she could remember what was happening and why that flower was so important.

"Hey, Nami!" Usopp in the memory exclaimed, hurt by her words. "How long are you going to stay mad?"

"Please do something, Captain-san," Robin said kindly to Luffy. Although, even she sounded annoyed. "They have been like this for hours."

Drums began to be bang, getting the Strawhats' attention.

"Why are you arguing? I thought pirate crews got along well," the Baron said, although anyone could tell he was making fun of them.

"Eh, spare us the wisecracks," Sanji in the memory growled.

The Baron laughed. "As you wish. I will now entertain you with a private dinner."

"Well, at least he's nice enough to feed you all," Franky said.

"Knowing what we do now, he probably poisoned the food," Sanji muttered.

"A dinner party?" Nami in the memory asked.

The water in front of the crew parted and a platform rose. A person, who had to be the Baron's chef, came emerging out of the water and he was standing on what looked to be a giant grill.

"I present to you the outdoor iron-griddle restaurant!" the Baron yelled.

The grill was set on fire, while the cook remained standing on the grill.

"A performance, eh?" Sanji in the memory said, not impress at all.

The chef was able to stand on the burning grill thanks to his iron skates. He started to skate across the grill while spreading cooking oil.

All the Strawhats were impressed, except for Sanji who looked insulted.

"Why are you angry _here_ , Sanji?" Brook asked.

Sanji stared at the scene. "I...I have no idea. I don't care for showy cooks, but I shouldn't be that irritated."

The seafood was thrown into the air and the chef used his large cooking knives to cut them up and cook them as he skated across the grill.

"This is kind of making me hungry," Usopp said as he rubbed his stomach.

"He's fast!" the Usopp in the memory exclaimed in awe.

"Nothing special there either," Sanji in the memory said as he attempted to hide his irritation.

The chef did several tricks as he cooked the food.

"Looks yummy!" Luffy yelled as drool poured out of his mouth.

For Sanji in the memory, this was the final straw. He took off his jacket, grabbed a pair of skates from somewhere, and was on the grill within seconds.

"What?" Sanji muttered as he looked at his past counterpart.

The chef was not pleased to have someone else on his grill. "Kid, you're in the way. Get lost!"

Sanji completely ignored him as he rolled up his sleeves. "Luffy, I'm about to make you a shitty meal one-hundred times better that what this fat ass is making."

"The hell!?" Sanji shouted at the memory. "Wh...why the hell am I acting like that!?"

"I've never seen you insult a fellow cook like that," Chopper said, unnerved by how much of a jerk Sanji was being.

"Damn, now I really wish we saw that ring toss game! What's wrong with everyone!?" Franky exclaimed.

The cooking performance was quickly reduced to a hocking match between Sanji and the other chef. Sanji could only watched in horror as his past counterpart made a jackass out of himself.

Zoro was also unnerved by what he was seeing. He had never seen the love cook behave like this. He was beginning to wonder if the Sanji in the memory was an impostor.

Luffy enjoyed the match, while Zoro in the memory simply relaxed in a lounge chair and eventually fell asleep.

Robin left at some point, but no one really noticed.

Nami and Usopp were still fighting and it quickly reduced to grade school levels of maturity. At some point, the bickering got so bad that Usopp eventually left in disgust.

After about twenty minutes of the battle of the cooks, the meal was done with Sanji as the 'winner'.

"Robin-chan, did you see me?" Sanji asked proudly. "I have proven my mastery..." He stopped and growled in anger when he realized that Robin had left. "She's gone!"

Luffy cheered happily at Sanji, but he didn't really care.

Sanji attempted to show off to Nami, but became even angrier when he saw that she had stopped watching and was sitting with Muchigoro having a drink. He left the grill, completely frustrated, while Luffy dived happily into the food.

After a few bits, Luffy turned towards Zoro, who was knocked out on the lounge chair. "Hey, Zoro, wake up! This is great!"

Zoro quickly woke up. "What, dinner? Yeah, let's eat."

"You were asleep, so you can go hungry," Sanji in the memory said bitterly.

"Huh?" Zoro in the memory asked dully.

"Anyone who doesn't cheer me on doesn't have the right to eat," Sanji said coldly.

"The hell!?" Sanji and Zoro exclaimed together.

The rest of the Strawhats' mouths dropped in disbelief. Even Robin was left shaking. Sanji refusing a person food? That was completely against his nature, especially over something so petty.

Zoro in the memory was left equally stunned.

"Robin-chan, where are you!?" Sanji suddenly called, somewhat lightening the mood. He ran off again. "Dinner is served!"

Zoro looked pissed as he watched Sanji leave. "What a jerk."

"Dammit, for once I agree," Sanji said. What the hell was wrong with his past counterpart?

Luffy ate happily for several more minutes before Sanji came running back.

"Captain, quit stuffing your face!" Sanji yelled. "Robin-chan is gone!"

"Robin!?" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.

"She said she was going to look for a flower," Zoro said as he walked towards his crewmates.

"A flower?" Nami asked as she joined the group. She looked shaken for some reason.

"When was that?" Luffy asked.

"Would it take this long!?" Sanji in the memory yelled in worry.

Luffy looked among the group, noticing that someone else was missing. "Where's Usopp?"

"I don't know. He should be around here," Nami in the memory said in concern.

"Usopp is gone too!?" Sanji in the memory yelled at Nami, startling her.

"Dammit, what the hell is going on?" Sanji asked as he watched the memory. Did this really happen?

"Chopper isn't back yet either," Zoro in the memory noticed.

"Shit!" Sanji in the memory exclaimed.

"This is bad," Nami muttered.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Zoro in the memory muttered, showing real concern on his face.

"Don't give us that half-assed shit!" Sanji in the memory yelled at Zoro. "What the hell were you doing?"

"What?" Zoro in the memory asked.

"I told you to keep an eye on them!" Sanji snapped.

"They aren't kids! I can't keep tabs on them all day!" Zoro yelled.

"Three of our crew disappear and no one noticed!?" Sanji screamed in anger. It looked like he wanted to punch Zoro.

"But..." Nami started to say, but the words died on her lips.

Sanji turned towards Luffy and gave him a hard glare. "Luffy, what are you going to do?"

Luffy looked at Sanji, not sure what to say.

"You're the one who got us into this," Sanji said coldly.

"Sanji..." Nami said, but she couldn't stop him.

"You're the one who decided to come to this island!" Sanji screamed accusingly.

"Stop it, this isn't the time!" Nami yelled.

"That's what caused all of this!" Sanji growled, his glare never wavering off his captain. He looked directly into Luffy's eyes with purpose and spoke his next words slowly. "Luffy...this is all your fault."

Luffy looked like Sanji had just kicked him in the face. "Me?"

The Strawhats could only watch the memory in horror.

"Did you...just put everything on Luffy?" Brook asked in disbelief.

"That...that was cold," Usopp whispered.

He wasn't angry with Sanji, just really surprised. Sanji could be a jackass when it came to the safety of the ladies on the crew, but not like this. Not to the point where he would purposely and viciously rip his own crewmate's heart out.

Sanji paled as he listened to his younger self. Did he really say that to Luffy's face? Did he really hurt his captain in such a deep and personal way? Was this the reason why he felt those pangs of guilt for those weeks?

Why...why did he say those cruel things? He could have hit Luffy in the face with a Diable Jambe and it would have been far less painful than the words he had spoken. What made the whole thing even more painful was how deliberately he had spoken those words. He knew what he said would cause Luffy the most amount anguish and he purposely spoke them. He wanted Luffy to suffer.

Zoro became completely enraged, but it wasn't at Sanji. He was angry with his past self.

His younger self was standing right next to Luffy when Sanji spoke those words and said nothing. If it were him, he would have never allowed the love cook to get away with speaking to their captain in that manner. His counterpart, however, stood silent. In fact, by the way his past self stood there with an aura of disappointment and even _anger_ , this meant only one thing. His past counterpart agreed with the love cook. He simply didn't vocalize it.

The mere thought that he would blame the situation all on Luffy made him sick. Even if Luffy was the captain, the crew as a whole still had a responsibility to themselves and their fellow crewmate. It was unfair to put it all on Luffy's shoulders. How did he become reduced to this? What the hell happened on that island?

Nami in the memory looked like she wanted to say something to comfort Luffy, but nothing came to mind. The Strawhats could tell by her demeanor that she did somewhat agree with Sanji's statement, but instead of being angry at Luffy, she simply pitied him, which probably hurt him more.

Nami became upset that her past self did nothing to comfort Luffy, undoubtedly making his feelings of guilt even worse. Luffy wasn't to blame for any of this. Yes, Luffy wanted to come to this island, but they all did. Yes, Luffy wanted to stay and play games, but they couldn't leave even when they tried. Luffy shouldn't be the one shouldering the blame. If anything, all their anger should be directed at the Baron who has been manipulating them the entire time.

Luffy's head lowered and his shoulders were slumped as he took in Sanji's words and the silence of his remaining crewmates.

"The dinner party is over!" the Baron suddenly yelled. He sounded very angry and upset. "The Ordeal of Hell will now resume!"

The Strawhats were shocked to hear this.

"Everyone, take your positions!" the Baron ordered. "DJ, come forward!"

"Good evening, pu!" a green-haired boy with a somewhat strange face greeted kindly. He was wearing a strangely familiar hat "I'm DJ Gappa. Please to meet you, pu."

"Hey, isn't that the hat you were wearing on this island, Usopp?" Chopper asked as he pointed at DJ.

Usopp nodded after some thought. "You're right. How did he get it?"

"Hold on, where are Usopp and Robin-chan?" Sanji in the memory asked the Baron coldly. He approached the old pirate with a look that could kill.

"And Chopper?" Zoro in the memory questioned in equal coldness as he passed right by DJ like he wasn't even there. "We want to see them now."

"Did you just ignore me?" DJ asked in surprise.

"Shut up!" both Zoro and Sanji yelled at the boy, causing him to tremble in fear.

Sanji glared at the boy. "That hat belongs to Usopp!" He snatched the hat off DJ's head.

"Give it back, pu!" DJ yelled as he attempted to grab the hat.

"You bastard. What did you do to Usopp?" Zoro demanded as he approached DJ, ready to slice the boy up.

DJ ran and took shelter behind the Baron. "Don't worry. Your friends are still on the island, pu. If you want to see them, try and find them, pu."

"So, you're the one behind this!" Zoro yelled as DJ ran off.

"Calm yourselves. You will learn of their fate after the next ordeal," the Baron informed coldly. He completely lost all of his previous cheerful manner. He truly looked dangerous now.

"Don't give us that shit!" Sanji yelled. "Give them back now!"

"The ordeal comes first," the Baron said in absolution.

"Don't screw with us! Those three come first!" Zoro yelled.

"The ordeal will come first!" the Baron screamed.

"This is getting us nowhere," Sanji scoffed. "I'll go and find them myself!" he yelled as he ran off in a random direction.

"Sanji, wait!" Nami yelled, too late.

"I'm not going to bother with your Ordeal of Hell now!" Zoro exclaimed as he took off in the opposite direction from Sanji.

"Zoro!" Nami yelled in dismay.

"Why the hell did we separate?" Zoro asked in confusion, frustrated with his past counterpart.

"It's like none of us are thinking straight," Nami said.

Sanji sneered in anger. "We should have focus our energy taking down that shitty Baron. He's behind everything on this forsaken island."

"The fools have gone off without knowing what this ordeal entails," the Baron said. A neon sign appeared behind him with the words 'shoot' highlighted in light.

"Looks like you were right again, Franky," Usopp said, although no one had their previous humor.

"There are no rules in this ordeal," the Baron said as hundreds of men with rifles appeared behind him. "My one-hundred sharpshooters will hunt you down. If you believe you can escape them, you are free to search for your friends or do whatever you wish."

"So, this isn't so much of a game as much as it's us being hunted like rabid dogs," Sanji said.

"Looks like the Baron has stopped screwing around," Zoro growled.

Nami in the memory turned towards her captain. "Luffy, what do we do?"

Luffy said nothing. His head was still down and his eyes were shadowed.

"Luffy?" Nami asked as her panic build. "Luffy!"

"You may begin!" the Baron ordered his men.

"I'm going by myself!" Nami yelled as she ran. The snipers followed her on roller skates, completely ignoring Luffy who refused to run.

The Baron was baffled by Luffy's lack of movement. "Aren't you going? Is the pirate captain abandoning his crew? Is that all your friends mean to you?"

Luffy said nothing as he slowly put his strawhat back on. He began to shake in rage before he shot his head up. "Give me back my friends!" he screamed as he charged the Baron.

The Baron backed away and laugh. "How admirable of you." He held out his bow and an arrow appeared out of nowhere, surprising Luffy. The Baron shot at him, but Luffy easily evaded the arrow.

Against all laws of physics, however, the arrow stopped in mid-air. Luffy watched in amazement as the arrow turned and pointed right at him again.

"How is that possible!?" Usopp exclaimed.

"It must be an ability!" Nami yelled.

The arrow shot at Luffy again and he dodged it. No matter where he went, however, the arrow relentlessly followed him. It broke through chairs, tables, and even stone statues like they made out of paper. Luffy was eventually forced to run; even then, the arrow kept following him.

"You have nowhere to run!" the Baron mocked as his arrow chased Luffy.

Luffy soon found himself on a wooden patio and the arrow blew the wood right from under him, sending Luffy plummeting to the ground. He landed head first into the dirt, which caused the memory to go dark.

The Strawhats remained in darkness for a few minutes as Luffy slowly regained his senses.

"W...where is everyone?" Luffy's voice asked. "I can't see anything. It's pitch black."

"Did he go blind or something?" Usopp asked.

"You're awake," a familiar voice said.

Luffy sat up with a jolt and knocked a wet towel off of his face. He was now in what looked like an underground hideout, although it was quite cozy looking.

"You!" Luffy exclaimed as he pointed at Brief.

"We meet again," Brief said kindly.

"You're the guy with the snot!" Luffy yelled.

"It's a toothbrush mustache!" Brief snapped.

"What am I doing in a hole?" Luffy suddenly asked, changing the subject.

"Excuse me for living in a hole," Brief said in slight annoyance. "I've dug trap doors and tunnels all over the island so that I can escape the Baron's vile clutches whenever I need to. You fell into one of them."

"Luffy's lucky streak strikes again," Sanji muttered.

Brief started to peel an orange. "You're lucky to be alive after facing the Baron."

Luffy gasped as he remembered what had happened. "I don't have time to sit around here! I have to go!"

"Wait!" Brief exclaimed.

"My crew is waiting for me," Luffy said as he started to take one of the many doors in the room to leave.

"I told you to wait!" Brief yelled impatiently.

"Bye!" Luffy yelled as he walked through the door.

To his surprise, every door he took led right back to the room Brief was in. Luffy did this several times, much to his confusion.

"Looks like Brief's tunnels are like a funhouse maze," Brook said.

"You won't be able to get out of here so easily," Brief informed nonchalantly as he continued to peel his orange. "The tunnels are connected to each other in a complex network." As he talked Luffy kept leaving and re-entering the room from a different door. "I'm the only one who knows the way out."

"Then tell me!" Luffy demanded after going in circles for several minutes.

"Oh, welcome to my secret base!" Brief exclaimed happily. "It's been so long since I had a guest. Do you like goat's milk?" He walked over to his pet goat.

"I don't want any!" Luffy yelled in frustration.

Brief ignored the outburst as he walked over to a burning stove. Luffy, completely irritated, took a seat back at the table.

"Well, will you reconsider that proposition to become my crewmate?" Brief asked in good nature.

"No!" Luffy yelled bluntly.

"Don't be so stubborn," Brief scowled. "The Toothbrush Mustached Pirates are currently recruiting new members."

Luffy looked even more annoyed until he saw a picture of Brief standing happily with his pirate flag. Behind him were at least a dozen other men, all wearing the same funny mustaches and outfits. "Are they your crewmates?"

"Mm, that's right," Brief answered as he poured some tea.

"These guys all look alike," Luffy said.

"Yeah, because we're friends," Brief said in fondness.

"Friends aren't supposed to look that much alike," Zoro said as he looked at the picture.

"Come to think of it, you're the only one I've met," Luffy said in thought. "Where are the others? Are they in another base?"

"I'm alone right now," Brief walked towards Luffy with a tray of tea. "I am the only member of the Toothbrush Mustached Pirates."

All the Strawhats stared sadly at Brief. It was like someone had sucked the life out of the room. In that one moment, Brief went from a goofball pirate to a man that the Strawhats almost wanted to cry for.

"So, his entire crew was killed," Brook whispered, knowing that pain all too well.

Luffy was taken aback by the news as Brief gave him a cup of tea.

"I can still see it in my mind. The day my precious crew were attacked by the Baron," Brief said as he sipped his tea. His eyes had a faraway look in them. "The day they were swallowed by that gigantic monster..." He paused as he attempted to swallow his tears. "The Baron told me something. He said, when I see a crew of friends like yours, anger fills my chest. I want to separate you. I want them to experience the same pain I have."

"The same pain?" Luffy asked as he drank his tea.

"I don't know what his true intentions are, but the Baron indeed loathes the sight of pirates with strong bonds," Brief said. "You cannot fight him alone. This is what he wants you to do."

"Then, what should I do?" Luffy asked.

"That's..." Brief started to say.

Luffy suddenly jolted as if he had been struck.

The Strawhats looked around the house, searching for the thing that made Luffy jump. They found nothing, however.

"What happened?" Usopp asked in bafflement.

"What's wrong, Strawhat?" Brief asked in concern.

"This is wrong," Luffy said as he stood up. "I shouldn't be sitting here." He began to look for the right door to leave the underground tunnel. Somehow, he managed to figure out that a nearby bookcase hid the escape route.

"Huh, how he find that exit?" Franky asked.

Robin rubbed her chin. "I wonder..."

"Wait, Strawhat!" Brief yelled.

"Thanks for your help," Luffy said as he ran down the tunnel.

"Strawhat, don't go alone!" Brief screamed desperately, but Luffy was already gone.

The memory shifted and Luffy was now approaching the Baron. It was completely dark and everything had a feeling of foreboding.

"When did this island become so creepy?" Franky asked. It was like they were in a different world.

Chopper started to shiver. There was a powerful evil in the air. Strangely, the dark aura felt familiar to him.

"Better question, where the hell are the rest of us?" Sanji asked as he looked around for their past counterparts.

"Well, Brief did tell us that we were all captured at some point," Nami said.

Zoro chose not to speak. He had a terrible feeling.

"So, you've come, Strawhat," the Baron said in a soft voice. "How foolish of you to face me alone."

There were other people in the area. One of them was an older man surrounding by three girls. Two of them were still children while the oldest one was a teenager. They all appeared to be crying like someone had died.

"Hey, they were there too when we found Luffy," Chopper said as he pointed towards the small family. "Their names were Daisy, Rose and Rick if I remember correctly."

"Yeah, I think they called themselves the Teacup Pirates or something," Nami said after a moment of thought.

Chopper nodded. "I remembered since Daisy particularly seemed to have known me before I lost my memory."

Usopp suddenly screamed, getting the rest of the crew's attention. He pointed frantically at something behind the Baron. "Wha...what is that!?"

In the background was giant flower-like stem. It was white, ugly looking thing that didn't look like it should exist in the real world.

Robin's eyes widened when she saw it. "Is...is that a flower?" A strong sense of déjà vu hit her.

"How's that a flower!?" Franky exclaimed in disbelief.

"Don't flowers usually have petals?" Brook asked as he stared at the 'flower'.

"Where's Chopper?" Luffy asked bluntly, getting the Strawhats' attention.

"Are you referring to that horned river otter?" the Baron asked.

"Horned river otter, that's a new one," Sanji said with some humor.

"I'm a reindeer!" Chopper snapped.

"Mister, I've got two things to tell you," Luffy said in a calm voice, but all the Strawhats knew that Luffy was only moments away from knocking the Baron across the island. "First, Chopper isn't a river otter, he's reindeer."

"Damn straight!" Chopper yelled.

"Second, I'll never let you hurt my friends," Luffy finished with a slight hiss in his voice.

"Never let me hurt them?" the Baron mused with a chuckle. "You had six friends in your crew, right?"

Luffy stared at the Baron as he gasped.

The Baron looked towards the giant flower. "Just before you arrived, that number went down to five."

Luffy's eyes widened in horror.

The Strawhats also stared in disbelief at the Baron.

"What did you say?" Luffy asked as the Baron laughed at him.

"Before long, the others will all disappear into Lily as well," the Baron said with sadistic satisfaction.

"What did you say!?" Luffy screamed in rage.

"Yet, you say you won't let me harm them," the Baron mocked. "You'll never let me hurt them." He began to laugh as if Luffy had told a joke. It was a cruel, merciless laugh that echoed across the night's sky.

"Bastard," Sanji growled as he bit on his cigarette.

"He has to be lying. One of us couldn't have died," Nami whispered.

Robin observed the flower on the Baron's shoulder. It appeared to be chewing something.

"Unforgivable..." Luffy whispered as his anger built. "I won't forgive you!" He pulled his arm back. "Gum Gum..."

Before he could completely his attack, an arrow hit Luffy's right hand and embedded it into a nearby rock.

"One arrow," the Baron said. "What happened to that determined spirit?"

Luffy attempted to pull his hand free, but his efforts failed. He also had to fight his body to keep it from snapping towards his arm.

"Dammit!" Luffy cussed as he attempted vainly to free himself.

"While you were struggling, another one of your friends is disappearing," the Baron informed.

Luffy looked towards the Lily and saw Robin being absorbed into the flower.

"You're really disappearing!" Brook shouted in shock.

The Strawhats who were there at this event could only stare in wide-eyed disbelief.

"Stop it!" Luffy screamed as he watched Robin disappear. He couldn't do a thing to stop it with his body being pinned in place. "Robin!"

"Who will be next?" the Baron teased. "I see, the cook."

Sanji felt himself pale as he watched himself beginning to disappear into the Lily.

"You bastard!" Luffy screamed as he pulled his free hand back. "Gum Gum..."

The Baron shot Luffy with another arrow, pinning that hand to the same rock.

"Two arrows," the Baron said cruelly.

"Sanji!" Luffy screamed as he completely disappeared.

"Only three left," the Baron informed sadistically. "If you don't hurry, there won't be anyone left."

"Stop it!" Luffy screamed desperately as he lifted up his right foot. "Gum Gum..."

The Baron shot him again and his right foot was now pinned with his arms.

Unable to keep his balance, Luffy fell to the rocky ground.

Zoro growled as he watched this mental torture. Luffy was being forced to watch each of them die as that Baron slowly disabled him.

"Since you can't see it, I'll tell you," the Baron said with a wide grin. "The man with the long nose has just died."

Usopp felt sick. How could this happen?

"Usopp!" Luffy screamed his friend's name in tears as he squirmed on the ground.

"What will you do?" the Baron mocked. "Will you fight me with just your left leg?"

Luffy had every intention of doing just that and he raised his foot. The Baron was too quick and shot the leg with his arrows, completely pinning all of Luffy's limbs.

"The other woman has just disappeared," the Baron said, just above a whisper.

Luffy crawled on the ground, attempting to keep his body from snapping back. "Na...Nami..."

"You can no longer move in that state," the Baron said as he looked at the Lily. "The very last of your friends is starting to fade away."

Luffy's head shot up and his eyes took on a wild look. "Zoro!"

Zoro was slowly being absorbed into the flower.

Completely throwing caution to the wind, Luffy threw his back so hard that it ripped his shirt. He then snapped his neck forward with all of his might.

The Strawhats gasped when they saw this. Luffy's neck was a major weak spot when he stretched it. If an arrow hit him there, it would kill him.

The Baron was not expecting Luffy to do such a desperate move, but he quickly took his bow and shot Luffy with several arrows. Two of them grazed his neck and Luffy caught one of the arrows in his teeth. He broke the arrow in half and kept going to save his crewmate. It was, however, already too late. By the time Luffy reached the Lily, he could see the last of Zoro fade away.

"Zoro!" Luffy screamed in despair.

Zoro's mouth was opened in a silent scream as the Lily took him.

Tears flew out of Luffy's eyes as he watched his final crewmate, his friend, die.

With his body stretched to its limits, Luffy didn't fight the snap action and allowed his neck to return to his body. His entire body recoiled into the rock where his limbs were pinned. There, he laid limp in defeat.

The Strawhats were left completely speechless by the events they had just witness. They had died. They had _actually died_ before Luffy's eyes.

"Strawhat, your swordsman is dead," the Baron said as he slowly walked towards Luffy.

Luffy glared hatefully at the man.

"You have no friends left," the Baron continued. "You are utterly alone on the vast Grand Line."

Zoro gritted his teeth so hard that his jaw started to hurt. He unconsciously began to reach for his swords, ready to cut the Baron into pieces for doing this to Luffy.

Brook also appeared ready to kill the Baron where he stood if he could do such a thing. This was every captain's worse nightmare. To watch their crew be killed and left helpless to stop it. As a captain himself, how could the Baron subject Luffy to such pain?

Luffy's eyes widened as he took in the cold and hateful words. "Alone...?"

The Baron stared silently at Luffy for a few seconds.

In the background, the island seemed to come alive again as the Strawhats heard the Baron's crew cheering and laughing. It was almost like they were all mocking Luffy over his loss.

"My...my friends...give them..." Luffy stuttered brokenly.

The Baron put his foot on Luffy's head and pushed him down. "Does it hurt to be without your friends? You have lost all your friends. That reality will never change. What are you going to do now?"

Luffy struggled against the Baron stepping on him for a moment before he began to go limp.

"If you decide to go on, a life of suffering, despair, and loneliness is all that awaits you," the Baron said bitterly. "Or, will you decide to follow your friends?"

He finally got off of Luffy's head and allowed the rubber boy to fall onto the dirt. Luffy didn't move. He no longer bothered to struggle.

The Baron, not yet satisfied with his torture, grabbed Luffy by his hair and forced the boy to look at him. "Let me paint you a picture. Almost every captain has chosen death over living a life in solitude. That is a wise decision. One man cannot be a pirate alone and a captain who can't protect even one of his friends is worthless. Now, I'll ask you again. What will you choose? Life or death?"

Brook shook in rage. What pirate could do that to a man? Not only did he kill his captain's crew, but he also mocked Luffy's loss.

Zoro wanted to act, but knew there was nothing that could be done. This was all a memory, a shadow of things that had already long passed.

Nami felt physically sick as she watched the Baron torture Luffy. How could they forget this? How could they even have allowed this to happen?

The same feelings passed through Usopp as his knees shook in both anger and grief. Luffy was made to suffer like this and none of them knew or remembered. This shouldn't have happened.

Sanji was breathing hard as he bit down on his cigarette. He wanted to kick the Baron. Stomp him until all his bones were broken several times over. A person who could so cruelly rip a person apart like this didn't deserved to draw breath.

Franky shook in rage as he glared at the Baron. He never wanted to hit someone so badly since Spanda and Zizu. Even if he wasn't personally involved in this incident, no one murders his friends and tortures his captain and gets away with it.

Robin was shaken by what she had seen. In just a few minutes, the Baron had damaged Luffy more than all of the past enemies they had seen. This lone man succeeded where so many others had failed. He not only killed Luffy's crew, but had completely broken his spirit.

Chopper was in tears as he watched how his friend and captain was made to suffer. He also felt ashamed of himself for dying on Luffy. If he was stronger, then he should have been able to fight the Baron instead of allowing himself to be captured.

Luffy didn't answer, but it was clear by his body posture and his darkened eyes what choice he had made.

The Baron dropped Luffy, finally satisfied with what he saw. "As I thought, being alone is too painful for you to endure." He took his bow and aimed for Luffy's heart.

Luffy didn't speak as Sanji's words from before echoed across the memory like a vengeful ghost. " _Luffy...this is all your fault._ "

Sanji felt himself whiten, and trembled when he heard those venomous words reverberating across the sky like thunder. He said those things. Those were some of the last words he had spoken to his captain. He had purposely aimed for Luffy's heart and he had succeeded with devastating effect. How could he say those things to his captain and friend? How did Luffy even forgive him?"

"Then die," the Baron whispered as he readied his arrow.

Luffy made no move to resist, but the ground he was under suddenly collapsed on him and someone pulled him under.

The Baron gasped in surprise and ran towards the hole. "What?"

"Baron!" Brief yelled defiantly as he poked his head out of the hole.

"You again!" the Baron yelled.

"I won't let this man die!" Brief shouted at the old pirate before he jumped back into the hole and closed the entryway.

The Strawhats all found themselves giving a silent thank you to the Toothbrush Pirate. Despite all his quirks, he had saved their captain.

Luffy was quickly taken back to Brief's hideout where he was cared for by the Teacup Pirates. His wounded limbs were disinfected and wrapped, while Luffy stared blankly at the ceiling. It was obvious that he was still in shock.

"How is he?" Brief asked in concern.

"He's hurt pretty badly," the father of the Teacup Pirates said.

Brief harshly grabbed Luffy by his shoulders and started to shake him violently, much to the Teacup Pirates' horror. "Hey, Strawhat! Open your eyes, Strawhat!"

"My friends..." Luffy whispered brokenly. "It's my fault..."

Sanji turned his head as his own guilt built. " _Luffy, I'm sorry._ "

"What are you talking about!?" Brief yelled as he shook Luffy again. "Where's your determination!? Come to your senses! You're their captain, right!? You have to stand up!"

Luffy wasn't moved by Brief's words. He had completely lost the will to fight.

"Listen to me, Strawhat. Your friends are probably not dead yet," Brief said, getting Luffy's attention. "She can hear their voices calling you." He turned towards the youngest girl, Daisy.

"Are you Luffy?" Daisy asked. "Mr. Reindeer is calling for you."

"Chopper is!?" Luffy exclaimed as he sat up. He searched around frantically. "Where!?" He heard nothing. "He's not here!"

Daisy shook her head. "No, I can hear him. There are other voices too. Four. Five. Luffy! Luffy! See, even now."

"Really?" Luffy asked hopefully.

"She must have some powerful Observation Haki if she can hear our voices with us being so close to death," Robin said softly.

"She's just like Aisa," Nami whispered.

"Unfortunately, I am also unable to hear them," Brief said regretfully. "But that child was repeating your name even though she had never met you. That much is certain."

"Daisy, has your hearing always been this good?" her father asked in wonder.

"I..." Daisy started to say before she covered her ears in pain. A loud rumble rocked the cave.

"You can't charge recklessly at the Baron's arrows," Brief said. "Use the underground routes I dug. I'll back you up!" He harshly grabbed Luffy by his shoulder and pushed him towards the door. "Just do as I tell you and rush towards that strange flower."

"You..." Luffy murmured.

"You forgot this," Brief said as he slammed Luffy's hat on his head. It was unusually bright given how dirty Luffy currently was. "Don't let the Baron's lies affect you. Listen, you're not alone yet!"

Luffy's eyes widened at those words.

The Strawhats felt their gratitude for the man go up even more. He probably single-handily stopped Luffy from falling into complete despair.

"I wanted to tell you that," Brief said. "You have a chance to save your friends. And, I'm here with you too." He put his finger to his nose in his crew's greeting. "If you understand, then go! We don't have much time!"

Luffy looked close to tears, but now wasn't the time for that. He smiled as he ran out of the cave. He had an arrow guy's ass to kick.

When Luffy reached the surface again, the Baron was there waiting for him.

The Baron began to laugh. "There you are!"

He shot at Luffy, but he effortlessly moved out of the way of the arrow, shocking the Baron. He shot Luffy several more times, but Luffy avoided the arrows each time.

The Baron became frustrated and shot more rapidly. Luffy jumped and dodged out of the way as the arrows destroyed rocks.

"What kind of arrows are those anyway?" Franky asked.

"There are many things about this guy that make no sense," Sanji muttered. "I mean, it's like he has an ability, but his powers are just so...random."

"Could it be Haki? Armament Haki can be transfer into weapons. It could make those arrows as hard as steel," Zoro said in thought.

"But can Haki explain how he can manipulate and create arrows from nowhere?" Nami asked.

Zoro had not answer for that.

Robin glanced at the Lily. "Is he getting his powers from that?"

"You're only running away!" the Baron shouted as he shot more arrows at Luffy. But he became distracted by Brief, giving Luffy the opening needed to run towards the flower.

"Strawhat, jump into the hole ahead to your right!" Brief yelled. "Then, keep going! Don't stop!"

Luffy dived into the hole just in time to avoid one of the Baron's arrows. He popped out of another hole and made a mad dash for the flower.

The Baron was too busy trying to kill Brief to be concerned about Luffy at the moment. "Have you still not learned your lesson!?"

Luffy glanced behind him as he watched Brief attempting to keep the Baron's attention on him. He was using the holes he dug to avoid all of the Baron's arrows. Nonetheless, one of the arrows managed to blow up on Brief, badly wounding him.

"Now stay in that hole!" the Baron laughed.

"Baron...don't mess with me," Brief growled. "If you think you can take friends from anyone you please, you're dead wrong!"

This made the Baron raise an eyebrow.

"As of now, I'm one of his friends!" Brief yelled, stunning Luffy.

The Baron laugh evilly. "Friend? How delightful!" He turned towards Luffy. "Strawhat, listen well, this man who claims to be your friend was once the captain of a crew I annihilated! A man who pleaded for mercy! A man who wretchedly shook in fear at the thought of being alone! Why would you let this pathetic insect be your friend!?"

"Dammit, I so what to kick this guy in the head," Sanji growled.

"Why does he take such delight in torturing pirates like this?" Usopp asked.

The Baron aimed his bow, ready to kill the injured Brief who was attempting to crawl into one of his holes. The Baron used his strange power to grow multiple arrows on his bow, then shot them into the air. They all began to descend, ready to rain on Brief and kill him.

This didn't happen, however, since Luffy ran back and used a nearby rock as a shield. Brief was shocked that Luffy had come back to save him.

"S…Strawhat!" Brief exclaimed.

The rock broke apart from the impact with the arrows, but Luffy didn't move from in front of Brief. Filled with rage, Luffy shot a punch at the Baron and decked the man in the face, sending him sliding across the rocky ground.

"I warned you. I won't let you hurt my friends!" Luffy yelled, moving Brief to tears.

"Friend?" Brief repeated.

Luffy turned towards Brief and gave him the Toothbrush Mustache Pirate greeting. "Mustache!"

This caused some of the Strawhats to both chuckle and tear up. Luffy seemed to always know what to do to make things seem a little better.

Brief started to cry as he did the greeting with Luffy. For the first time in years, he belonged somewhere.

In the back of Brief, the children of the Teacup Pirates did the same greeting, much to their father's confusion.

"Go help Mister Reindeer and the others!" Daisy yelled, breaking the tender mood.

Luffy didn't have to be told twice as he ran towards the flower. "Guys, I'm coming! Hang on!"

He jumped into the air and proceeded to pound the flower with all of his strength. After a few hard punches and kicks, it appeared to have worked. The flower began to open in the middle. What everyone saw next was not what they were expecting.

On the back of a giant, blood red moon floated thousands of arrows in the middle of the flower. The sight was beyond what anyone had ever seen even for the standards of the Grand Line. It was more like a nightmare than a memory.

"What the hell!?" Franky exclaimed when he found his voice.

Usopp, Chopper, and Brook screamed in terror. This was much scarier than the things they saw at Thriller Bark.

"Was there really a flower like this that existed?" Robin whispered to herself. She could feel her body shake in fear.

"Wha...what is all this?" Zoro whispered. He had never thought anything could fill him with such dread.

Luffy was left completely speechless for a couple of seconds and his body froze in terror. "Where are Zoro and the others? Where are they!?"

The Baron stood behind Luffy and the flower on his shoulder began to change. "Right here." As he spoke, he threw his bow away, hitting one of the stunned Teacup Pirates.

Luffy slowly turned his head just as the flower started to fully transform. Instead of the cute, almost toy like flower from before, it changed into a giant monstrous plant that drooled green spit.

What made the Strawhats physically sick, however, was the flower's stem. It was made up of their bodies that were merged into the plant like a twisted sculpture of agony. The stem stood almost as high as the Baron, who took no notice of the extra weight.

Usopp began to violently gag when he saw this. This image was forever burnt into his mind.

"Is...is this even real?" Brook whispered in disbelief. In his long life, he had seen many things. This was not one of them.

Franky's mouth dropped open and his eyes looked ready to pop out of his head.

Sanji's cigarette fell out of his mouth as he stared at the flower. His entire body was trembling. "This...this couldn't have happened!"

Chopper teared up at seeing themselves in such a state. He was glad he didn't remember this. He didn't even want to imagine the pain they were all experiencing as they were slowly being eaten alive. He remembered reading how some plants spent days digesting their food.

Zoro paled and become quite ill at what he was seeing. Did Luffy really experience all this alone? Did Luffy really suffer with this secret for over two years, while they remained blissfully ignorant?

Nami was shaking violently as she stared at the twisted and deformed form of her friends. She thought seeing themselves being absorbed into that flower was terrible. This was thousands of times worse.

Robin's eyes were wide in horror and remembrance. "Lily...Lily Carnation..." she whispered. She still could not recall anything from the island, but she somehow remembered that name.

Luffy's eyes were completely wide in horror and his mouth was opened like he wanted to scream. He looked very unlike himself.

The Baron laughed at the shock and disgust on Luffy's face. He suddenly stopped laughing and glared coldly at Luffy. "Die," he hissed.

The arrows that floated behind Luffy began to turn and aim right at him. Luffy was still too stunned by the sight of his friends to move or take in what was happening around him.

Chopper, however, noticed the arrows. "Luffy move!" he screamed, even though he knew his captain couldn't hear him.

The arrows started to move and Luffy finally took notice of them, too late. He could only drop and cover his head as arrows rained on him, piecing his body everywhere.

"LUFFY!" almost all the Strawhats screamed in horror.

Zoro could only stare wide eyed as his captain was impaled by what had to be dozens of arrows. The memory shook with each hit.

"Every single one of those arrows symbolizes a day of loneliness I endured after that storm," the Baron said over the rain of arrows. "There are a number of regrets I suffered from suddenly losing every one of my beloved friends."

"So, that is it," Robin whispered.

Despite himself, Brook felt himself becoming sympathetic towards the Baron. He understood better than anyone how loneliness, regret, and grief could drive any man insane. He too had a number of regrets about the day he lost all his dear friends. What kept him from falling into complete despair during those dark days was the promise he had made with Laboon and the final request of his dying crew. Without them, he would have lost his soul years ago.

"That's his reason?" Sanji hissed in disgust. He was far from sympathetic. "He lost his crew and now he spends his days torturing other pirates with close ties and feeding them to a damn plant. What a shitty, bitter old man."

"It is more than that," Robin said as her mind worked overtime. "He is not just feeding pirates to the Lily with no purpose. He is using the life force of the people he captures to recreate his dead crew. That is why everyone on the Baron's crew had sprouts on their heads. They are plants that have been changed into the form of the Baron's lost crew."

"So, instead of accepting his crew's death, he has been recreating them all these years by killing other pirate crews," Usopp whispered.

"That also must be why he hates crews with strong bonds. It reminds him of what he lost," Nami concluded. A part of her felt sorry for the Baron. At the same time, she would never forgive the man for hurting their captain.

The arrows finally stopped and Luffy stood still on the battlefield. Everything was covered in arrows and it looked like a war had happened.

Luffy's entire back was littered with the arrows. He was also hit multiple times in his arms and legs. For a lack of better words, Luffy looked like a human porcupine.

"Luffy..." Chopper whispered as he put his hooves to his mouth. His injures, it all made sense now.

When he had examined Luffy, his wounds were so bad that he suffered from collapsed lungs, spinal damage, and multiple organ punctures. It was only because of Luffy's rubber body that he didn't bleed to death on the spot.

He never could figure out what had caused such extensive injures or what could had hit Luffy so many times given his incredible dodging ability. He had theories, but he would have never guessed arrow wounds, especially so many.

How did Brief and the others remove them without causing further damage or killing Luffy? It would have taken major surgery for him to remove all those arrows and even with his medical skills Luffy's chances wouldn't have been good. Luffy would have mostly died on the operating table.

Luffy wheezed as he desperately attempted to get air into his damage lungs and he coughed of a fountain of blood. His eyes were rolled back and he didn't appear to be seeing anything.

"Have you had a glimpse of what I have endured?" the Baron asked as he stared at the dying boy.

Luffy could only wheeze in response, as more blood flowed out of his mouth. He still, however, didn't fall. He somehow managed to stay on his feet.

"Don't lose!" Daisy yelled through Luffy's fading hearing. "Mr. Reindeer and the others are calling for you! They're saying; 'Luffy, you can do it!', they're cheering for you!"

"We're cheering for him, but we can't remember any of this?" Usopp whispered.

"So...so don't lose!" Daisy screamed desperately.

Luffy looked up and focused on the twisted remains of his crew. To everyone's amazement, Luffy began to slowly move through the graveyard of arrows. All the Strawhats cringed when they heard the arrow click against Luffy's bones.

Through Luffy's half dead state of mind, the Strawhats could hear themselves whispering Luffy's name like a chant. It was really faint, but it was definitely them. They sounded like ghosts.

"He can hear us?" Nami whispered as she listened to herself call Luffy's name.

"It would seem that Luffy's Haki is beginning to awaken," Zoro said in awe.

As terrible as this scene was, he couldn't stop himself from being impressed. Even in this state, Luffy kept pressing forward. This was why Luffy was his captain.

Sanji nodded, feeling completely numb listening to his crew's fading voices. "That's definitely Observation Haki. Iva once told me that it was usually the first of the three Haki types to awaken."

"I have heard that Haki typically awakens during times of great emotional and mental stress," Robin said as she kept watching her captain.

It was now the Baron's turn to freak out as he stared in utter disbelief at Luffy. "What!?"

"My friends..." Luffy murmured through his lips, spitting out more blood. "My friends...give them back. ...My friends...my friends...give them back!" He reached out for the Baron with his arrow-ridden arm.

The Baron now felt afraid of Luffy. By the way the old pirate's mouth hung open and the wideness in his eyes, one would think he was staring at a ghost. If he could have found his voice, he would probably demand to know how Luffy was still alive.

The Strawhats, despite how horrific the scene was, were touched by Luffy's devotion. He was dying, yet he kept moving, damaging his body even further. Even if his chances were slim and he may die in the process, he was going to save them.

"Yes, just like that!" Daisy cheered.

"Even if he has the will, what can he do?" Franky asked in a soft voice. "He's barely alive and he can't fight with all those arrows in his body."

As if answering Franky's question, the Strawhats saw the father of the Teacup Pirates run behind the Baron and pick up the bow that the old pirate had thrown in a fit of rage. He hurriedly grabbed one of the many arrows on the ground and took aimed.

The Lily took notice of him and started to move towards the man like it was going to devour him whole.

Despite being absolutely terrified, for which no could blame him, he steeled his nerve and fired. With one hit, the arrow tore through the Lily, sending its guts flying across the air before it landed in a pool of its own gore.

Usopp really did come close to losing his lunch, but managed to hold it in with much effort. Chopper was at the sniper's side and patted his back until the heaving fit passed.

"Disgusting," Sanji mumbled as he winkled his nose.

"I would lose my stomach, if I had one," Brook said. Although it was a skull joke, it had none of its usual humor.

The Baron could only watch in horror as his precious flower died in its own fluids and with it, his only way of reviving his crew. "Lily! Lily!"

Like a spell that has been broken, all the cheering from the Baron's crew in the distance ceased, making everything silent. The giant Lily also disappeared liked it never existed and all the arrows also vanished, including the ones from Luffy's body.

Luffy stumbled for a moment and his wounds began to open and bleed.

Chopper had to fight to urge not to run to his captain's side.

The Baron was on his knees as he picked up the pieces of Lily's remains. "How could this happen to you?" he asked in a broken voice as his tears freely flowed from his eyes.

For the first time, the Strawhats could truly see the broken man that the Baron was. Who had once been a great pirate was reduced to a mere shell of himself. His mind and soul had long since been eaten away by grief.

Perhaps the only thing that was keeping him alive for all these years was the constant illusion he had entrapped himself in. With it gone, he truly had nothing left. He was alone in the world.

Zoro, who had made it a vow to never pity anyone, truly felt sympathy towards the Baron. He couldn't even bring himself to feel angry at the man who had tried to destroy his crew and had emotionally damaged their captain. How could you hate someone who was so pathetic?

"But now, Muchigoro...my crew...my friends..." the Baron mourned as his tears continued to fall down his whitened eyes as he cuddled the Lily's remains in his arms. His tears turned to pure rage as he turned towards the Teacup Pirates and Brief.

Brief and the Teacup Pirates stared at the Baron. They neither looked triumphant, angry, nor sympathetic. It was impossible to read what they were feeling. If anything, they just looked exhausted.

"Unforgivable! UNFORGIVABLE!" the Baron shouted in rage as he stood straight up.

Before he could attack them, Luffy appeared. His eyes were white with rage and hatred and his teeth were bare like a wild beast. The Strawhats had never seen him this fierce. Even with Arlong and Bellamy, Luffy's eyes were not like this. He seemed like a completely different person.

Luffy gave a fierce roar as he swung his arm. With one mighty punch that shook the entire memory, he decked the Baron in the face, shattering the man's bones. The Baron flew back and hit the ground with a painful thud.

With his anger spent, Luffy collapsed onto the ground like a broken toy.

"Strawhat!" Brief and the Teacup Pirates yelled as they ran to Luffy's side.

Luffy paid little attention to them. He continued to stare at the defeated Baron, who was staring blankly at the night's sky.

"Muchigoro...Keroji...DJ...Kotestus...my friends...please don't go," the Baron pleaded brokenly as blood-stained tears ran down his face. "Please...don't leave me alone. Without you...I am...I am..." He gave one last wheeze and his breathing stopped all together as he went limp on the ground.

For a moment, all the Strawhats were left speechless.

"He...he killed him..." Usopp murmured. He thought for certain that Luffy never killed anyone.

"No, Usopp. What lies before us died a long time ago," Zoro said in a soft voice. "Luffy just put him out of his misery."

"Strawhat, are you okay?" Brief asked in concern as he knelt at Luffy's side.

Luffy coughed up some blood, but he didn't stop staring at the Baron. All his anger from before had completely vanished and he stared at the old pirate's remains with a blank expression. "Brief...the Baron..."

"He's gone now," Brief assured in a soft voice. "He'll never destroy another crew thanks to you."

"Hi...His crew..." Luffy murmured softly as he struggled to catch his breathe. "Are...are they on...the island...?"

Brief was confused by the question. "What do you mean?"

"There's a large graveyard on this island," the father of the Teacup Pirates said. "That must be where the Baron buried his crew long ago."

Chopper tilted his head. Why did that sounded familiar?

Luffy took several deep breaths. "Please...bury him with his crew..."

The Strawhats, Brief, and the Teacup Pirates were taken aback by the request.

"Strawhat!?" Brief exclaimed.

"After everything he has done? Why would you do such a thing?" the father of the Teacup Pirates asked in disbelief.

"He...was alone in life. He...he shouldn't be...alone in death. No one...deserves to be alone..." Luffy said in very soft voice as he huffed for breath.

"Luffy..." Nami whispered as tears built in her eyes.

Brook also felt tears build in his non-existing eyes. After all the mental anguish the Baron caused, Luffy was willing to give him a proper burial. To allow him to be with his crew again. Only a great man would honor his enemies in such a way. He prayed that kind soul Luffy had would never vanish.

"Strawhat..." Brief muttered, tears welling up in his own eyes.

"Let...him be with his...crew," Luffy said in pleading voice.

The Teacup Pirates and Brief stared at each other.

Daisy smiled as she looked down at Luffy. "Mr. Reindeer was right about you. You are a great man."

"Yes he is," Brook said in admiration.

All the Strawhats nodded in agreement with small smiles on their faces.

Luffy sounded like he wanted to laugh, but it came off as a muted choke.

The children cared for Luffy, wrapping and cleaning his wounds to the best of their abilities, while Brief and their father buried the remains of the Baron.

It was dawn by the time they returned and Luffy stared at the rising sun with a small, content smile. "Brief, I couldn't have done it without you," he said softly to the man.

"What are you saying?" Brief asked with tears in his eyes. "That's my line!"

Luffy looked at the Teacup Pirates' father. "And that you too, pops."

"Me?" the father asked as he pointed to himself. He began to laugh modestly. "I didn't do much."

"By the way, where's my crew?" Luffy asked as he attempted to turn his head. A wave of pain hit him and he ceased his efforts.

Chopper rushed to Luffy's side, although he knew he couldn't do a thing to help. It must had taken everything Luffy had just to remain conscious.

"You shouldn't move," Brief scolded, speaking the words Chopper couldn't. "You're badly injured."

Daisy suddenly stood up and smiled. "Mr. Reindeer!" she yelled as she ran off.

Luffy was able to see out the corner of his eye that his crew was coming down the hill. They all had confused looks on their faces. It looked like they all had woken up from a bad dream.

"Chopper is quite popular," Sanji in the memory mused as he watched Daisy and the other Teacup children hugged Chopper tightly. They were all sobbing over the zoan user.

Chopper enjoyed the attention, although he didn't remember any of them. Somehow, however, he remembered Daisy's name.

"I don't know what happened, but I slept well," Zoro in the memory yawned lazily.

That line from his past self ticked Zoro off. His captain was mortally wounded and had a night from hell, yet here he was as fresh as a daisy with no care in the world.

"By the way, where are we?" Nami within the memory asked in confusion as she looked around the island.

"Take a look at that sunrise!" Usopp exclaimed as he looked out into the distance. "It's so bright."

The entire island seemed to be breathing in a new life as the new day washed over the three pirate crews.

Seeing his crew alive and unharmed made Luffy finally relax as he took in all of their voices as a gentle wind blew over him. It was truly over. He closed his eyes, causing the memory to begin to fade.

"Is that Luffy?" Nami suddenly asked.

"Oh, it is!" Zoro yelled. He sounded unusually happy.

The Strawhats could hear the footfalls of their younger selves as they rushed towards their captain.

"Luffy, Luffy!" Nami yelled.

Luffy forced his eyes opened and looked up as his crew surrounded him.

Although the image was slightly blurry, they looked happy to see him. All the anger and hostility from before had completely disappeared. It was like that entire night never happened.

"What are you doing sleeping way out here?" Nami asked in slight annoyance.

Luffy just smiled as he closed his eyes again and allowed himself to fade completely.

The Strawhats could hear Luffy's light laugh as the memory faded into the mist.


	21. Water 7

The Strawhats stood in the void between memories for a while; taken in everything they had seen.

So far, that was by far the hardest memory to witness. Seeing Luffy put into such a desperate situation where he had watched them die by some bitter, grief-stricken pirate was something that they would never forget. It was heart-breaking to see Luffy so emotionally broken over their deaths that he was willing to allow the Baron to kill him. He wanted to join them in death.

"That's….that's why he never told us..." Nami said softly, breaking the cold silence.

"I can't blame him. We were terrible to each other there. And the things Luffy saw..." Usopp couldn't finish as he shivered. He was going to have nightmares about that particular memory for months.

"He should have told us," Sanji growled as he tightened his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. "Even if it hurts us, he should have told!"

Zoro glared at Sanji. "It was his decision to make. We can't change that."

Sanji returned the swordsman's glare. "He was wrong! He should have never kept something like this a secret from his crew!"

"What would have been the point in him telling us!? Are you that upset over those words you spoke to him!?" Zoro yelled fiercely as he got into Sanji's face. "Dammit, you stupid cook, it wasn't just you who put the blame on Luffy! We all did the moment we didn't stick up for him!"

"It wasn't just that, shitty moss head! For over two years, Luffy has carried the burden of what happened on that damn island alone! He watched us _die_ and said _nothing_! When he had nightmares so severe that Chopper had to sedate him just so he could rest during those weeks we couldn't do anything to help him because he never told us!" Sanji yelled. He took several deep breaths as he attempted to regain control of his temper. He was so emotional that he was actually shaking. "It was _selfish_. To save our feelings, he had to carry this darkness by himself."

Zoro said nothing to counter his rival's argument. He knew Sanji was right. He too was angry at Luffy for never revealing this incident. He may be the captain, but Luffy was wrong in this. The past was the past, but how were they supposed to learn from their past mistakes if Luffy kept secrets like this from them?

There was another long silence among the crew.

"It's scary to see what loneliness and grief can do to a person," Chopper suddenly said softly. "The Baron loved his crew dearly and he turned into a monster after he'd lost them."

"He allowed his grief and regret to rot him until he was a shadow of the man he once was," Brook said somberly. "Seeing the Baron...I feared that I would become like that during my isolation in the Florian Triangle."

"And that's what the Baron's story is. A cautionary tale of what happens when one is consumed by grief," Zoro said in reflection.

The Strawhats couldn't help thinking of Luffy as Zoro spoke those words. Weren't they here because Luffy's guilt was slowly killing him?

The mist surrounding them cleared and soon they stood in what appeared to be a lumberyard surrounded by buildings and water. The loud clank of hammers could be heard in the background. After the dark, gloomy mood of the last memory, this was a welcome change.

Franky began to smile as he looked around. "The shipyard. Looks like I'm home."

Nami lowered her head. "Water 7 would be next." After seeing what happened with the Baron, she really didn't want to see the whole fall-out with Usopp.

"So, this is the fabled Water 7," Brook said as he looked at the beautiful city. "It looks very different from the time I was here."

Franky looked towards the musician and smiled. "Yeah, you were here before the Puffing Tom, and even before Tom came. This city was near death before Tom came along and single-handedly revived this place."

"Tom, your master, right? He must have been great man if his efforts recreated this city," Brook said.

Franky gave a sad nod. "Yeah...he was..."

"Well, our shipwrights are not to be underestimated," someone said in an almost bored tone.

"By the way, who is this guy?" the voice of Luffy asked.

"Don't know," Usopp in the memory answered.

The Strawhats turned to look at a man with freshly cut blue hair and five o' clock shadow. Next to him was a fairly young female with blonde-hair tied into a tight ponytail and glasses.

"Iceberg!" Franky exclaimed happily. It was good to see his old friend again.

"Who is that lovely female next to him," Brook asked with interest. He bet his panties were lovely.

"That's his secretary, Kalifa," Nami said in a dark voice. "She was really a spy from the World Government and a member of CP9."

"CP9, you all mention them quite bit," Brook said in thought.

"They were one of our most powerful opponents. We barely survived our encounter with them," Nami stated.

"If you want fast, sturdy ships, then you cannot trust someone with run-of-the-mill skills," Iceberg said as he turned towards his secretary. "So, Kalifa?"

"Yes, I have identified them," Kalifa stated casually as she read her notes. "Strawhat Luffy, Pirate Hunter Zoro, Nico Robin."

The look on Iceberg's face changed slightly upon hearing Robin's name, but it was unnoticeable to the Strawhats within the memory.

"Three among their crew are wanted and their total bounty is two-hundred and thirty-nine million belli. They are originally from East Blue. Their crew currently have seven members and are known as the Strawhat Pirates," Kalifa reported.

Usopp in the memory was completely shocked by all the information that Kalifa had on them.

"Wow, she's good!" Chopper exclaimed, just as surprised as memory Usopp.

"She's from the government and they knew we were coming," Zoro said neutrally. "Of course they would have all our information."

"Although, given Iceberg's lack of surprise, she does this often," Nami pointed out.

"Of course. Galley-La only employs the cream of the crop, whether they're shipwrights or a secretary," Franky said with pride in his voice.

"Although, why did Ice-berg looks so unnerved when he heard Robin's name?" Brook asked.

Robin closed her eyes. "He knew about my ability to read Poneglyphs."

Franky sighed, feeling slightly ashamed. "Tom, Iceberg, and me knew about Robin for a long time. We, like the rest of the world, were led to believe that she and the others from Ohara were planning on reviving the ancient weapon and destroy the world. Her very existence was one of the reasons Tom was so protective of those blueprints." He clenched his fists. "We were fools. We completely bought into the government's propaganda."

Robin gave Franky a sympathetic look. "It was not your fault."

"Yes it was," Franky said stubbornly. "After what happened with Tom...knowing how those bastards twist the truth...I should have known that there was more to the story of Ohara."

"You couldn't have known. Unless you were there, you couldn't have known the truth," Nami said softly, patting Franky's large arm.

"And Tom and Iceberg had every right to be wary of me," Robin said. "Even if I never intend to awakening the ancient weapon, I am still dangerous. As Iceberg himself pointed out, even if I had good intentions, other people can use my knowledge to do terrible things."

"You're only dangerous because fools like Crocodile and Spanda exist in this world," Franky said firmly.

"None of that matters," Sanji said as he blew out some smoke. "None of those bastards will ever touch Robin-chan again as long as I live."

Brook nodded. "I don't know the entire story, but I'll give my life to protect you... Although, I have no life to give." He laughed loudly.

"I see, you have come a long way," Iceberg said, somewhat impressed. "I am Iceberg, the boss of this city." He petted a small, white mouse that was in his suit pocket. "And this is a mouse I picked up earlier. His name shall be...Tyrannosaurs. I still have to buy him food and a cage."

"That all has been taken care of, Iceberg," Kalifa informed her boss.

"Efficient as always, Kalifa," Iceberg complimented.

"Thank you, sir," Kalifa said humbly.

"She is good," Brook said in surprise.

"Tyrannosaurs for a mouse?" Franky chuckled. "Never change, Iceberg."

"More importantly, you have a lunch meeting at the Chiza Hotel with the management of the glass factory in ten minutes. After that, you are giving a lecture at Liguria Plaza, followed by a meeting with the Mayor Vimine from Puchi, the City of Exquisite Cuisine. You will then be giving an interview to the media and there is some paperwork for you to look over when you return to the office," Kalifa said as she finished the list.

"What a busy day that man has," Brook said in awe. "I admire his dedication to his city."

"Don't want to!" Iceberg exclaimed in an annoyed voice.

"Very well, I will cancel everything," Kalifa said nonchalantly as she wrote in her notes.

"You're letting him blow if off!" Usopp in the memory yelled in disbelief.

"What was that about dedication?" Sanji asked in a deadpan voice.

Franky laughed loudly.

Even Robin giggled. After getting to know the real Iceberg, she could fully appreciated the act he put on to make himself appear ignorance and childish.

"I am powerful enough to do as I please," Iceberg said casually.

"You're a pretty irresponsible mayor!" Usopp in the memory exclaimed.

"Yes he is," Franky said with a huge smile.

"This guy is selfish, but he's the guy the old lady was talking about, right?" Luffy asked as he turned towards Nami.

"Yes, that's the guy," Nami in the memory confirmed.

"Ungracious brutes!" Kalifa suddenly exclaimed as she rapidly kicked all the memory Strawhats to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Luffy shouted in surprise.

"That scared me!" Nami yelled in shock as she put her hand over her chest.

Poor Usopp had his face kicked in multiple times.

"You dare refer to the world's foremost expert in shipbuilding as 'that guy'!?" Kalifa asked angrily, pushing up her glasses.

"Wow, what an actress," Franky said dryly.

"She had all of us fooled," Usopp said as he unconsciously rubbed his face. His nose hurt looking at this scene.

"She's even scarier than Nami," Chopper said from his place from behind Zoro's leg.

Nami glared at Chopper. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

This made Chopper squeal and hide further behind Zoro.

Kalifa's sudden outburst drew several people's attention and she began to blush in embarrassment.

"I am sorry. I lost my temper," Kalifa quickly apologized. "Iceberg, however, is beloved by the citizens. You must not be so discourteous towards him."

"Which is why you try to kill him," Franky muttered under his breath.

"Do not make Kalifa mad," Iceberg warned. He too was filled with bumps and bruises from Kalifa's kicks. "When she gets angry, she does not discriminate."

"She roughed him up nicely," Zoro humored.

"You kicked him in the face!" Usopp in the memory yelled.

"You're the ungracious one!" Luffy added in equal outrage.

Kalifa further blushed in embarrassment.

"Well, anyway, you're Iceberg, right?" Nami in the memory asked, getting back on subject. She took out a piece of paper and handed it to him. "Look at this. It's a letter of introduction."

Iceberg carefully took the letter and unfolded it. "Old lady Kokoro?" He promptly tore the letter, shocking Usopp.

"Huh, you mean you won't!?" Nami exclaimed. "Please, fix our ship! We can pay." She held up a black brief case.

"Merry's in rough shape from so much sailing," Luffy said with a note of desperation. "We need your help, mister."

"Okay," Iceberg answered casually.

"So flippantly!" Usopp in the memory yelled. "It's that easy!?"

Sanji raised an eyebrow. "What's up with this guy?"

Franky laughed. "CP9 aren't the only good actors around here."

"Sure," Iceberg said neutrally.

"Then why did you rip up the letter!?" Usopp in the memory yelled.

"That kiss mark was disgusting," Iceberg answered.

Franky nodded in agreement.

"Can't blame him for that," Zoro muttered, remembering what Kokoro looked like.

"Never realized how odd Iceberg was," Sanji said as he rubbed his hair. "At least, when he was pretending to be fool to keep the government off his trail."

"Kokoro is an old drinking buddy of mines," Iceberg explained. "Well, that aside, Kaku has already gone to perform an estimate. Everything is progressing smoothly. Do not worry." He stretched his arms and picked his nose in boredom. "Ahh, it is such a boring day. I will show you around the shipyard."

This made some of the Strawhats snicker.

"Cool, for real!?" Luffy yelled excitedly.

"This way, please," Kalifa said.

"He can canceled all his work and now he's bored!?" Usopp in the memory exclaimed in disbelief.

Luffy paid no attention to his sniper. "Let's go see the shipyard!" He started to follow Iceberg and Kalifa into the yard.

"Look for it!" Nami in the memory suddenly yelled, getting Luffy's attention.

"I did!" Usopp in the memory screamed. "It's gone!"

Luffy looked at his crewmates in confusion.

Usopp suddenly pointed towards something. "Hey, they've got it!"

In the nearby water was a group of strange men wearing goggles and some kind of black uniform with a reddish-pink star in the middle. In the boat was a black suitcase filled with money.

"Hey, you bastards!" Usopp yelled angrily. "What the hell are you doing!? Don't steal other people's money! Stop!"

"Been a pleasure," one the men mocked.

"Give back our two-hundred million belli!" Usopp screamed as he attempted to chase after the boat.

"Where did you all get all that money?" Brook asked.

"We got it from Skypiea," Nami explained. "After Luffy fought that crazy god, we stole a bunch of gold and pawned it off in Water 7. That money was to fix Merry, but _someone_ decided to steal it!" She glared directly at Franky.

"Hey sis, it was nothing personal," Franky defended himself. "You were just another group of pirates at the time and it all worked out in the end."

Brook looked between the two. "It seems there was some bad blood between you guys in the past."

"That's an understatement," Zoro mumbled.

"How do those men relate to you, Franky?" Brook asked the cyborg.

"Those men are my brothers," Franky said proudly. "They are all part of the Franky Family!"

"Did you give them the money?" Luffy asked Usopp, who was still screaming at the Franky Family.

Usopp wasn't happy about the question. "No, I didn't give it to them! They stole it!"

"What!?" Luffy yelled.

Before Luffy could consider how he was going retrieve the money, a man wearing a blue worker's outfit and yellow-tinted goggles jumped from a nearby bridge and wrapped the members of the Franky Family in rope. He then clunked their head together before taking one of their boats.

"Who's that?" Brook asked.

"That's Paulie, one of the shipwrights," Nami said.

"Running away from the loan sharks again," Franky snickered as several men in suits threatened Paulie. Seeing this memory was making him homesick.

"This is great!" Usopp in the memory yelled as Iceberg and Kalifa approached the group. "He's one of your shipwrights, right?"

"Yes," Iceberg answered.

Usopp waved his arms. "Hey, thanks! That's our money!"

Paulie gave Usopp an odd look as he took noticed of the suitcases. His face suddenly brightened and stars seemed to appear on his face.

"I don't think you'll be getting that money back," Brook said almost dryly when he saw the stars in Paulie's eyes.

Usopp in the memory also began to realize that Paulie was in no hurry to return the money. "Get back here!"

Luffy pushed Usopp aside. "That bastard, I'll catch him!" He prepared to stretch his arm, but was stopped by a tall man with curly hair and a pigeon on his shoulder.

"Ah, it's the pigeon bastard," Franky growled.

"I've read about that man from Nami's logs," Brook said. "Lucci, right?"

Robin nodded. "He is also part of CP9. He was their strongest agent."

"Such an unassuming man has that much power," Brook whispered.

"I'll go," Lucci's pigeon said.

"Did the pigeon just talk!?" Brook asked in shock.

"I guess you could say that was the pigeon guy's gimmick," Usopp said. "He used his pigeon to talk the entire time he was in Water 7 under the guise of being a shipwright."

"Most likely to hide his lack of a personality," Franky humored.

"I wonder how he trained it to speak like that?" Chopper mused out loud.

Luffy was left wide-eyed as he stared at the pigeon in awe.

Within a few minutes, Lucci retrieved Paulie with the money in toll. Paulie was not happy about being dragged back to the shipyard like an unruly child. He was especially upset that he had to return the money.

"Wow, what a relief, Usopp," Luffy said happily as he patted his friend's back.

"Don't talk like you don't care," Usopp scolded as he pulled on Luffy's cheek, making it stretch to unnatural lengths. "That was our two-hundred million belli."

Nami stretched Luffy's other cheek. "Yeah, why didn't you get it back before him!?"

"The pigeon said he would get it back," Luffy answered.

"Well, my apologizes," Iceberg said. "Please allow my company to deal with this idiot. If you guys had caught him, you may have to use excessive force."

"Well, can we be thankful that the Franky Family did not get away with it and consider the matter settled?" Kalifa asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Nami within the memory said.

"I'm hungry," Luffy suddenly said.

"When are you not hungry?" Sanji asked in a dry tone.

Nami and Usopp responded to their captain's remark by both letting go of his cheeks causing him to fall down.

Nami asked about who the Franky Family was and got a brief explanation from Kalifa about whom their leader, Franky, was and their underground dealings.

"They make me sound so bad here," Franky whined.

"Well, you were a shitty bastard," Sanji said with a smirk.

After getting back their money and Paulie was reprimanded by Lucci, which ended in a brief scuffle, the Strawhats were finally led into the shipyard. They were given a brief tour of the yard, per Iceberg's promise.

All three of the Strawhats were left in awe of what they saw. None of them have been in a shipyard before. Somewhere during the tour, the Strawhats separated and each of them wondered in their own direction.

"It really is an amazing shipyard!" Brook exclaimed.

Franky gave a small smile. "Iceberg did good for himself. Even if had to become a dog of the World Government."

"Although, I have been wondering, why is Luffy-san the only one not carrying a suitcase of money?" Brook asked.

"It's because that moron nearly threw it into the river earlier," Nami said, becoming annoyed at the memory. "He's too irresponsible to be trusted with something so important."

Brook's face was blank, but the Strawhats knew him well enough from his body's movements to know that he was frowning.

"Perhaps, but was it really wise to allow Usopp to carry two-hundred million belli by himself?" Brook asked. "I mean, knowing that thieves were after your money, wouldn't it have been wise for Usopp to at least stay close to Luffy?"

Usopp looked down in shame. "That was the plan, but I got so caught up with looking around the shipyard that I lost track of my crew."

"Usopp..." Nami whispered. She knew seeing this scene would bring up many bad memories for him and it would only get worse from here. How she wished she could skip these memories.

"Luffy, come down!" Nami in the memory yelled at her captain. Luffy was standing on a tall wooden structure overlooking the entire yard.

"Okay, I'm coming down!" Luffy yelled as he jumped down and landed gracefully on some logs before bouncing the rest of the way to the ground. He then looked around for a moment. "Where's Usopp?"

"He was looking at the equipment over there a minute ago," Nami said as she glanced towards a giant booze cannon.

Just as Nami said that, one of the shipwrights approached them holding two suitcases. "Hey, these are your suitcases, right?" he said as he placed them next to Nami's black suitcase.

"Those are the cases Usopp had," Nami said in confusion. "Yes, they're ours."

"Thanks," Luffy said.

"Sheesh, where did Usopp go?" Nami asked in frustration. "He just left our money lying around!"

Usopp lowered his head as he listened to the memory.

"Money?" the shipwright asked.

"Yeah, there's two-hundred million belli in these," Luffy said.

The man looked at Luffy and chuckled for a moment. "Two-hundred million? Good one!" He then waved at them. "See ya!"

Now Nami was more confused.

"So, how much will it be?" Luffy asked the shipwrights before Nami could comprehend what just happened. "You can name your price! We're rich, after all! If possible, I want to make her stronger, faster, and give her more cannon!"

"Could you add some decorations to the hull too," Nami added almost meekly. "And remodel the rooms."

"Plus, bronze statues!" Luffy yelled excitedly. "The biggest one possible!"

"Hold on there, youngsters," a shipwright with a white hat and an orange jacket said. His most stand out feature was his long square nose.

"He got Usopp's nose," Brook remarked.

Usopp side-eyed Brook in exasperation. "He does not."

"That's Kaku," Zoro said to Brook. "He also was a CP9 agent."

"Was _everyone_ in this shipyard working for the government?" Brook asked, more to himself.

Franky growled under his breath. "Those bastard from the government kept a very close eye on Iceberg for five years."

"You guys have had a pretty spectacular voyage, haven't you?" Kaku asked, although it was more of a statement. He wore a forlorn expression.

"Yeah, she flew to the sky, fell down, went up a mountain, and got impaled!" Luffy exclaimed. "We've been thought a lot! So, we want to fix her!"

Kaku said nothing as he put his head was down.

"What? I'm not lying!" Luffy yelled.

"I know," Kaku said before he paused for a moment. "The damage is too extensive."

"You mean it's going to take too long to fix her?" Nami asked, not understanding the implication.

"No. I'll tell you straight out, that your ship, even with our skills, cannot be repaired," Kaku stated bluntly.

This took both Luffy and Nami off-guard.

Usopp closed his eyes and felt tears building in his eyes. It was like reliving hearing your friend was dying.

Franky put a heavy hand on Usopp's shoulder.

Chopper was in tears, hearing first-hand Merry's inevitable fate.

"Was the keel damaged?" Paulie asked the fellow shipwright as he lit a cigar.

"Yeah," Kaku answered. "It's beyond any hope of repair."

"That can't be..." Nami whispered. "But we've been sailing just fine until today!"

"Even if we try to repair it, the chances of the patches holding until the next island are zero," Kaku said.

Luffy was left completely stunned. It took him a moment to wrap his mind around everything.

"You can't repair Merry!?" Luffy exclaimed in disbelief. "Why not!? You're the best shipwrights there are, right!?" He patted the suitcases rapidly. "If you want money, look! We can pay as much as you want!"

"Money has nothing to do with it," Kaku said firmly. "No matter how much money you have, that ship will never be the same as it was."

Luffy didn't looked like he believed him.

"What more, it's a wonder that your ship even made it this far in that condition," Kaku said in mild wonder.

"What do you mean?" Nami asked, completely baffled. "What's wrong with Merry?"

"Do you know what a keel is, harlot girl?" Paulie asked the navigator.

Zoro snickered at Nami being called a harlot. Everyone else, however, was too taken with the memory to notice.

"Harlot?" the Nami in the memory muttered, before getting back on subject. "The thing on the bottom of the ship?"

"Yes," Paulie confirmed. "It's a support that runs through the ship, from bow to stern. It's the most important piece of timber in the ship. Shipbuilding begins with properly aligning the keel and attaching the stem, sternpost, frames, ribs, crutches, and deck hooks. No piece of timber can stay in place without the keel. That's how a ship is build. The keel is the foundation of the ship's frame, its life. Even when it's badly damaged, it can't be replaced. It would be like rebuilding a ship from scratch. So, we're telling you, no one can fix it. Your ship is just a pile of wood destined for scrap."

Usopp flinched at the harsh words.

Chopper became teary eyed. The blunt dismissal of the shipwrights didn't help ease the news. Merry wasn't just a ship. This was their friend.

"Hey, don't say it like that!" Nami in the memory yelled, voicing the thoughts of the current Strawhats.

"Why should I care?" Paulie said nonchalantly. "It's true."

Nami in the memory bit her lips in anger.

"Well, fine then!" Luffy yelled. "Rebuild the ship! Remake the Going Merry!"

"We can't do that either," Lucci's pigeon replied.

"Why not?" Luffy asked in frustration.

"We could make a ship that looks the same, but no one can make the same ship," the pigeon explained. "No two ships can be perfectly identical."

"What do you mean?" Nami asked.

"Do you think any two trees will grow the same way?" the pigeon asked.

Now Nami understood.

"Sailing ships are made almost entirely of wood," the pigeon went on. "The ship's size, curve, every detail of its shape will vary based on the timber we use! Even if we use the same blueprints, we could never build the exact same ship! Say we made a ship that looked the same. The people who would feel that it's a completely different ship the most would be you!"

Franky nodded in agreement. Even if the pigeon guy was a traitorous bastard, he was indeed a true shipwright.

Sanji sighed. "That pigeon jerk's right. Having a ship that looks like the Going Merry, yet, not being _our_ Merry would have made her passing worse."

"No..." Nami whispered in disbelief. "Are you saying the Going Merry will never sail again?"

"That is about the size of it," Kaku said. "You can either wait for it to sink or you can scrap it yourselves."

Luffy stared blankly at all the shipwrights. It was impossible to tell what was on his mind.

"Well, that is the life cycle of a ship," Iceberg said almost nonchalantly. "This is a good chance. Just let it go and buy a new one. You have the money, right?"

Usopp had to fight the urge not to growl. He knew Iceberg meant well, but his dismissal of Merry's life left a bad taste in his mouth.

"How...how can he be so cold?" Chopper asked as angry tears ran down his eyes.

"He's a shipwright doing his job. To him, Merry is just another ship, nothing more," Zoro said.

"But still..." Chopper wanted to argued. He knew Iceberg was just doing his job, but it still hurt.

"It sounds like your ship is a carvel," Iceberg said in thought. "With an old model like that, you would have trouble navigating the seas ahead."

"No, I don't want a new one," Luffy said in a low voice.

"Luffy," Nami in the memory whispered.

"Our...our ship is the Going Merry!" Luffy yelled defiantly. "If we repair her, she can still sail! She'll be okay! We've sailed here today without any problem! You expect us to believe that she can never sail again all of a sudden!? You guys have no idea how sturdy our ship is! That's the only reason you say that!"

The words stuck Usopp. It sounded exactly like what he had said about Merry.

Iceberg gave Luffy a cold stare. He seemed disappointed. "So, you will not be happy until it sinks. That is not what I expected. Is that how a captain behaves?"

Luffy flinched at the question. He was visibly shaking and actually looked closed to tears.

Zoro knew that Iceberg's words had cut him deeply, but it was something that Luffy needed to hear. As captain, Luffy couldn't live in denial. Not with the lives of his crew at stake. Especially with the lessons of that forsaken island undoubtedly still fresh in Luffy's mind.

Usopp felt like dirt watching everything. He didn't know Luffy was that broken up about Merry.

"We will leave it at that for now," Iceberg said, knowing that Luffy was too emotional to continue. "Think things over. If you want another ship, you can come back. We will talk then. With three-hundred million belli, we can build the very latest model." He turned to his secretary. "Kalifa."

She walked over to Luffy and handed him several sheets of paper. "Here, please consider it. This is a catalog of new and used ships. You can compare the prices."

As Luffy and Nami took in what happened, they had to quickly hide. Some agents from the government came to see Iceberg. The two Strawhats grabbed the suitcases and hid behind a tower of lumber.

As they hid, Luffy noticed something strange about two of the suitcases. His humming noise got Nami's attention.

"What's wrong?" Nami asked.

"I've just noticed when I picked up the suitcases to hide," Luffy said as he lifted one of the suitcases. "They're really light."

"Huh, why?" Nami asked before she began to wave her hand. "Oh, don't joke around like that. With all that money in them, they couldn't be light."

The two Strawhats looked at each for a moment before they opened the suitcases. They both screamed in horror.

"You idiots!" Paulie yelled as he ran to their hiding place. "What are you yelling about!?" His eyes widened and pointed frantically at Nami's skirt. "How dare you sit like that!"

Nami had other things on his mind to pay any attention to Paulie. "No...it can't be..."

"It just can't..." Luffy also stuttered.

Inside two of the suitcases, there was no money. The inside was even beat up.

"Our two-hundred million!" Luffy yelled.

"It's gone, it's really gone!" Nami screamed. "And now that I look at it, these suitcases are not even ours!"

"W...wha...wha...what should we do!?" Luffy stuttered in panic.

"Hey guys, what are you shouting about?" Lucci's pigeon asked as its master approached the Strawhats.

"Our money's gone!" Luffy yelled.

"It's just disappeared!" Nami shouted.

They were both white as ghosts. The sight would have been hilarious if the situation was not so serious and the current Strawhats didn't know how tragic everything would end.

"What!?" Paulie exclaimed in shock.

The pigeon pointed at Paulie. "Did you..."

"It wasn't me!" Paulie yelled defensively.

"Are you sure?" the pigeon asked, clearly not believing him.

"Why would I lie!?" Paulie yelled.

"By the way, Kaku, what were you doing with the Franky Family?" one of the shipwrights suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?" Kaku asked in confusion. "I haven't seen the Franky Family all day."

"That strange," the other man muttered. "I certainly remember seeing your long nose."

That key word got Nami's attention. "Hold that thought!"

The shipwright told Luffy and Nami what he saw, shocking the two Strawhats.

"That was Usopp!" Luffy exclaimed.

"He went with the Franky Family!" Nami yelled.

"He went with them, yes, after they bound and gagged him," the shipwright confirmed.

"Moron," Sanji muttered.

"They kidnapped him!" Nami yelled before she turned towards her captain. "Luffy, we have to find them!"

There, the memory ended.

The Strawhats become very silent; they know what was going to happened next. Even Brook could sense he was going to see something terrible.

"Franky, if you must, you may want to turn your eyes," Zoro advised.

Franky shook his head. "I'm already prepared, bro. Besides, it's all in the past and I don't blame you guys anymore for what's about to happen. If it was me, I would have done the same."

In a flash of light, the Strawhats stood outside Franky House. There, they saw Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper surrounding something on the ground. Their expressions were mostly blank, but the tenseness of their body's betrayed their true emotions.

The current Strawhats moved closer to see what their past selves were staring at. On the ground, broken and beating almost beyond recognition, was Usopp. He was covered in bruises and had footprints on his clothes. His nose was bent in unnatural angles, showing that it was clearly broken. It was also obvious that the young sniper was unconscious.

Usopp gasped at the image. He knew he was bad off, but he didn't know he looked this bad. He looked almost dead. The thing that unnerved him the most, however, was his tear-stained face. He remembered shedding them as he lost consciousness.

Brook was left speechless. He had never seen the sniper look this bad. Even after fighting Oars and two Pacifistas, Usopp had never looked this terrible. What happened to him?

Robin was silent, but her body started to shake. This was happening while she was turning herself to the government. She left her crewmate to suffer and she knew nothing of it. That one thought made her sick with disgust.

Franky felt ashamed. He did this. He had ruthlessly beat Usopp and thrown what was left of him to his men. He even remembered telling his men to have fun. Yeah, he thought Usopp was nothing more than another pirate who deserved no pity, but the beating was unnecessarily brutal. He knew that the man was weak and didn't need to break every bone in his body to prove it. Pirate or not, he was the bully in this.

Nami felt almost sick as she put a hand to her mouth. He looked even worse than he did when she found him broken on the streets of Water 7. What was he thinking taking on the entire Franky Family on his own? She wanted to be mad at Usopp for being so stupid, but she couldn't muster the emotion. Usopp just wanted to make things right and he risked his life to do it. In his eyes, he was failure for letting some thugs take their hard earned money.

"Is he breathing, Chopper?" Luffy asked. Their captain's voice broke the Strawhats out of their private thoughts.

"He's unconscious, but not dead," Chopper in the memory said softly as he checked Usopp's body. "He'll be okay. I can treat him."

Luffy put his hat down over his eyes. "Wait a little longer, Usopp."

Sanji casually lit a cigarette while Zoro tied his bandana over his head. Even Chopper looked unusually fierce in his Heavy Point as he glared at the Franky House. They all had bloodlust in their eyes.

The four Strawhat members slowly walked towards Franky House.

"We're going to level that stupid house to the ground," Luffy vowed to his friend.

Just as the Strawhats reached the door, one of the members of the Franky Family had the bad luck of opening the door for them. He was an unusually tall man with a cowboy hat and thick red-tinted sunglasses, but his status made no difference to the pirate crew.

Without even calling his attack, Luffy stretched his arm and punched the giant man in the face, knocking him back inside.

"What, what going on!?" one of the man screamed.

"Who the hell are you!?" someone demanded.

Everyone gasped when they realized who had come to their door. They knew him by his strawhat.

"Strawhat Luffy!" one of the members of the Franky Family shouted in horror.

Brook was quietly informed by Franky that his named was Zambai.

After the shock had worn out, some in the Franky Family were confident that they could take on the small pirate band.

"He's that long-nose's sissy captain," Zambai mocked.

This made the others in the Franky Family laughed.

"That just shows how weak you are!" one of the teased.

Franky shook his head at his gang. They never did learn when to shut their mouths.

Zoro's eye twitched slightly. He would think those fools would learn not to overestimate themselves after he had so easily kicked their asses. While, they made sure they learned this time.

One in the Franky Family with giant steel armor approached Luffy. "Hit me, small fry!"

Luffy lifted his head and his eyes burned with anger. "Gum Gum…"

He began to punch the armor man rapidly like he was doing his Gatling, but none of his attacks hit. Instead, Luffy purposely stopped his attacks short of hitting the man.

"And what is this?" the man asked mockingly.

Luffy gave no response and kept punching rapidly.

"If you're just going to play around, I'll finish you right now," the man said as he raised his axe.

Luffy punched so fast and for so long that his fists had heated up and his arms turned a bright red. He quickly merged all his punches into one huge attack.

"Cannon!" Luffy screamed as he blasted the armored man away from him and destroyed his armor in one hit.

This really freaked the members of the Franky Family out.

Zambai held his hands out in what looked like surrender. "Hey, hold on, guys! Let's talk this over! Let's talk... Fire the cannons!"

Five cannons pointed at the Strawhats and they fired. Zoro easily cut each cannonball like they were made of paper. While the Franky Family was stunned, Zoro sliced one of their cannons.

When fighting was no longer an option, they attempted to run.

Sanji was not going to let them get away and cut off their escape route. He got on one of the Franky Family member's head and spun around, wiping out everyone within his range.

The remaining members attempted to escape from the window, but were met with a pissed off reindeer who had just eaten a Rumble Ball.

Chopper went into his Horn Point and mercilessly rammed and impaled anyone who dared crossed his path. It was somewhat unnerving seeing shy and timid Chopper being so brutal.

"Wa…wait a minute guys!" Zambai attempted to reason. He was close to panicking "The money...that's what you want, right? The two-hundred million that weakling had!"

Luffy's eye twitched when the man called Usopp a weakling.

"I'm sorry to say that it's not here anymore!" Zambai shouted. "Our boss, Franky, took it and went on a shopping trip! We only deal with the black market, so we don't know where he is! To put it simply, no matter what you do to us, you can't get your two-hundred million belli..."

Luffy cut off Zambai in mid-sentence by punching him hard in the face.

"Zambai!" one of his companions yelled.

"That's enough talk," Sanji hissed. "That's not what this is about."

"Damn straight," Zoro barely said above a whisper. "It's too late."

"You can kiss your ass goodbye," Luffy said darkly as he glanced at every member of the Franky Family. He gave them all a look of unreserved contempt. "Leave no bone unbroken."

Everyone in the Franky House yelled and screamed in horror.

Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper all glared at the Franky Family, more than willing to follow their captain's order to the letter.

In one last desperate offensive, the Franky Family fired a giant cannon at the Strawhats that literally had everything in it. The Strawhats dodged the odd ammunition and charged the remaining members of the Franky Family.

What followed was one of the most brutal beat downs that some of the Strawhats had ever seen. Some of the members of the crew were surprise that no one was killed. Even Franky was stunned by what he was seeing, although his men did more or less deserve it.

Usopp stared, transfixed at the beating. They did this for him. They were mad at the Franky Family not for stealing their money, or dishonoring their crew, but because they dared hurt him. It made him feel even bitterer about the events that would soon happen after this was all over.

Brook flinched at he watched the memory. There was a lesson to be learn from this, don't end up on this crew's bad list.

Nami was also a little put off by viciousness of the beating, but after seeing the shape they had left Usopp, she didn't feel a bit of pity towards the Franky Family. Even if they were soon become their allies, they deserved what they got and more.

Robin stared blanked faced through everything. Her only regret was that she was not there to Clutch all of the people who dared harm her crewmate.

In one big explosion, the entire Franky House was brought down, leaving its members broken and defeated across the ground.

The Strawhats' revenge, however, was not yet fully complete. While Chopper treated Usopp, the remaining Strawhats waited patiently for Franky's return. It was he that the Strawhats truly wanted to fight, not his wimpy lackeys.

Franky was glad at that moment that he didn't return home until the next day. He may have been able to handle Luffy, but there was no way in hell he could take on the entire crew, especially with Zoro and Sanji there. He had severally underestimated the bond this crew shared and it was only by luck that he wasn't skin alive.

After a few minutes, when all their heads cleared, it became clear to the memory Strawhats that Franky would not be returning for a while.

"Should we go after Franky?" Sanji asked, breaking the tense silence.

"Where should we look?" Zoro asked almost bitterly as he retied his bandanna tightly around his arm.

"Dammit, we have no idea where the money went," Sanji cussed as he bit his cigarette. "And even if we nailed this Franky guy, he'll have finished his shopping already."

Zoro took a quick glanced at Luffy who was standing on the remains of the Franky House's crescent moon. "What do we do? Even if we wait for him, he won't be back for a while."

"I've finished with the first aid!" Chopper yelled. "We need to carry him on a stretcher, so everyone come help!"

"We won't get anywhere just talking about it," Sanji sighed in frustration. "Let's head back to the ship for now. We left Nami-san alone and there is Robin-chan to worry about, along with the situation with the ship."

Robin's eyes became downcast since she was listed with all of their other worries.

Sanji turned towards his captain. "Hey, Luffy!"

Luffy didn't immediately answer. "About the ship, I've decided." He paused for a second. "We're saying goodbye to the Going Merry."

The memory faded and almost immediately they were back on the Going Merry. It was now late afternoon and the orange rays of the sun poured onto the deck. The day itself was serene, which betrayed what was going to happen on the ship.

" _Must_ I see this?" Usopp whispered. He already had to relive this event once within the mist.

"Although this event is in the past, this is still a part of Luffy's memory," Zoro said as he turned towards Usopp. "This event is just as much a part of him as it is to you."

"I know, but..." Usopp started to say.

"Hey, Usopp's awake!" Chopper in the memory yelled happily as he ran out of the gallery and leaned against the railings.

"Great!" Luffy cheered.

Nami sighed in relief. "Thank goodness."

All the Strawhats in the memory rushed to see their injured crewmate who was resting in the gallery. Usopp was sitting in his makeshift bed, looking rather down. He didn't even bother putting up his usual cheerful front.

"You had us really worried!" Nami in the memory scolded.

"Damn right," Sanji in the memory said. Despite the harsh words, there was no real power in his voice. "You could have gotten yourself killed. We're just glad you made it out alive."

"Think things through before you act," Zoro in the memory reprimanded.

"You're one to talk!" Sanji in the memory yelled at Zoro.

Sanji nodded in agreement with his past self despite himself.

Through it all, Usopp looked he was on the verge of crying. "I've been nothing but a burden. I'm sorry." He suddenly stood up and threw himself at Zoro's legs and hugged the man fiercely. "I'm so shamed, guys!"

Zoro was completely taken off-guard by the outburst and attempted to shake Usopp off of him.

"We needed the money and I...I..." Usopp was near hysterical and couldn't speak properly.

"Stop it, calm down!" Zoro yelled as he pried Usopp off of him. "Okay, let me go!"

"But we had so much money!" Usopp screamed.

"Usopp, you should be in bed!" Chopper yelled in worry.

"Hear that? You should do what Chopper says," Nami said.

They eventually got Usopp to calm down after a few minutes. Once he had settled down, they told Usopp what had happened at Franky House and the current situation with the money.

"So, then there's no way to get the money back?" Usopp asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Well, we won't know until that Franky guy comes back," Luffy said optimistically.

"I see," Usopp whispered solemnly. "I'm sorry."

"Well, even if it's gone we still have one-hundred million belli," Luffy said cheerfully. "Don't worry about it." He began to laugh.

"Money is always something to worry about!" Nami yelled out of habit. It was only after the words had left her mouth that she realized that she said the wrong thing.

Luffy stopped laughing and stared at Nami. Everyone, even Sanji, gave her disproving looks.

"Sorry," Nami whispered in shame.

Nami lowered her head at her past self's behavior. That outburst only caused Usopp even more grief.

"No, it's okay," Usopp said as he pounded his fists. "But Luffy, what about the ship? What about Merry?"

Luffy smiled, but said nothing.

"Is one-hundred million enough to fix her?" Usopp asked almost desperately. "We're here at a first-class shipyard, so they can do it, right? They'll make the ship stronger than ever and we'll keep sailing. She'll be as good as new! So, can we afford to hire them a one-hundred million?"

Throughout Usopp's entire speech, all the Strawhats had saddened and sympathetic expressions. Brook and Franky were very uncomfortable at the scene. All except Luffy, who kept smiling.

"How about it, Luffy?" Usopp asked hopefully.

"Well, the thing is Usopp, about the ship...I've decided to get a new one," Luffy informed him like they were going shopping for meat.

Usopp stared at Luffy in disbelief.

"Maybe Luffy-san could have told him the news better," Brook said.

"That's just Luffy. He isn't good at breaking bad news, so he always tries to make everything positive," Sanji said.

"Besides, it's the captain's duty to maintain the mood of the crew. If he acted sad or upset, it would bring down the morale of the crew," Zoro said.

"I'm sorry I decided while you weren't around," Luffy said, although he didn't sound too sorry. "But I've decided! The Going Merry has been great to us, but it's time to say goodbye!"

Usopp couldn't believe what he was hearing.

All the Strawhats couldn't meet Usopp's eyes and there was a long silence to allow the young sniper time to take in the news.

"So look!" Luffy exclaimed as he held up the catalog that Kalifa had given him. He flipped through several pages. "I got this catalog from Ice-pop's place. There are a lot of brand new ships that we could build! Well, with one-hundred million, we could buy a really big used ship."

"Wait!" Usopp interrupted as he held out his hands. "Wait, wait, come on, that's pretty tasteless joke, not to mention ridiculous. Right?" he asked as he addressed the rest of the crew, who gave him awkward looks. "See, look, Chopper thinks you're serious! Our captain is such a kidder! Go ahead and tell him off, Nami."

No one said anything, and Luffy stared at Usopp. The sniper knew that look, despite rarely seeing it. It told him that Luffy was serious.

"What, you mean you can't afford the repairs? We can't afford it because I let them take the other two-hundred million, right!? That's it, isn't it Luffy?" Usopp asked desperately.

Luffy closed the catalog to stare at Usopp more directly.

"A first-class shipyard is going to have first-rate prices!" Usopp yelled.

Luffy held his hands up. "No, that's not it!"

"Then what is it!?" Usopp yelled. "Spit it out! Do you think I can't handle it!?"

"Of course not!" Luffy yelled, losing his cheerful demeanor. "Losing the money has nothing to do with this!"

"Then why are you spouting this shit about a new ship!?" Usopp yelled. He got a completely crazed look in his eyes.

"Stop it, both of you!" Zoro yelled breaking the argument. "What good is arguing going to do? Calm down and talk it over!"

Both Luffy and Usopp continued to glare at each other.

"How can I be calm about this!?" Usopp yelled. "This is the stupidest thing I've heard in my entire life!"

"Hey, this is important!" Nami yelled. "Don't get worked up!"

"She's right, Usopp," Chopper said worriedly. "You need to rest. Your body can't..."

"I don't give a damn!" Usopp shouted, completely stopping Chopper in mid-sentence.

Both Brook and Franky were shocked by Usopp's behavior.

Robin's eyes were wide in surprise as she stared at memory Usopp. She knew Usopp took the news about Merry badly, but not like this.

Usopp winched at his past self. How could be so mean to his crew? Especially Chopper who was only trying to help him.

"The captain simply says we're changing ships and I'm supposed to roll over and accept it!?" Usopp continued to yell.

Brook had to fight the urge to say, yes. A captain's order on a pirate ship was absolute. He also knew that Luffy was too nice to point that fact out to Usopp, especially since they were both emotional at the moment.

Luffy got right into Usopp's face. "It's not simple! It was a hard decision!"

"You make a hard decision and this is what happened!?" Usopp shouted he snatched the catalog out of Luffy's hands and threw it onto the floor. "Don't you dare wave this thing in my face and talk like that!"

Luffy scowled in anger. For a moment, it looked like he wanted to deck Usopp.

Brook shook his head as he watched the memory. If this were any other pirate crew, Usopp would have been shot by now.

Usopp became more upset as he watched his past self act more like an ass. He could see the pain in Luffy's face, but he just kept going. He was too lost in his own insecurities and grief to notice anything outside himself.

"What are you doing!?" Luffy demanded.

"I don't want to see it!" Usopp yelled. "Luffy, if it's not because of the money was stolen, then what is it then!? Tell me! Come on! Why aren't you saying anything!? If you think I can handle it, then don't hold back! Tell me! If you don't give me a reason, I'm not going to listen to another word!"

Luffy finally blurted out Merry's fate, shutting up Usopp.

Usopp had a look of utter horror on his face. "What did you say?"

"Don't make me repeat it!" Luffy almost growled bitterly. "The Merry can't be fixed!"

Usopp fell to his knees as Luffy's word sunk in.

Franky felt his heart go out to Usopp. He knew that Usopp already knew Merry's fate long before the others. The news from the shipwrights just confirmed everything he feared.

"If there was another way, I wouldn't be doing this!" Luffy yelled, but his voice held no anger, only grief and regret.

"It's our ship!" Usopp yelled as he patted the floor. "This ship we're all standing on!"

"That's right. The ship will sink," Luffy said with finality.

Usopp stared coldly at Luffy. "What are you talking about, Luffy?"

"It's true. That's what they said at the shipyard," Luffy said. "It won't even reach the next island."

"Oh, we won't reach it, huh?" Usopp asked almost mockingly. "So, you let some guy you just met feed you a line and you were happy with it?"

"What?" Luffy asked flatly.

"Some so-called first-class shipwright said it can't be done and you believe them!?" Usopp screamed in an accusing voice.

Now Luffy looked really pissed.

Usopp was practically begging his past self in his mind to shut up.

"We've been together for our whole journey! Through rough seas and battles! She's our comrade who has been with us through thick and thin! And you're just going to let her die!?" Usopp shouted.

There was a long silence on the ship and both men were shaking in rage.

"Is that all this ship means to you, Luffy?" Usopp asked softly, although he might as well had shouted it.

"That's enough, Usopp," Chopper pleaded. "If you keep on yelling like this..."

"Thanks, now move," Usopp said impatiently as he started to cough from exhaustion. "I'm not done yet."

"Usopp, please…" Nami attempted to reason, but stopped short when she saw how bloodshot Usopp's eyes were.

"So, you know better than the shipwrights?" Luffy asked almost in a dare. "We don't have a shipwright, remember!? That's why we had asked them in the first place!"

"That doesn't matter!" Usopp yelled defiantly. "We don't need any help from them! I'll repair her, like I always have! That's how we gotten this far, after all!" He crawled across the floor. "Okay, I'll go get started. You guys, come help too."

Franky shook his head as he watched Usopp.

Brook had a deep frown. At least he would if he had skin. Usopp was in complete denial.

Robin stared down at the sniper sadly.

"That won't work, Usopp," Sanji said firmly.

"You're right, we'll need more timber," Usopp said. "Go and buy some from the shipyard. We've got a lot of work to do."

Luffy finally lost his temper. "You're not a shipwright, Usopp!"

Franky, Brook, and Robin were stunned by the tone. They had never heard it from Luffy's mouth – at least, not towards a friend.

"Stop it, Luffy!" Nami yelled, trying to calm her captain down.

"Yeah, and what about it!?" Usopp dared as he reached for the catalog and crushed it in his hands. "Those workers won't go out on a limb to repair someone else's ship! I don't give a damn what some irresponsible shipwright who just gives up after just one look says!"

Franky frowned at Usopp's words. He knew that Usopp was only speaking out of anger and sorrow, but he didn't care for how he spoke about Galley-La. Kaku may be part of CP9, but he was also a shipwright hired by Iceberg. He knew his stuff.

"Usopp..." Nami in the memory started.

"This just shows us that we have to take care of the ship ourselves!" Usopp went on. "I swear...I won't abandon this ship! Have you all lost your minds!? Some big shot shipwright just fed you a convincing story and you believed them! The crewmates I know would see past their song and dance and believe in Merry's strength!" He finally stood up and walked towards Luffy. Once he reached him, he grabbed Luffy by the collar of his vest. "You're just spouting some oversimplified, senile bullshit while putting on the air of being captain. I misjudged you, Luffy!"

Franky and Brook gasped when they heard Usopp said that. They knew he had crossed the line.

Usopp was in tears listening to himself speaking to Luffy in that manner.

Luffy looked like he wanted to punch Usopp across the room.

"Wait, Usopp," Nami tried to reason again. "Luffy feels the same..."

This time, it was Luffy who cut Nami off. "Stay out of this, Nami! I've made my decision! I won't change my mind! No matter what you say, we're getting a new ship! We're saying goodbye to Merry here!"

"Don't give me that shit!" Usopp yelled while shaking Luffy. "I won't let you do it! Listen to me, Luffy, not everyone can tolerate following someone like you forever! I would never keep sailing if it meant leaving a wounded friend behind!"

"You're talking crazy!" Luffy shouted. "You can't treat a ship as a person even if it's our comrade!" He grabbed Usopp's hands and threw them off of him.

"Yes you can!" Usopp yelled angrily. "Merry still has power to go on! I know what you're thinking, you're hyped up about getting a new ship!"

"Hey guys, let it go!" Sanji yelled, tired of all the arguing. "Nothing good will come from being so hostile."

"That's enough out of you!" Luffy shouted as he tackled Usopp to the floor and pinned him. "Don't make it sound like you're the only one suffering! We all feel the same way!"

"Then how could you even think about changing ship!?" Usopp yelled as he struggled in Luffy's hold.

"Have it your way then!" Luffy sneered. "If you don't like how your captain does things, then get your ass off my..."

Sanji kicked Luffy in the face before he could complete the sentence. The kick was so powerful that Luffy broke the kitchen table on impact.

"Sanji!" Chopper exclaimed.

Sanji was breathing hard in anger. "You jackass, what were you about to say!? Get over yourself! Don't talk so carelessly!"

Luffy slowly picked himself up from the rubble and put his hat back on. He was much calmer now and was able to think straight. "I'm sorry. I let that slip out."

"No, it's okay, Luffy," Usopp said in a calm voice. "That's how you really feel, isn't it?"

"What!?" Luffy yelled.

Usopp rolled himself over and stood up. "Any crewmate who can't pull their weight gets cut loose and left behind. If you're going to do that to Merry, then do it to me too!"

There was a long pause as everyone stared at Usopp like he had grown a second head.

"Usopp, don't say stupid things!" Sanji scolded once he found his voice.

"No, I mean it," Usopp whispered. "I've done a lot of thinking. To tell you the truth, I've known that I could never be as incredible as you guys. Just as today, I couldn't even handle guarding some money."

All the Strawhats stared in disbelief at Usopp.

"Where you're heading, I'm nothing but a burden!" Usopp exclaimed as he fully stood up. "You don't need a weak crewmate, right? Luffy...you're the man who will be Pirate King. Well, as for me...I don't need to go that far. Come to think of it, just when I was about to set sail, you invited me to join."

There was another long silence as Usopp glared up at Luffy.

"That's the only relationship we have," Usopp said coldly. "There's no reason to sail together knowing we have different purposes!"

Luffy's eyes shook, but he made no move to say anything.

Usopp began to walk out the door.

"Hey Usopp, where are you going!?" Sanji yelled.

"I'll go wherever I want," Usopp answered coldly. "It's not your concern anymore. I'm...leaving the crew!"

Then he left the galley, leaving the Strawhats in silence.

Almost immediately, the memory changed and the Strawhats were standing outside the Merry. It was night and the wind blew heavily across shore.

Luffy was standing close to the Merry with his arms folded, while Usopp stood on the other side of him, close to the gate of Water 7. They stared at each other intensely, neither one of them moving.

"What's going on?" Brook asked as he looked between the two friends. They looked almost like enemies.

"This is when Usopp and Luffy had their duel," Zoro said in a neutral voice, speaking for the first time since the fall-out happened. "Usopp wanted to fight over who was going to have Merry."

Brook, if he had eyes, would have widened them in disbelief. "They're dueling over a ship that can't be saved? What sense does that make?"

"It's more of a duel of pride than of the Merry herself," Sanji said as he watched the memory. He too kept a blank expression.

Chopper wanted to turn his head. He didn't want to see anymore of this memory. He kept watching, however, for Luffy's sake. If he had to watch this terrible moment again to help his captain, then he would do it.

Nami's expression tightened as she prepared herself for the duel. Even with everything long settled, this was still hard to look at.

"So, you didn't lose your nerve after all," Luffy said coldly to Usopp. There was none of the friendliness that Luffy usually had in his voice. He spoke to Usopp like he was a true adversary. "No matter how this battle ends, you can't regret it. This is exactly what you asked for."

"That's perfect," Usopp answered in an equally cold voice. "Don't go easy on me. I won't be the underdog this time. In fact, I have already figured out a way to defeat you."

Franky tilted his head. "Really?"

Usopp couldn't speak as he watched himself. Despite his words and self-assurance, he knew he couldn't actually beat Luffy. By endurance alone, he had nothing to put Luffy down for any length of time. Still, he had to try. For nothing else then to prove to himself that he could handle the best.

Luffy slowly unfolded his arms as he prepared to make his move.

"Make no mistake, I'm not like any other opponent you faced before," Usopp said as he pointed at his former captain. "We've been friends a long time. I know all your powers. All your strengths and your weaknesses."

"Well, they do say to keep your friends close," Franky said in some humor.

"Usopp does have a slight advantage," Robin said softly, speaking for the first time since the conflict had happened. "He can hit Luffy from a distance, while Luffy's attacks become weaker the longer he stretches. As long as Usopp stays out of Luffy's primary range, he will have the upper hand."

"But there's something you don't know about me," Usopp in the memory suddenly said as he narrowed his eyes. "I have eight-thousand men on my side!"

Luffy became annoyed hearing this. It wasn't the lie that made him mad, but that Usopp had the nerve to invoke the memory of their first meeting.

It had the desired effect as the memory flashed for a moment to Luffy meeting Usopp up on that cliff. The Strawhats could see in vivid detail Usopp boasting about his army of pirates, surrounded by dozens of pirate flags.

"If you don't surrender now, I'll order them to attack!" Usopp in the memory yelled, bringing the memory back to Water 7.

Chopper in the memory completely freaked out, thinking that Usopp's lie was true.

"Really, you fell for that?" Franky muttered as he sweat-dropped.

"If you're going to fight, at least take this seriously!" Luffy yelled in anger, tired of Usopp's mind game.

Usopp responded by pumping his arms in the air and yelling about razor sharp needles in teeth.

"What is Usopp doing?" Brook asked, completely baffled by the bizarre behavior.

"He is trying to provoke Luffy into making the first move," Robin surmised.

Luffy finally had enough of Usopp's rants and charged in, fully intending to deck Usopp across the shore.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy yelled as he prepared to throw his punch.

At that moment, Usopp suddenly coughed up a fountain of blood and collapsed to his knees, startling Luffy. He immediately stopped his attack as he looked at Usopp in concern.

"What!?" Brook exclaimed in shock.

"Was he hurt that badly?" Franky asked, feeling a slight pang of guilt in his chest.

Robin looked down at the 'blood' and realized that it was too thick. "That is not blood."

Usopp in the memory held out his 'bloody' hand and glared at Luffy. "Special Attack, Ketchup Star."

"I see," Brook whispered as he glanced at their Usopp. "You played off of Luffy's pity for you."

Usopp lowered his eyes in shame. It was a dirty trick. Knowing how sensitive Luffy was to seeing his friends hurt, that one trick hurt him more than a physical attack.

"Pity for your enemy," Usopp mocked mercilessly as he stood up. He sounded insulted that Luffy had showed concern for him. "That's awful arrogant of you, don't you think?"

Luffy growled, upset by Usopp's words.

He moved to punch Usopp, but that moment of hesitation gave Usopp the time needed to lift up a dial. Before Luffy knew what was happening, a bright flash hit his eyes.

The entire memory flashed white, causing the Strawhats to cover their own eyes.

"What happened!?" Brook exclaimed. "It feels like my eyes are burning up! …Although I have none!"

"Usopp hit Luffy with a Flash Dial," Nami explained as she attempted to see again.

The entire memory was whited out, making it impossible for the Strawhats to see anything.

"Special Attack, Egg Star!" Usopp in the memory yelled.

The Strawhats heard the sound of eggs being broken, but they saw nothing. They did, however, smell something rotten in the air.

"What is that?" Franky asked as he fanned his face in disgust. "Smells like someone farted."

Sanji sighed. "Usopp pelted Luffy with rotten eggs." He still hated how Usopp would let food go bad just to power his attacks.

Chopper was near tears by the odor since he had such a sensitive nose. It felt like he was going to faint. "How old were those things?"

"Have to be more than a couple of weeks for them to get that bad," Zoro said as he casually fanned his face.

Luffy had the same thought as he screamed at the terrible smell assaulting his senses. "They stink! They're rotten! How old are these!?"

The memory started to clear a little as Luffy's vision slowly returned. Usopp was reaching into his bag as Luffy glared at him for shooting rotten food at him.

"Dammit, will you stop messing around already!" Luffy yelled in annoyance.

"You think this is a joke, huh?" Usopp asked darkly. "Because I'm dead serious."

Luffy growled at him. "Oh yeah!?"

"This is the way I fight!" Usopp yelled with anger in his eyes.

"True," Robin stated. "Luffy does not fight too well against tricksters. He is too straightforward and honest."

Usopp in the memory took aim. "Careful, or that gaping mouth of yours is going to get burnt!" He fired something at Luffy.

Luffy didn't get a chance to move as something flow into his mouth. By habit, he bit down on the strange object and got a nasty surprise. His mouth started to burn and he screamed in pain as he fanned his flaming mouth.

He was so distracted by his current discomfort that he failed to noticed that Usopp had booty trapped the ground he was standing on. In a span of a second, the entire ground was covered in spiky jacks.

By the time Luffy realized this, he fell on the ground and several of the jacks got embedded into his back and butt. He justifiably screamed in agony as he hopped around.

"Oh, he's going to be picking jacks out his butt tonight," Franky said as he winced.

"I have to admit, Usopp, I did not know you were so adapt at sensory torture," Robin mused. "You are taking complete advantage of the fact that Luffy hates minor discomforts and tends to overreact."

Usopp glanced at Robin, but said nothing. What could he say? Causing Luffy physical discomfort was the best he could do. It was mild compared to the mental torture he was subjecting Luffy to during the duel.

"Listen, Luffy! You can pity me if you want!" Usopp in the memory yelled. "But, I'm going to beat you and take the Merry with me! And I don't care what it takes!"

Luffy was too busy trying to crawl his way out of the spike battlefield with minimum damage to pay too much attention to Usopp. He wasn't doing too well given how many times he stabbed his foot on the spikes.

When he was able to stand straight up, he was hit by a paper ball that exploded in his face.

"Special Attack, Pepper Star!" Usopp yelled.

Luffy fell back onto the jacks, stabbing his hand and legs. To add to his misery, he was now sneezing uncontrollably from the pepper. He also couldn't see straight since his eyes were watering badly.

Within moments, Luffy was making sounds that were a mixture of sneezing and crying in pain. It was bizarre, almost funny to hear.

"I've forgotten how Usopp just controlled this entire fight," Sanji mused. He almost wanted to laugh, since much of the drama from before was gone.

"Like I said, I know you," Usopp in the memory said. "So, I know what attacks are going to work the best."

Luffy was finally able to regain control of himself as he position himself in a way where the jacks were not sticking him.

"Dammit, this stuff stinks, my mouth is burning, and it hurts," Luffy complained.

"I'm not going to give you an inch, you hear me!" Usopp yelled fiercely. "Special Attack, Shuriken Shooting Star!"

Luffy's eyes widened when he saw a horde of shurikens heading right for him. He jumped out of the way, but he had to triad carefully since he was still in the jack field. This made him easy prey as Usopp mercilessly shot rows of shurikens at him.

"Were you trying to _kill_ Luffy or something?" Brook asked at the brutality of the assault. One of those shurikens could have seriously wounded Luffy.

"I knew I had to go all out, so I did," Usopp said softly.

"Question, where did you buy those things and why don't you fight like this more often?" Franky asked. "I personally have never seen you use lethal force before."

"As I said, I had to go all out. Luffy would not be subdued by anything short of excessive force," Usopp said.

Luffy finally escaped the jack trap and was now able to easily evade the shurikens, but it wasn't long before Luffy knew something was wrong. The entire battle began to fill with some kind of yellowish smoke and there was a loud hissing sound in the distance.

He looked around for a second in confusion and saw a dial not too far from him emitting the smoke.

"I'm using a Breath Dial," Usopp said when he saw Luffy noticed the dial. "You didn't notice the smell because of the rotten eggs. And now, you're completely surrounded by gas."

"Clever," Robin said.

"So, everything up to this point was a set up to allow that gas to build," Franky stated. "Since Luffy's senses were hindered by the eggs and pepper, he wouldn't be able to detect it."

Luffy's eyes widened in horror. He knew he was in trouble.

"Sorry!" Usopp, who he didn't sound particular apologetic, said as he shot a flame star at Luffy.

Within moments, the entire area exploded, startling the Strawhats who were seeing the duel for the first time.

"What kind of gas did you put in there!?" Franky asked as he covered his face. "It's like a napalm bomb went off! How did you even afford all this equipment for this duel?" It's no wonder the idiot didn't have enough money for food when he found him.

Chopper could say nothing as he watched everything. It was even worse than he remembered.

"I've never seen you so aggressive," Brook said as the explosion engulfed the shore. "You've never fought like this before."

Usopp chose not to say anything. The shame that built in his throat made it impossible for him to speak.

When the fire started to clear, Luffy was lying on the ground. He didn't appear hurt. If anything, the explosion just slightly burnt his skin. It was his eyes that told the crew everything.

He looked angry. Whether he was angry at Usopp for beating him, or wondering how everything had reached this point to begin with, none of the Strawhats could tell.

The memory shifted again and the Strawhats saw scenes of Yasopp telling stories about his son to a half awake Luffy. They also saw flashes of Luffy's first meeting again along with the memory of Usopp happily joining the crew.

Usopp teared up as he watched those memories.

Luffy eventually stood up and began to walk slowly out of the smoke that surrounded him. Once again, Luffy's eyes told his crew what he was thinking. At that moment, he wanted to hurt Usopp.

"I'm no fool," Usopp in the memory hissed. "I realize that it will take more than that to beat you."

Luffy kept walking towards Usopp. Oh yes, he wanted to hurt Usopp badly now.

"I know you, Luffy," Usopp said as his eyes narrowed. "You fight every battle with all your strength. But, I'm ready for any technique you got!"

Luffy charged at Usopp as he released a battle yelled. "Gum Gum Gatling!"

"Special Attack, Blasting Cactus Star!" Usopp yelled as he shot a small ball at Luffy.

When the ball hit Luffy's fists, it exploded into dozens of small spikes, nearly taken Luffy's eyes out and covering his body.

Luffy cried in pain as attempted to pull the small spikes out. Some were buried fairly deep into his skin.

Chopper cringed seeing that. He spent half the night pulling those things out.

Without waiting for Luffy to regain his bearings, Usopp rapidly shoot Luffy with exploding stars.

Luffy was forced to jump around the shore to keep from being blown up.

"I didn't think things went this far," Franky said softly. It really looked like Usopp was trying to kill Luffy, not just annoy or beat him.

Usopp could only stare in horror at the memory.

Chopper was now fully in tears. It was like he was really reliving this terrible event.

For Brook, this break up was one of the worst he had ever seen among pirates. Two crewmates...no, _friends_ , shouldn't be fighting like this. Especially after everything they had seen and experienced.

Zoro looked at everything as dispassionately as he did back then. Although, seeing this again brought to light how badly Usopp had hurt Luffy. Throughout their entire argument and most of their duel, he could tell by the subtitle movements in his captain's eyes that he was on the verge of tears.

Usopp's accusations that Luffy would leave a friend behind just for being weak must have pierced the most given everything Luffy has done to protect his crew, including sacrificing his own life and health.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy yelled as he nailed Usopp's in the face from across the battlefield. Once Luffy's arm returned, he charged in for the finisher. "Gum Gum Bazooka!"

Usopp, however, took him by surprise and brought his hands up. When Luffy's attack hit, it was absorbed into a dial.

"Recognize this? I bet that Bazooka would have hurt," Usopp asked almost mockingly as held up the dial. "Let's find out!"

Because of Luffy's pervious momentum, he was unable to stop himself from running into Usopp.

"Impact Dial!" Usopp screamed as he hit Luffy point blank in the face.

Luffy was pushed back and blood spurted from his mouth.

Usopp's arm cracked and popped from the stress of the Impact Dial and was forced to his knees. "How's that, dammit!?"

Despite being hit by the force of his own attack, Luffy righted himself and landed gratefully several feet away from Usopp.

Usopp in the memory knew at that moment that he had lost. He had used all his tricks, all his techniques, and Luffy still stood tall. The outcome was expected, but it didn't make it hurt less.

Usopp chose to glare at Luffy as he slowly stood up on his unsteady legs. He refused to be defeated on his knees and to show defiant even in the end.

Luffy returned Usopp's glare with one of his own. They stood like that for several seconds, both breathing hard from the exertion from the battle.

As Usopp looked at the memory, he noticed a look in Luffy's eyes that he hadn't noticed until now. He was so caught up with himself at the time that he didn't see it at all. The look that shone in his captain's eyes was a look of betrayal, hidden beneath all his anger and hurt. He had betrayed Luffy.

Seeing it so clearly now, he felt sick. He had said some unforgivable things to his captain – no, his friend. He had damaged Luffy just because he was too hurt and selfish to see the suffering around him.

The memory shifted again and the Strawhats saw brief scenes of when Luffy met Usopp, when he joined the crew, and all the good times they had up to that point on their many adventures. Those memories were now very faint, unlike before, almost like they were disappearing as the harsh reality of the present took hold.

Luffy continued to glare at Usopp as the emotional turmoil continued within him.

" _Since you can't see it, I'll tell you_ ," the Baron's voice sadistically resonated across the memory. " _The man with the long nose has just died._ "

" _Usopp!_ " Luffy's voice screamed in despair.

Luffy moved to what he knew was the final attack of the duel. His eyes were void of emotion as he readied himself to do his duty as captain.

" _A captain who can't protect even one of his friends is worthless,_ " the Baron's voice continued to taunt from the grave.

Usopp's broken body in front of the Franky's House appeared for a brief moment before it disappeared.

The Strawhats were left physically sick by the images they were seeing. To have this happen so soon after that Baron had ripped Luffy apart must have been soul crushing. Luffy undoubtedly must have felt that everything that had happened was his fault. He failed to protect Usopp and now his friend was lashing out in anger and grief over money and a sick ship.

Usopp could only shake in his place. This was far worse than when he was forced to relive this moment.

"Gum Gum Bullet!" Luffy shouted as he nailed Usopp in the stomach, sending the sniper tumbling back. Blood gushed out of Usopp's mouth as he fell onto the cold ground.

There was nothing but silence for what felt like an eternity. Not even the wind bothered to blow.

Luffy went to his knees and clutched the arm that had punched Usopp with like he wanted to rip it off. His fists were meant to protect, not harm those he held dear. "You dumbass! You _knew_ you couldn't beat me!" he yelled harshly.

Usopp's harsh breathing was his only response.

Luffy looked like he would cry right there, but he forced his body to stand up and turned away from his now former crewmate. Slowly, he began to walk away, heading back to the Merry for the final time. On his way towards the ship, Luffy grabbed his fallen hat and placed it firmly on his head, covering his eyes.

"Do whatever you want with Merry," Luffy said in a tight voice. "We're getting a new ship and sailing on." He walked away again. "Goodbye, Usopp," he said softly as the memory faded.


	22. CP9

The Strawhats spent a while reflecting as they waited in the void.

For Robin, Franky, and Brook, the argument and duel left them unnerved. They had heard of the big fight in passing, but to actually see how the situation disintegrated was like actually living in that moment. They could only imagine how the older Strawhats felt being forced to relive such a painful memory that nearly shattered their whole crew, especially Usopp.

Usopp was silently sobbing as he wrapped his arms around himself. He had been such a fool. Looking back, he wondered how Luffy ever took him back. Yeah, he had apologized, but he wouldn't even have had to do that much if Zoro had not intervened. What he had done was an insult not only to Luffy as a friend, but as a captain.

He hated to admit it but, until that point, he didn't respect Luffy's status. Luffy was their captain, but he never took to mind the full weight of what that title meant and all the responsibilities that came with it. It was too easy for him as someone who used to play captain to assume that he could push Luffy around like a kid on a playground. If Luffy was as emotionally blinded as he was and kept Merry, he would have killed all of them and their blood would be on his hands.

On top of everything, he had crushed Luffy's heart after he saw him die not even a few weeks ago. He had mocked Luffy's pain and suffering and all but called him a selfish child who only thought of himself, and not his comrades. That he would abandoned a friend because they were no longer useful to him. It was an unforgivable sin, one of the worst he could have committed as a friend or a pirate. He betrayed his captain.

Usopp could feel the weight of his regret tightening around his chest like a physical pain and he felt the mist become cold around him. It was like he was being consumed.

"What we have seen is in the past," Zoro's voice suddenly knocked the entire crew out of their musings and getting Usopp's attention. "Hurtful words were said by both sides and the end result was tragic, but none of that matters anymore. It's all in the past where it belongs, and these events should have no bearings on us, except as a warning." He looked directly at Usopp. His eye had a gentle aura around it. "Do not let the guilt of a time long past consume you, or everything that we have done would be in vain."

Usopp stared at Zoro in disbelief for several seconds. It was like Zoro was able to feel the pain that was trying to rip his soul apart.

"Zoro's right," Nami said in an unusually gentle voice as she placed her hand on Usopp's shoulder and smiled. "You fought and won against your demons already. Don't let them take you now. Luffy, and all of us, have long since forgiven you. The past doesn't matter anymore."

Usopp was close to tears as he took in his crewmates' words. He glanced at each of his friends and they all had small smiles on their faces, easing his guilt and he felt the air warmed around him again.

Zoro and Nami were right. The past was the past. There was nothing that could be done to change events that had already happened and allow regret to consume him. He could only learn from his mistake and make sure this never happened again.

Besides, his captain needed him. The pain Luffy was going through was much worse than his. They were here to save him, not cry over spilled milk.

"Dumbass has a point when it counts," Sanji said, breaking the tender mood.

Zoro growled at him, but thankfully it didn't dissolve into another one of their fights.

The next memory finally came and the Strawhats stood on a roof of one the buildings in Water 7. The view was spectacular and gave a wide view of the entire city. The mood on the roof, however, was anything but light.

The Strawhats stood by Luffy as he sat alone on the roof, looking down at the city, but seeing nothing with his vacant eyes. His mood was completely downcast and it looked like had been crying, judging by the slight puffiness under his eyes. It also appeared that he hadn't slept either given the dark circles and his haggard appearance.

Usopp found himself reaching for Luffy's shoulder, but stopped short. It was a memory. Still, he longed to comfort his captain. To tell him everything would work out in the end.

"Where's Luffy?" someone asked. The voice belonged to Sanji.

"Up there," the voice of Chopper muttered softly.

The Strawhats saw that some distant away on another roof was the rest of the Strawhats, minus Robin and Nami.

"He could hear you even from this distance?" Brook asked in amazement.

Chopper nodded. "Luffy always had good senses. He must have been listening to us on the roof the entire time."

"Sanji, where did you go?" Chopper in the memory asked the cook.

"I spent the night keeping watch on the rocky cape," Sanji answered in a tired voice. "I thought Robin-chan might come back." There was a long pause. "Where would she go without telling us?"

Robin closed her eyes in guilt. How much pain had she caused her crew, especially with everything that happened between Luffy and Usopp. She hated herself for causing them so much extra stress.

"We've had nothing but trouble on this island," Chopper in the memory said bitterly. "Our money was stolen, and that whole thing with Usopp... He was already badly hurt...he'll be so feverish that he won't be able to move!"

Usopp unconsciously nodded his head. He was quite sick and was laid out for the entire morning. Not too shocking given that he was beat up several times by the Franky Family, Franky, and then Luffy. He was surprise that he was even able to get up. Although, the emotional pain made his physical discomfort feel minor.

"Chopper," Zoro in the memory interrupted. His voice had a cold edge. "You have to stop talking about him."

This earned another round of silence.

Usopp felt even lower than dirt as he looked at his crewmates' suffering. How could he be so selfish?

"I'm going to search around today," Sanji in the memory said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Do you think we'll find Robin?" Chopper asked in concern.

"I'm not sure," Sanji answered honestly. "She must still be within the city. We just don't know where. Let's meet back here if anything happens."

"I want to help you look!" Chopper insisted.

"I see," Sanji said.

A loud bang stopped all conversation.

"Luffy!" Nami's scream echoed across the area.

"Nami-san!" Sanji exclaimed in surprise.

"S...Something happened!" Nami yelled completely out of breath. "Everyone in town is talking about it!"

Luffy didn't turn his head, but he was staring at Nami out of the corner of his eyes.

"Luffy, last night, something happened to Iceberg from the shipyard!" Nami yelled.

Now, Luffy's head turned when he heard this.

"Iceberg has been shot!" Nami yelled, ending the memory.

Within seconds, the Strawhats were standing in one of the waterways in Water 7. The entire river passage was backed up with people staring at something in horror.

"What's going on?" Chopper asked as he looked around in confusion.

"Show yourself, Strawhat Luffy!" a very familiar voice screamed.

The Strawhats looked up to see Franky in his original cyborg form standing at the top of one of the bridges. He had his glasses up on his forehead and looked generally pissed.

Next to him were two women who looked like twins with square haircuts and slightly long pointy noses. They were an odd-looking bunch.

"Oh, I remember this," Franky said as he stared up at himself. "This is when I confronted Luffy about attacking my men."

"Yeah, you're right," Nami said.

"I know you're around here somewhere," the Franky in the memory said as he looked for his quarry.

"What, that weirdo is calling my name," Luffy said in bewilderment.

He was in a boat being pulled by a Yagara Bull. Nami was also with him and was just as confused as he was about the man calling him.

"Everyone is calling him Franky," Nami in the memory noted.

The look on Luffy's face completely changed when he heard that name. His face filled with rage as he glared up at the cyborg. Luffy's entire body shook and his hands balled into fists so tight that his palms would have bled. The Strawhats could feel their captain's anger pulsing out of his body, unnerving some of them.

"So he's...it was him!" Luffy growled. He sounded close to a fierce beast. An image of Usopp's broken body flashed across the memory.

Usopp was taken off-guard by Luffy's anger. After everything he did to him last night, Luffy still wanted to avenge him.

Franky felt uneasy. He was so pissed with Luffy for beating up his family that he failed to noticed how angry he was.

"Luffy?" Nami in the memory whispered.

"Hey, sea panties!" Luffy yelled.

Sanji snickered, despite the seriousness of the situation. "Sea panties, huh?"

Franky blushed at the nickname. He had forgotten that. Thank goodness that nickname didn't catch on.

"Luffy always know how to give creative names to people," Zoro said in mild amusement as he eagerly awaited the fight. Despite all of these events being in the past, and Franky being one of his crewmates now, he still wanted to see his captain kick Franky's butt for all the pain he had caused them. After what he did to Usopp, he deserved some discomfort.

Franky in the memory glared at Luffy. "Huh?"

"I'm Luffy," he hissed.

"There you are!" Franky screamed. "You're Strawhat Luffy, huh?"

Luffy didn't answer, but he continued to glare hatefully at Franky.

"You threw a hell of a party while I was away, kid," Franky said as he cracked his neck. He started to dance with the two square-haired girls on both sides of him. "When I got back, I couldn't believe my eyes. I could barely recognize my house. You beat my boys up pretty good! And that was the last straw!" he yelled as he crossed his arms and finished his 'song'. "This week, Franky's unstoppable! No matter what you say, my anger won't subside until I've mopped the floor with you!"

Sanji rolled his eyes. "That song didn't even rhyme."

"Hey, it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing," Franky grumbled.

"Just a second!" Nami in the memory interrupted. "What did you do with our two-hundred million belli!? Give it back!"

Franky looked amused by the question. "Huh, two-hundred million belli? I already spent it all!"

Now Nami was the one pissed.

"Don't act like you have claim to stolen money, pirates!" Franky in the memory mocked.

"If you only knew what we went through to get that gold," Nami muttered angrily as she watched the memory.

"I still have burn scars from that shitty god," Sanji grumbled.

Brook looked at all of his crewmates. Despite all of this being in the past, these memories were reopening many old scars.

"I don't care about that!" Luffy shouted.

"I do! It's money!" Nami in the memory yelled.

"I'm not going to be satisfied until I've kicked you ass!" Luffy yelled at Franky.

"I'm the one who won't be satisfied, dumbass!" Franky countered.

"Hard to believe there was so much hatred between Luffy-san and you," Brook finally said.

Robin nodded in agreement. She could feel the strong loathing between the two men.

Franky nodded as he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, we really got off on the wrong foot, to put it mildly."

"How did you guys overcome such a strong divide?" Brook asked.

"Like with Robin, fire forged friendships," Zoro answered. "And there was a lot of fire."

"Fine, get down here and let's do it!" Luffy yelled, ready to fight.

This was the citizens' cue to get out of there. They quickly cleared the waterway for Luffy and Franky's fight. They were yelling something about Franky destroying everything.

"Looks like you did this before, Franky," Robin mused.

"Well, I did kind of have a rep for causing some collateral damage when I was mad," Franky said modestly.

"Some?" Nami mumbled as she recalled how Franky nearly destroyed the shipyard with his Coup de Vent. Then again, if he hadn't done that, Luffy and she would have been killed by the shipwrights and that mob.

Franky in the memory began to take in a huge breath, making his chest enlarged.

"What is he doing?" Nami in the memory asked with an edge of fear.

Luffy also seemed concerned. Before he knew it, a giant fireball was heading straight for him.

The Yagara Bull that was pulling the two Strawhats cried in fear and quickly swam Luffy and Nami away from the fire blast.

"Luffy got careless. He shouldn't have challenged Franky on the water," Zoro noted.

Sanji shook his head. "That rubber moron never thinks ahead."

"Once again, that's why I don't want an ability. Being limited by water sucks," Franky said.

"He's blowing fire!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.

"What _is_ he!?" Nami asked in a near panic.

"Never seen anyone breathe fire?" Franky within the memory asked in a mocking voice.

"Maybe he has a Devil Fruit power!" Nami suggested.

"Which fruit did he eat?" Luffy asked.

Franky chuckled. "So far off the mark."

"Well a cyborg was the furthest thing from our mind," Nami countered.

Chopper nodded. "Until Franky, we've never seen one before."

Franky within the memory suddenly jumped off the bridge and dived into the river, surprising Luffy and Nami.

"What's that idiot doing?" Luffy questioned. "He jumped in the water! Is he insane? If he has eaten a Devil Fruit, he'll sink and drown!"

"He must have slipped and fell," Nami suggested. "He definitely had a fire-breathing power."

"Slipped and fell, how clumsy do you think I am?" Franky asked as he crossed his arms. "I'm as graceful as a swan."

"For some reason, I have a hard time believing that," Sanji said as he sweat-dropped.

The Yagara put its head into the water like it had seen something. Within seconds, its head suddenly shot back up and it had a look of terror on its face.

Before either Strawhat could reflect on this, their boat was broken in half sending both Luffy and Nami flying into the air.

"What's with this guy!?" Luffy yelled towards Nami. "He can swim!?"

Nami was too busy screaming to answer.

"I didn't eat a Devil Fruit!" Franky exclaimed.

Luffy righted himself in mid-air and prepared to take the offensive. "Gum Gum..."

"I've heard about your ability," Franky said as he put his arm out. "Strong Right!"

Before Luffy could finish his attack, he was slammed in the chest by Franky's outstretched arm. Luffy was thrown back until he hit a stonewall that led into the shipyard.

"What?" Nami whispered.

When the arm retracted, Luffy fell and hit the ground with a hard thud.

"Luffy!" Nami exclaimed.

Franky stepped out of the water and approached the down strawhat captain with a smug smile.

"What...what did you do?" Nami asked.

"Oh, you guys didn't know?" Franky teased. "Well then, I'll explain." He loosened his arm to reveal the metal chain that was connecting his hand. "I'm a reconstructed human. A cyborg!"

Luffy looked more annoyed than impressed.

"You're doing well against Luffy-san," Brook noticed.

Franky glared at the musician. "Why are you so surprise? I'm super strong, especially that week!" He stuck a pose.

"If you haven't noticed, Luffy doesn't do well in unfamiliar situations," Zoro said. "Franky is doing so well because Luffy didn't expect his abilities and doesn't know how to properly handle them yet."

Although he didn't say it, Zoro also knew that Luffy was doing poorly against Franky because he hadn't eaten or slept since last night. Luffy was truthfully tired and exhausted.

"Hey, are you saying that I'm not strong!?" Franky yelled at the swordsman.

"I think what Zoro is saying is that Luffy's lack of experience greatly hindered him in his fight against you. You are more prepared since you already knew what Luffy's powers were and how to counter them," Robin explained.

Franky paused in thought as he got out of his pose. "I guess that's true."

"Some of the advantage of having an ability is making people guess what powers you have," Nami said. "Some users become greatly weaker once they lose the element of surprise." As she spoke, Kalifa came to mind. Once she saw all that she could do, it became simple to avoid her powers.

"Especially us paramecia users," Robin stated.

"What do you mean?" Chopper asked.

"Paramecia types are one of the easiest types of Devil Fruit users to fight since our abilities are more limited compare to a logia or even a zoan," Robin explained before she glanced at her captain. "Let's take Luffy for example. Luffy can stretch, take physical blows, and has an immune to lightning. That is the extent of his power."

"But Luffy's Devil Fruit can do far more than that. Just look at his Gears," Usopp argued.

"Even Luffy's Gears are bound to the limits of rubber. Compared to a logia, Luffy has a very shallow movepool," Robin stated. "It is the same with me. I can bloom any part of my body anywhere and that is the extent of my power. With training, I learned how to merged my limbs to make bigger limbs and create clones of myself, but my powers still works on the same principle, I just learned how to use my ability better. Once someone is aware of my ability, they can easily counter it."

Franky chuckled. "I don't think your powers are easy to counter even if people know how it works. As for Luffy, his Devil Fruit maybe limited, but he's far from predictable."

Nami nodded. "That's the truth."

"And that's one of Luffy's powers. His unpredictability," Zoro said.

The fight between Luffy and Franky quickly escalated and the two rogues soon found themselves battling inside the shipyard. Cranes were knocked down, piles of lumber were broken, and building structures were torn apart during the clash.

Several workers and shipwrights attempted to stop them, but neither fighter would be denied their vengeance. They were both out of control.

It didn't help that Nami and the Square Sisters were both cheering their sides on like this was sporting event.

"Sheesh, you guys really wrecking the shipyard," Sanji said as another crane went down.

Franky laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. "I guess me and Luffy did get a little carry away. We were both caught up in the moment, you know?"

"I guess we should be thankful that Iceberg didn't make us pay for the damage," Nami said as she watched the fight.

"Get ready for an ass beating!" Luffy exclaimed when the fight had calmed down a little.

Franky in the memory laughed at him. "Go ahead and try! You moves are not even scratching me!" He lifted his arm. "Weapon Left!"

Luffy barely evaded a cannonball that was shot out of Franky's hand.

"Gum Gum Whip!" Luffy yelled as attempted to kick Franky.

The cyborg easily blocked the kick and grinned. Before either one could counter, however, the fight was interrupted when Paulie and another shipwright punched the two fighters, knocking them into a nearby lumber pile.

"Well, seems like the party is over," Zoro said as he looked over the shipwrights. They looked rightfully pissed.

"Who did that!?" Luffy demanded. He immediately calmed down when he saw it was Paulie and the other shipwrights from yesterday.

"I'm pretty tired of the trouble you have been causing," Paulie said to Luffy. His eyes were narrowed and he had none of his previous friendliness. He was pissed and it wasn't over the damage to the shipyard. "What are you after, Strawhat!?"

"What's wrong with Paulie?" Chopper asked fearfully.

"Did you forger? He thinks we tried to kill his boss," Zoro said.

Brook turned towards the other swordsman in shock. "What?"

Nami sighed and shook her head. This was when things went from bad to worse. "Just keep watching.

All the shipwrights were staring coldly at the strawhat captain as the crowd cheered for them, thankful that the fighting had stopped before more of Galley-La was destroyed.

"Galley-La, what do you want?" Franky demanded in an annoyed voice. "It's not nice to interrupt two guys when they're fighting! Are you looking for trouble?"

"You're one to talk. The amount of damage you caused to this shipyard is enough reason to break you up," Kaku stated.

"That's right, Franky! How are you going to make up for this!?" a big shipwright with a thick salt and pepper beard yelled. The man had a booming voice that made the Strawhats' ears ring.

"Not the first time you've wrecked the shipyard, huh?" Usopp asked, although he could already guessed the answer.

Franky laughed nervously. "So, I had some run ins with Galley-La. It was nothing serious."

"Hold on, Tyleston," Kaku said. "We'll settle that later. We have more pressing matters at hand."

Paulie turned his attention back towards Luffy. "Strawhat, you still remember, don't you? How dare you show your face here again!"

"What?" Luffy asked in shock and bafflement. "We heard what happened to Ice-pops…"

Paulie's growl stopped Luffy in mid-sentence.

"Eh, I guess what you did to my house wasn't enough," Franky said. "Now you're messing with Galley-La too? Your crew is a bunch of immature kids who pick fights with everyone they come across."

Almost all the Strawhats side-eyed memory Franky, but said nothing.

"I said I didn't do anything!" Luffy yelled angrily at the cyborg.

"You can keep denying it while I choke you!" Paulie yelled as he pulled several length of rope from his sleeve. "Rope Action! Help Knot!"

Luffy didn't have the chance to move before the rope wrapped itself around his neck and immediately choked him.

"Can't...breathe..!" Luffy wheezed.

"Air Dive!" Paulie yelled as lifted Luffy into the air and slammed him back unto the ground.

"That would have broken his neck if he wasn't made of rubber!" Chopper yelled in fear.

"Those shipwrights mean business!" Brook also yelled in surprise.

"You bastards, didn't you hear me tell you not to interrupt!" Franky in the memory screamed angrily. "I'm the one who's pissed at him!"

While Franky was yelling, all the shipwrights prepared for battle against Luffy and the crowd cheered for the Galley-La workers.

Luffy picked himself off the ground and stared the shipwrights in confusion. "Hey, wait a minute! I have no reason to fight you guys!"

One of the shipwrights shot Luffy with a double barrel gun to his chest, sending him backwards. Since Luffy was made of rubber the bullets didn't hurt him, but Luffy fought to keep himself from repelling the bullets back at his attacker.

Seeing that Luffy had an ability, the shipwright charged him and kicked Luffy hard in the chin, snapping his neck back.

"They were actually trying to kill him!? What's going on!?" Brook yelled.

Robin closed her eyes, knowing why this was happening.

Luffy was able to quickly recover, but before he could move, Lucci jumped in front of him and bombard the rubber captain with several fast palm strikes. He was so fast that Luffy was barely able to keep up with the pigeon man. After a few more seconds, Lucci landed a powerful strike to Luffy's chest, sending him flying into a steel wall.

"These guys are strong," Luffy mumbled as he sat up and faced Lucci. "Damn, why are you doing this!? At least tell me!"

Paulie calmly walked up to Luffy before stopping mere inches from him. "Strawhat, we're the ones who want to know why."

Luffy was even more baffled.

"We know who broke into the main office and attacked Iceberg," Paulie said as he glared at Luffy. "It was you and your crew!" he shouted as he pointed accusingly at Luffy.

Everyone went silent for a moment before the crowd began to murmured among themselves.

"Luffy-san and the crew...but everyone was at the ship," Brook argued, completely lost.

"Not everyone," Zoro said softly as he looked at Robin from the side of his eye.

Robin appeared even more ashamed.

Sanji sensed this and wrapped his arm around Robin's shoulder.

"Iceberg? What are you talking about?" Franky in the memory asked. All his previous anger had disappeared.

"What!?" Nami in the memory exclaimed. "That is what this is about!?"

It took Luffy a moment to find his voice. "That's crazy! Why...why would we do something like that!?"

Paulie sighed in annoyance. "So, you're going to keep lying?"

"But we didn't do anything!" Luffy yelled.

"Two intruders," Paulie said, stopping Luffy from saying anything else. "After he regained consciousness, Iceberg testified that he had seen two intruders. One was a large masked man. The other was a tall woman. When we asked the government about the woman, they said she was part of your crew. Nico Robin, a wanted criminal!"

"Robin!?" Luffy exclaimed in disbelief.

"Robin!?" Brook also exclaimed. "That...can't be right..."

Robin closed her eyes as she listened to everything. That was twice in less than twenty-four hours that Luffy had been betrayed.

"Did you come to this island intending to kill Iceberg, or did you decide on it after the meeting yesterday?" Paulie asked coldly. "I don't know how you pirates think, but you're criminals now. We won't let you do as you please!"

"We were always criminals," Sanji said, half amused. For some reason people tend to forget they were pirates.

"Also, how stupid do they think we are? Killing such a known figure with no means to escape the island since our ship was damage," Zoro said as he crossed his arms.

Nami shook her head. "It's like their too emotional to think straight."

"Something we expected," Robin whispered more to herself.

Since she did not know about Merry, she could not have known that her crew were trapped on Water 7. She all but condemn them to a death sentence without even realizing it.

The crowd became angry as the shock of the situation started to wear off. They now had blood and vengeance in their eyes.

Chopper trembled. The humans in the crowd were beginning to scare him.

"Hey, are you telling me that Iceberg is dead?" Franky in the memory asked. There was an edge of worry his voice.

"Do you really think these idiots could kill him?" Paulie sneered. "He's still alive. So, we're going to finish this here and now. Before they go after him again!"

Just as Paulie finished speaking a blade was thrown at Luffy's head. He was able to evade it at the last second, but his cheek was still cut. Luffy looked up to see that his attacker was Kaku.

"Dead or alive. Breathing or not," Kaku said softly. "Do you know what those words on the wanted posters mean? No matter what anyone does to you pirates, you have no right to complain. The laws of the world don't protect you anymore."

"The laws of this world barely protected Luffy even before he became a pirate," Sanji muttered as he remembered Luffy's childhood in the mountains. "It certainly didn't protect his brother from the World Nobles."

"How ironic it's Kaku speaking those words," Zoro mused.

"You're right, we're outlaws," Luffy said as he wiped the blood off his cheek. His voice took on a calm tone. "I know that." His eyes suddenly narrowed as he glared at each of the shipwright with a barely controlled rage. "But I'm warning you, don't you dare talk about Robin like that!"

The memory faded at that point.

Robin felt moved closed to tears when she heard Luffy's final words. Even after everything those shipwrights said about her, he immediately leapt to her defense without even knowing the entire situation. Then again, it was Luffy. Even when faced with a possible betrayal, he still believed in his crew.

"Robin, are you okay with all of this?" Chopper asked worriedly.

Robin nodded and smiled. "I am fine, really."

"I'm confused, why did Robin try to kill that Ice guy? Or was it an imposter?" Brook asked, scratching his afro.

Robin closed her eyes for a moment. "It was part of the deal I made with the government. For cooperating with them, they promised me that they would allow the crew to leave Water 7 unharmed. If I fought them, they would have unleashed the Buster Call upon the crew."

"Buster Call?" Brook questioned. That name sounded vaguely familiar.

"It's a terrible military attack used by the marines," Nami said darkly as she remembered what the Buster Call did to Enies Lobby. "The attack brings several marine battleships together into one location for the sole purpose of destroying everything. Nothing is spared, not even the marines' own allies. It's a terrible, heartless attack."

Brook shook his head. "That's dreadful."

"You will most likely see it for yourself within Luffy's memory, although I wish no one had to see that terrible attack," Robin said as she trembled. "Once you have witnessed the cruelty of the Buster Call, you can never forget it."

Chopper nodded as he felt a throb of fear run through his chest. Although he couldn't move at the time, he remember hearing the cannons and seeing the smoke that blotted the sky and sun. He never wanted to see anything like that again.

Within moments, the next memory appeared. Luffy stood in a darkened room that was only lit by the afternoon's sun. He was breathing hard and had a thin layer of sweat on his face.

Across from him was Iceberg. He was sitting up in his bed and staring at Luffy with a blank, icy expression.

"Well, it seems we have some unfinished business, pirate kid," Iceberg said in a calm voice. He was nothing like the man the crew met earlier.

"That's right," Luffy said with a nod. "Thanks for calling me in."

"Did you come yourself so you could kill me amidst the commotion?" Iceberg asked nonchalantly.

"I came to get the real story!" Luffy exclaimed.

Iceberg said nothing for a second. "I saw Nico Robin last night with my own eyes."

Luffy's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"And she's part of you crew," Iceberg continued as his voice became more icy. "You cannot deny that."

"Are you sure it was Robin!?" Luffy asked, not believing what he was hearing.

"Shut your mouth," Iceberg hissed harshly as he took out a gun and pointed it at Luffy. "Your words no longer have any meaning to me."

Luffy was left completely speechless.

"I have invited you in because I have a request," Iceberg said. "Let me speak with Nico Robin again!"

Luffy was silent for a moment. "I can't. I don't know where she is."

Without a word, Iceberg shot at Luffy and ended the memory.

Not even a second later, however, the next memory began. Luffy sat on a roof with Nami, Zoro, and Chopper. They all had tired and concerned expressions on their faces.

"Looks like things have finally settled down," Zoro in the memory said.

" _Settled down!?_ " Nami in the memory exclaimed. "You're the one who let all those shipwrights see you! We just got caught up in your mess!"

"Sounds like we missed a very interesting incident," Sanji mused as he puffed on his cigarette.

"Just Zoro being a moron," Nami said dryly.

Zoro growled in response.

"I told you, it couldn't be helped," Zoro in the memory said in irritation.

"By the way, Chopper, how did you find us so easily?" Luffy asked as he turned towards the reindeer.

"Your scents," Chopper answered.

"Oh, right," Luffy said before another thought occurred to him. "Hey, where's Sanji?"

Chopper lowered his head. "About that..."

Chopper explained what had happen while Sanji and he searched for Robin. They eventually found their lost crewmate, but Robin refused to explain her actions and warned them that thing were going to get much worse. She also chose to leave the crew because of some darkness in her past.

All the Strawhats in the memory stared, stunned and shocked at the news.

"Robin really said that!?" Luffy yelled in outrage.

"Yeah," Chopper confirmed sadly, leaving the Strawhats in silence.

"We should have been prepared for this," Zoro said almost bitterly. "We let Robin on-board even though she was originally our enemy. If she suddenly decided things were too dangerous and ran away, there nothing we can do."

Chopper hesitantly nodded while Luffy and Nami continued to stare blankly as they took in everything.

"You bastard, how dare you lose faith in Robin-chan!" Sanji yelled at Zoro.

"Excuse me, dart board, but Robin looked guilty!" Zoro yelled back. "It isn't like I enjoyed thinking Robin betrayed us!"

"You gave up far too easily!" Sanji growled.

"That's enough, both of you!" Nami scolded as she got between the two rivals. "It's in the past, it doesn't matter anymore!"

"I guess it's time to settle this," Zoro in the memory said. "Is that woman our enemy or our friend?" He looked directly at Chopper. "She said the situation will only get worse and we won't see her again after today, correct?"

"Yes," Chopper in the memory said slowly.

"From that statement we can infer that something is going to happen today," Zoro stated. "The whole city is in a huge uproar over the attempted assassination of their mayor. If she wants to make this worse, that can only mean one thing."

"They're going back to finish him," Nami concluded for Zoro.

"Very observant, Zoro-san," Brook complimented.

"Well, moss head does have brains in some areas," Sanji said dryly.

"Shut your mouth, shitty cook," Zoro growled.

"That's the most logical assumption," Zoro in the memory said in a troubled voice. "However, we know they're trying to lay the blame on us. This could be a trap to lure us to the crime scene."

"A trap?" Chopper repeated in fear.

"If we show up at the scene of the murder, the blame would easily fall on us," Zoro stated.

"Hold on a second! You're talking like Robin really is our enemy!" Nami exclaimed.

Zoro stared at Nami. "I'm saying it's a possibility. I'm not making any judgment."

"This entire scene is playing like a mystery novel," Franky said in humor.

"Almost everything in Water 7 was like this. We really had no idea what was going on," Nami said as she shook her head. "Between what happened with Usopp and Robin, I really thought that the crew was going to fall apart."

Usopp lowered his head in shame.

"I think that is why these series of memories are important," Zoro said. "It shows a time where the entire crew was truly tested. Here, our bond could have completely shattered."

"I never thought of it that way," Chopper whispered. He shuddered to think what would have happened if the crew remained divided.

"When you let yourselves believe or not believe and the truth turns out to be the opposite of what you thought, your reaction become sluggish," Zoro in the memory explained to his crew.

No one spoke for a moment.

"Whatever they're planning will happen tonight," Zoro said as he looked at his captain. "What's the decision?"

"We're going," Luffy answered simply.

In a flash, the memory came to an end. The mist quickly recomposed itself and the Strawhats were now in an alley. It was twilight and the last of the sun was beginning to fade over the city of water.

Luffy sat cross-legged against a wall with Zoro standing close to him, looking like his usual grumpy self.

"What happening here?" Brook asked.

"I think this happened just before we went to the Galley-La mansion," Nami said. "Chopper and I went to get some food, while Zoro and Luffy hung back since they both had wanted posters."

"Hey Luffy, are you really alright about going to the mansion?" Zoro in the memory suddenly asked his captain as he glanced down at him. He seemed worried. "You look tired."

"I'm fine," Luffy answered, but everyone knew he was lying.

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "You haven't eaten since the duel and I know you didn't sleep yesterday."

Luffy said nothing.

"What, he really didn't eat at all!?" Usopp shouted in disbelief.

"As I said before, Luffy doesn't eat when he's upset," Zoro said neutrally.

Usopp's shoulders slumped. He really hurt Luffy if he had killed his need to eat.

Robin felt equally guilty, knowing that her captain was making himself sick with worry because of her actions.

"When Nami and Chopper come back, you're eating," Zoro in the memory said firmly.

"I'm not hungry," Luffy stated.

"I don't care," Zoro said coldly. "Even if I have to stuff the food down your throat, you're putting something in that stomach of yours. You know you don't fight at your best when you're hungry."

Sanji nodded in agreement. He would have done the same if he were there.

Luffy hid his eyes under the shadows of his hat, blocking all emotions. "Zoro, tell me the truth. Do you really believe that Robin betrayed us?"

Zoro didn't seem please by the change of subject. "As I said, I made no decision either way."

"But you never trusted her," Luffy said in a neutral voice. "Since I'd invited her, you never believed in Robin."

Zoro turned his head. "I would be lying if I said that I trusted that woman. She was once our enemy who helped tear apart an entire country. But….despite my initial distrust, I did begin to see her as….one of us."

Robin could not stop herself from being moved by Zoro's words. Of all her crewmates, she believed that Zoro did not accept her until everything that happened at Enies Lobby. To hear from his own mouth that he saw her as part of the crew before that moment warmed her heart. Despite priding herself of being a good reader of people, she read her entire crew wrong from the start.

"One of us…" Luffy said softly. He sounded almost bitter. "Just like Usopp was one of us."

Zoro in the memory said nothing as he stared blankly at the wall.

Usopp felt even worse hearing the sourness in Luffy's voice. It just wasn't him.

"What happened with Usopp couldn't be helped," Zoro in the memory said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Usopp made his choice. All we can do is respect his wishes."

"But…." Luffy started, but stopped himself short.

"You still care for him," Zoro finished for his captain.

Luffy paused for a second. "How I feel about Usopp? I still love him like a brother." His eyes narrowed and he gritted hit teeth. "At the same time, I want to smash his face in."

Some of the Strawhats were surprised by the harsh words since Luffy very rarely exaggerates to prove a point. At the same time, they couldn't really blame him. Nami, especially, felt the same way during the time.

"He said that I didn't care," Luffy said in a harsh voice. "That I would just leave a friend behind. Even if he was upset about Merry….how could he say those things? Does he really think that low of me?"

Usopp felt another stab of hot pain go through his heart.

"I'm sure he didn't mean most of those words, just as you didn't mean to throw him off the ship when you were yelling at him," Zoro in the memory said. "When we let our emotions take control of us, we often say things we don't mean."

"Or, we say things that are truly within our hearts," Luffy said in an emotionless voice.

Zoro couldn't think of anything to counter that.

"In just a day, we've lost two comrades," Luffy said in a tight voice. "I…I don't know what I'll do if we lost another friend. Especially….if she really did betray us."

Robin felt herself coming close to tears hearing her captain's words. Nami gently patted the older woman's back in an effort to comfort her.

"We won't know until we confront Robin and get the truth from her," Zoro said calmly. "It may hurt, but you have to keep yourself together. If…"

"If I don't remain strong, who will you all depend on," Luffy finished as he tilted his hat, covering more of his eyes.

Zoro nodded. "You're our captain. It's a heavy burden, but it's one that you chose to carry the moment you decided to become a pirate. A pirate's life isn't all fun and games."

Luffy glared at Zoro from under the shadow of his hat. He knew that, but he didn't want Zoro to remind him of his burden. Not at that moment. Not after he already had to cut loose two of his friends. Two of his family members.

"Robin said she had nowhere to go or return to," Luffy said. "So, why do this? Why's she running from us? Why turn her back on her…." He stopped himself short.

All the Strawhats knew he was going to say family. Most likely, he was considering that Robin didn't see the crew as her family.

"As I said, we won't know until we confront her," Zoro said firmly. "There's no point in thinking about it."

At that moment, Nami and Chopper appeared with some bags of food. Nami was grumbling something about how hard it was to buy anything with the storm coming and the city looking for them.

Zoro began to walk towards his crewmates.

"Zoro…" Luffy suddenly called, stopping Zoro. There was a couple seconds of silence. "It's…it's nothing…"

Zoro didn't look like he believed him but decided not to press the matter. He turned his back on Luffy and walked towards Nami and Chopper.

Luffy leaned back on the wall with a blank expression. "Is it my fault?" he asked so softly that the current Strawhats could barely hear him.

The memory dissipated into the mist, leaving the Strawhats in silence.

Sanji balled his hands. He knew where Luffy's doubt originally stemmed from. "He thought everything was his fault."

Franky sighed. "I can only imagine how he felt. His entire crew was falling apart around him and there was nothing he could do to stop it."

Brook nodded sadly. "He must have felt Usopp and Robin's…betrayals were his responsibility. That he wasn't a good enough captain to keep their trust."

"But he dealt with this kind of betrayal before with Nami," Chopper argued.

"What happened with Robin and Nami is different," Zoro said. "Luffy could never believe Nami was capable of killing, especially a crewmate. Robin, however, can and did kill in the past on top of working for a ruthless Warlord. Not to mention, Aokiji all but said this was Robin's forte, using and betraying those around her."

Nami's eyes widened. "He didn't believe Aokiji."

"I'm sure Luffy was considering Aokiji's warnings once Iceberg confirmed it was Robin who shot him. What happened with Usopp also fueled his doubt," Zoro said.

"I caused Luffy so much pain," Robin whispered.

"Hey, you weren't alone," Usopp said in self-loathing. "If I hadn't given Luffy such crap over Merry and dueled him, then he wouldn't have been so depressed and uncertain of himself."

Chopper wiped some tears from his eyes. "Being reminded of all of this is so hard."

"We have to remain strong, for Luffy's sake," Zoro said to his crew in a gentle voice.

Truthfully, this was getting hard for him to watch. Despite all these things being two years ago, seeing these events again was rubbing some very old wounds raw. It didn't help that Luffy was so uncertain of himself that he didn't feel that he could ask Zoro such a simple question that he should have known the answer to. No doubt a scar left by them from that damn island when they did blame everything on Luffy.

Soon, the mist overtook the small pirate crew again and the Strawhats were taken to what looked to be a bedroom. They didn't have time take in everything before Luffy burst through one of the walls. Oddly enough, Zoro was cutting through the main door at the same time Luffy made his grand entrance.

"What's going on?" Brook asked, completely lost.

"We are back in Iceberg's room," Robin answered somberly. "This is when CP9 attacked Iceberg in full force to kill him."

"Where's Robin!?" Luffy screamed to the top of his lungs as the wall crumbled.

"Luffy!" Robin in the memory exclaimed in utter shocked. It was rare sight to see the normally cool archaeologist so surprise.

"Luffy!" Zoro in the memory also yelled. He obviously wasn't expecting to see his captain at that moment.

"You're interrupting," Lucci said with a note of annoyance as he side-eyed Luffy like he was an irritating bug.

With everything settling down, the Strawhats could get a good look at everyone in the room. All the spy CP9 agents were in the bedroom along with Iceberg, Paulie, Nami, and Chopper. To say the least, it was a little crowded.

"Robin, I finally found you!" Luffy yelled.

Robin gave her captain a cold stare.

"Hey Luffy, where the hell have you been!?" Zoro in the memory yelled in frustration.

"I still would like to know that," Zoro said as he watched the scene.

"Seriously, where did he disappear to? I wished we saw that memory," Nami said. Knowing Luffy, it was something very stupid.

"Robin!" Chopper in the memory screamed with tears in his eyes. "I'm so glad to see you again!"

"Hold on a second, what's going on here?" Nami in the memory asked as she looked around the room in confusion.

Paulie looked like he had just been shot in the head as he stared at the CP9 agents.

"My, my," Lucci said nonchalantly.

"Strawhat, Paulie," Iceberg muttered softly from his place on the floor. He had a gunshot wound to his shoulder that was bleeding heavily.

"Iceberg, what the hell..." Paulie stuttered as he attempted to find his voice. "What's going on!?"

Franky growled as he listened to the pain and confusion in Paulie's voice. Finding out who CP9 really were was a surprise to him, but Paulie had personally known and worked with these people for five years. He could only imagine the overwhelming sense of confusion, anger, and betrayal that must be going through his mind.

"Paulie, why didn't you escape!?" Iceberg asked in a hushed voice.

"What the hell is this!?" Paulie asked again. It was like a part of his mind was frozen. "The only explanation is that they're the ones trying to assassinate you!" he screamed in pain. "What the hell are you guys trying to pull!?"

Luffy finally figured out who the people in the room were. "They're the shipwrights you were with, right?"

"I remember that square-nose," Zoro in the memory said.

"You mean there were assassins inside the company?" Nami in the memory asked in disbelief.

"Huh, what's going on?" Chopper in the memory asked in confusion.

"Paulie, the truth is that we are undercover government agents," Lucci said bluntly without a hint of regret or sorrow. "Well, I expect that you will accept our apologies. We are friends who have labored in shipbuilding together. If this is too much for you to believe, would you like to see me trample Iceberg's face in?"

Paulie's eyes widened in shock.

Luffy was also surprised and dismayed by what he was hearing.

"What a dick," Franky growled in disgust.

"So, their friendship was also a false one," Brook murmured as he shook in anger. After five years, did they truly feel nothing for the people they worked with? Even assassins couldn't be that cold-hearted.

"This is a load of shit!" Paulie exclaimed. "I've heard enough! You're barking at me with the exact same voice as that bull mask! Dammit, you bastard! So, you could talk all along! You want to make a fool out of me!?" he yelled as he moved in to attack.

"Stop, Paulie!" Iceberg exclaimed.

Paulie, however, was beyond listening. "Pipe Hitch Knives!"

A rope that had several knives attached to it raced towards Lucci, who seemed to disappear.

Paulie's eyes widened in disbelief that Lucci could move at such a rapid speed. He was so fast that Lucci appeared to be teleporting across the room. Before Paulie could move, Lucci shoved his index finger right through Paulie's chest.

Paulie groaned in pain as he reeled back.

"Wow, he's fast!" Brook exclaimed. Lucci's speed almost rivaled his own.

"And he was barely trying," Zoro said.

"So, you still have not learned, Paulie?" Lucci asked neutrally.

Paulie dropped his rope and nearly collapsed. His body, however, refused to give and Paulie fought to remain standing.

"Hey, Rope Guy!" Luffy yelled.

Paulie stumbled around. "Why...are you all..." he stuttered before falling to his knees.

"Do not waste your strength resisting," Lucci said. "We have achieved power beyond the limits of normal of human strength. We have forged our bodies into weapons through years of training in an advanced style of martial arts, Rokushiki, also known as the Six Powers. One who learns all six will attain strength level of one-hundred Doriki."

"What's Doriki?" Brook asked.

"A power gauge or something, I suppose," Zoro said with a shrugged.

"From my understanding, it is what CP9 uses to measure their strength," Robin stated. "From what I have heard when I was captive in the Tower of Justice, the average marine soldier has a Doriki level of ten. The agents of CP9 have Doriki that ranges from six-hundred to over four-thousand."

"Four-thousand!?" Brook exclaimed in shock. "That's beyond super human!"

"That's four-hundred times higher than the average marine!" Nami shouted in shock. "Who has a Doriki level that freaking high!?"

"My money goes to the pigeon bastard," Sanji said as he eyed Lucci.

Usopp shivered, remembering how powerful CP9 were. He couldn't touch any of them. "No wonder that guy was so strong."

Paulie was breathing hard as he looked up towards his 'friend'. He began to slowly sit up. "Why are you all..."

Lucci quickly grabbed Paulie by the shoulder. "Never mind that." He raised his hand for the killing blow. "In any event, I have to kill you. This saddens me, my _friend_."

"What an ass," Franky sneered as his hatred for the man build. How he wanted to punch Lucci across the room for playing with Paulie's heart.

"I'd forgotten how cruel he was," Chopper said with his hooves to his mouth.

"Lucci, you bastard!" Iceberg yelled in distress.

Luffy also had enough of this. "Stop, you jerk!" he screamed as he stretched his foot to kick Lucci.

The attack failed and Lucci easily caught Luffy's foot.

Luff was surprise for a second before he allowed his entire body to snap towards Lucci. "Gum Gum Gatling!"

"Tekkai," Lucci muttered.

Luffy punched Lucci rapidly, but the man didn't even flinch. It was like he wasn't even feeling any of Luffy's attacks. Luffy was eventually forced to cease his assault as he jumped back.

"What, he didn't even budge!" Luffy exclaimed in shock.

"You are a nuisance," Lucci said as he seemingly vanished.

"He disappeared!" Luffy exclaimed as he searched for the pigeon man.

Before Luffy knew it, an index finger was shoved into his neck. A normal person would have been dead by the force of the attack piercing their airway, but Luffy's rubber skin gave and kept Lucci's finger from impaling him.

The sheer force of the blow, however, was still strong enough to throw Luffy into the wall.

"Luffy!" Zoro in the memory yelled.

Luffy lay on the floor holding his neck as if he was in pain.

"That looked painful," Sanji stated as he rubbed his own neck.

"Any normal person would have a gaping hole in their neck, rubberman," Lucci stated.

Once Luffy had caught his breath he stretched his arm and grabbed Paulie by his jacket. He pulled the shipwright out of danger.

Paulie was breathing hard and was in pain, but he was still alive.

"What are you doing, Strawhat?" Lucci asked.

"You jerk, you were going to kill him!" Luffy yelled angrily. "You say you were friends who labored together in the shipyard!"

Paulie slowly began to stand up.

"We were, but not anymore," Lucci said neutrally.

Brook sneered at the cold response. That man had neither honor or a heart.

"Are you really going to stab him in the back!?" Luffy asked in disbelief. "Fine then. Either way, I promised him that I would find whoever's trying to kill Ice-pops and kick their asses!"

"Why would you fight alongside Paulie?" Kaku questioned.

"Because I have business with you too!" Luffy answered as he turned his eyes towards the archaeologist. "Robin, what are you doing with these guys!? If you want to leave, tell me why!"

"Yeah, they work for the government! Tell us!" Nami yelled.

There was a long silence as Robin stared at each of her crewmates. There was a look of almost contempt on her face.

"You do not know how to be rational. I have already told Cook-san and Doctor-san that I was leaving," Robin said firmly. "Didn't they tell you?"

"Cook-san and Doctor-san?" Brook asked.

"Robin used to call us by our titles when she first joined," Nami answered. "The only person she called by name was Luffy."

"It was my way of keeping a distance with the rest of the crew," Robin explained further. "I did not call anyone by their names until after the events of Enies Lobby."

"Of course we did!" Chopper in the memory yelled at Robin. "But I can't accept this either! Why are you doing this, Robin!?"

"To make my wish come true. A wish that can never come true if I went with you," Robin answered.

All the memory Strawhats stared at her in shock and disbelief.

"If I can have it, then no sacrifice is too great!" Robin exclaimed.

"Is that why you try to frame your crew as assassins?" Zoro asked, barely containing his anger. "What is this wish you want so badly?"

"I have no obligation to tell you," Robin answered coldly.

"No sane person would go this far!" Iceberg suddenly yelled from his place on the floor. "You cannot believe her! Are you seriously considering this, Nico Robin!? Do you know what you are about to do!?"

"I believe you have lost the right to speak!" Robin yelled as she used her powers. "Now keep quiet!"

Several hands appeared on Iceberg's body and cracked him in several places.

The Strawhats winched when they saw the scene and heard Iceberg's bone crack.

Robin lowered her head in shame. She really gave that poor man a hard time, despite them being in a similar situation.

"Iceberg must have had great endurance to survive so much trauma," Brook muttered, knowing how much one of Robin's submissions hurt on top of being shot several times.

"Iceberg may seem like a fragile thing, but he's as tough as nails. He is a shipwright, after all. We're built tough," Franky said, although he still felt for his adoptive brother.

"Iceberg!" Paulie screamed in horror.

The Strawhats in the memory also gasped at Robin's cruelty.

"I will not let anyone stop me!" Robin in the memory proclaimed coldly.

Iceberg was rendered unconscious from Robin's assault and laid limp on the floor.

"Robin, what are you doing!?" Luffy yelled in horror. "Do you mean what you're saying!?"

"Robin, what's wrong with you!?" Chopper in the memory yelled in distress.

Robin didn't answer.

"Are you really our enemy now!?" Chopper asked in a heartbroken voice. He was close to tears.

Lucci slowly stepped in front of Robin, blocking her from the view of the Strawhats. "I am sorry, but I think we are done."

Chopper in the memory growled at the man.

"We are about to go looking for someone very important and we are in a hurry," Lucci informed. "We have no further business in this mansion and no reason to see you again."

Luffy snarled fiercely at the pigeon guy.

"Kalifa, how much time do we have?" Lucci asked the former secretary.

Kalifa pulled out a stopwatch for her clothes. "Two minutes."

Luffy was baffled by the statement.

"This may sound sudden, but in two minutes this mansion will be engulfed in flames," Lucci informed casually.

Everyone gasped in shock at the news.

"What!?" Luffy screamed.

"We have to destroy the evidence, you see," Lucci explained. "A fire is the perfect pretense. If you do not want to burn with the mansion, you will leave immediately. But, of course, it will not be so easy."

As he said that, the other three CP9 agents lined up in front of Lucci.

The Strawhats in the memory also got into fighting position.

"It sounds like you're trying to get rid of us too and Nico Robin seems happy to be with them," Zoro said as he turned towards his captain. "Luffy, are you ready to let Robin leave the crew yet? She's not one of us anymore."

Sanji growled at his rival. How dare he disowned Robin like that. A woman's sins, no matter how deep, was always forgivable.

Nami and Chopper in the memory looked nervously at Luffy, awaiting his decision.

As Robin looked at the memory, she felt herself becoming sick again. After being forced to let Usopp go under a similar circumstance, Luffy was put into another decision to cut loose a crewmate. It was a cruel twist of fate.

"No way!" Luffy screamed as he stared at Robin. He wouldn't let it end like this. He'd already lost too much.

"There is no need to shout," Lucci calmly reprimanded. "Flames will soon begin spreading from several rooms on the first floor. Well, pirates will be suspected here. It certainly sounds like something they would do."

"You bastard!" Paulie growled.

Luffy also gritted his teeth.

"You've got a lot of nerve, stealing masks so you can go around doing whatever you please!" Nami in the memory yelled in disgust.

"There is no harm in masks that were already discarded," a CP9 agent with hair that looked like a bull said.

"Was that agent also a spy within the city?" Brook asked as he pointed toward the bull-haired agent.

Franky nodded. "Yeah, he was the bartender in a popular bar I visited. Looking at him, I feel bad for leaving him such good tips."

"Well," Robin in the memory said as she put her hood over her head, "I will go ahead."

"Yes, you have completed your assignment," Lucci said. "Good work."

"Wait, Robin!" Luffy shouted. "I won't accept this!"

"Goodbye," Robin said with finality as she turned her back on her crew.

"Robin!" Nami and Chopper in the memory screamed.

Robin ignored them and walked towards the window.

"Do not let her go!" Iceberg yelled with his remaining strength as he regained consciousness. "Stop Nico Robin!"

Luffy ran to stop Robin, disregarding the three CP9 agents in this path.

"Where are you going!?" Luffy yelled in distress. "We just found you!"

The bull CP9 agent moved to intercept him.

"Move it, jerk!" Luffy shouted as he jumped to kick the bull agent in the face.

"Tekkai!" the bull agent yelled.

Just like with Lucci, Luffy's attack had no effect on the man.

Luffy was both shocked and annoyed that the bull agent was not hurt at all. "Why are their bodies so hard!?"

"Our rigorous training has enabled us to harden our skin as if it were an iron shell," the bull agent explained. "However, your punches were weak to begin with."

"Oh, that's a deep burn," Franky said.

"Just about all the CP9 agents were arrogant shit heads," Sanji said.

"I told you to move!" Luffy yelled as he reared his arm back.

He did a Gum Gum Gatling, but the bull agent was able to evade each of his attacks by moving at a rapid speed backward and forward. He moved as if he was made of paper.

"Luffy can't hit the man at all," Brook said in awe.

"I just noticed that Luffy isn't trying as hard as usual," Chopper noted.

"He's trying to get to Robin-chan, not fight that shitty bull," Sanji said. "Because he's distracted, he's only fighting at a fraction of his strength. Him not eating much didn't help either."

"Robin!" Luffy yelled when he realized that Robin was getting further away. He stopped his attack. "Wait!"

The bull agent, however, continued to block his path.

"Why you..." Luffy sneered. "Gum Gum Pistol!"

The bull agent disappeared before Luffy's fist could reach him.

"He disappeared again!" Luffy yelled in annoyance.

"It looks like I disappeared because of the explosive strength in my legs," the bull agent said. He was suddenly behind Luffy and his back was turned from the rubber captain.

"You jerk!" Luffy attempted punch the agent again, but this time the man flew.

"That's Sanji's new technique," Brook said as he watched the CP9 agent fly.

Sanji nodded. "That's where I learned it from."

"Yeah, because that shitty cook can't come up with anything original," Zoro said just before Sanji kicked him, causing a minor scuffle to break out between the two rivals.

"By kicking the air, I am even able to levitate," the agent informed.

While the bull agent distracted Luffy, Kalifa and Kaku rushed him. They both kicked him with what looked like blades of light that sent Luffy flying out of the room like a bullet.

"Luffy!" Chopper in the memory yelled fearfully.

"Their kicks cut through the wall!" Nami in the memory yelled in distress.

"Our kicks are so fast that they form a blade of wind," Kalifa stated. "That is the Rankyaka."

"For assassins they talk too freaking much," Franky muttered as he crossed his arms. "I mean, they're so far up their own butts that they're actually explaining their fighting style."

"I didn't know you guys were this badly matched against them," Usopp said in shock. He knew the agents were powerful, but they were playing with Luffy like he was a kid.

Luffy was knocked senseless for several seconds. When he finally came-to, he saw Zoro fighting Kaku. The two swordsmen were evenly matched. Luffy's focus, however, remained on Robin. She had now opened the window to leave.

"Don't go, Robin!" Luffy screamed frantically. "We're not done talking about this!"

"No, we are finished," Robin said coldly to her former captain. "We will never see each other again."

The memory flashed for a moment and the Strawhats saw a vision of Sabo being taking away while Ace and Luffy screamed for him to come back.

The memory was gone as fast as it appeared, and the crew was back in the mansion.

Robin felt a lump form in her throat. She made her captain relive such a traumatic moment. Just like with his brother, the powers of the world were ripping his family apart and he was helpless to stop it.

"Robin!" Nami in the memory screamed desperately.

Zoro quickly disabled Kaku by cutting through his two blades. Thankfully for Zoro, the fellow swordsman was using cheap shipwright cutting knives instead of a real sword. "Luffy, hurry up and grab Robin!"

Luffy ran back into the room and made a beeline for Robin. He wasn't going to let history repeat itself. He wasn't that little kid anymore.

Robin glanced at Luffy one last time before jumping onto the windowsill. Luffy didn't give up and kept running towards his crewmate. Lucci, however, grabbed Luffy by his face before he could reach Robin.

"You..." Luffy growled as he punched Lucci in the face, to no effect.

"Go, Nico Robin," Lucci ordered as he held Luffy firmly in his grip.

Robin hesitated for a moment before stepping out the window. She then disappeared from sight.

"Robin!" Both Nami and Chopper in the memory yelled, in tears.

Luffy still couldn't break free of Lucci's iron hold no matter how much he struggled. Without warning, Lucci suddenly tossed Luffy aside like he was a small child.

"How can that be this strong?" Nami in the memory asked in disbelief.

"What the hell are you?" Paulie asked.

"We are from different worlds. We of CP9 have known that our lives exist only for the government to use and have undergone the agonizing training required to overcome human barriers for as long as we can remember," Lucci said as the other agents lined up around him. "The superhuman powers we have attained are the Rokushiki. You have come to know them first hand. This is how we four, who carry out the World Government's critical missions, are immeasurably different from a ragtag group of pirates like yourselves."

"Sheesh, does this guy ever stop talking?" Sanji asked in annoyance.

"That pigeon bastard loved to hear himself talk," Zoro said as he gritted his teeth. He hated how those agents toyed with them.

"If that's true, I actually feel sorry for them," Brook said with some sympathy. "To be trained to be nothing more than weapons since one is a child is inhumane."

Chopper frowned. "I've never thought of it that way. I wonder if they ever had a choice in what they've become."

Luffy and Zoro glared at each of the CP9 agents. They were both huffing for breath as the wind blew into the bedroom.

"This is a classified affair of global scale. You would have done well not to set foot on this mountain," Lucci said.

"Lucci," Kalifa said. "The incendiary devices will be activating. It is time for us to leave."

"Yes, but since they are here, let's show them something interesting before we go," Lucci said.

With that said, Lucci suddenly transformed into a giant hybrid leopard. As he transformed, smoke started to fill the room, adding to the terror of the transformation.

"Oh, he finally revealed his Devil Fruit in grand fashion, of course," Franky said.

Usopp stepped back in terror. Lucci was bigger than he remembered.

"It seems the fire is beginning to spread," Lucci noted.

"I don't know what's with this leopard man deal, but I won't let you lay a hand on Iceberg!" Paulie exclaimed.

"This is bad!" Chopper in the memory yelled. "User of carnivorous Zoan type Fruits also experience increased aggression!"

"That is correct," Lucci said. "Logia, zoan, and paramecia. There are several types of special abilities, each with their own strengths. As a Zoan type, I benefit from an increase in raw physical strength. The more I train, the more it is amplified. Zoan types are especially skilled in close combat."

"Shut up!" Paulie screamed. "I'm sick of listening to this monster!"

"That makes two of us!" Franky yelled.

Zoro and Sanji nodded in agreement.

"We have run out of time anyway," Lucci said.

"You said that over two minutes ago, you stupid cat!" Sanji yelled.

"We have to dispose of you before we are engulfed in flame," Lucci stated.

Several shouts could be heard from outside.

"Lucci, the shipwrights are coming up the stairs," Kalifa informed as she adjusted her glasses.

"I see," Lucci said. "Well, we cannot have that. Rankyaka!"

With a simple kick, Lucci collapsed part of the building, bringing the roof down. The Strawhats had to move fast to keep from being crushed under the rubble.

"Chopper!" Nami in the memory screamed when she didn't see the reindeer among her other crewmates. While this was happening, Paulie ran to help Iceberg. He was quickly cut off, however, by the CP9 agents.

"How could it be you!?" Paulie yelled in despair as tears filled his eyes. "I thought...I really thought you were my friends!"

"We do not share the same sentiment," Lucci said coldly as he approached Paulie.

"Bastard," Franky growled. How he wanted to punch every last one of these traitors. They didn't just betray Paulie and Iceberg, but the entire city of Water 7 who looked up to them as heroes.

Chopper shook his head in tears. He remembered all too well how broken Paulie was over the treachery of his fellow shipwrights. It had to be the worst pain imaginable.

Lucci raised his hand to kill his former friend when Luffy punched him in the face with a Pistol.

"Pigeon guy!" Luffy screamed angrily.

"Strawhat!" Paulie yelled.

While Lucci was stunned, Luffy moved in for another attack.

Quicker than Luffy and most of the Strawhats could see, Lucci stabbed the strawhat captain with a claw finger to his chest. The scene looked eerily similar to when Crocodile had impaled him with his hook.

Luffy gasped in shock as he felt blood flow out of the wound. He then went limp.

The Strawhats who were not in the room that day also gasped. It looked like a harpoon had shot Luffy.

Chopper put his hooves to his mouth in shock.

"Luffy!" Zoro in the memory screamed in horror.

Luffy tried to speak, but only small whimpers left his lips.

Lucci let Luffy go and he dropped to the floor. Amazingly, Luffy landed on his feet. He was in no shape to continue to fight as he clamped his bleeding wound.

Lucci slowly licked his finger, enjoying the taste of Luffy's blood.

"Gross!" Usopp yelled as he stuck his tongue out.

"Disgusting!" Brook exclaimed.

"Do all carnivorous people turn into predatory freaks?" Franky asked as he thought of a certain lion man.

Luffy stood perfectly still as blood dripped from his open wound. He appeared barely conscious and the memory started to blur and fade.

"Thankfully that attack missed all of his vital organs," Chopper said as he observed the wound.

"But Lucci was not aiming to kill Luffy," Robin said, upset that she put her crew through all of this because of her lack of trust and faith in them. "Despite what he said earlier, they were still under orders not to kill the crew."

Lucci grabbed Luffy by his head and lifted him off the floor like he was a doll.

"I will throw you off this island!" Lucci proclaimed as he threw Luffy through the wall with all of his strength.

Luffy screamed as he flew across Water 7 like a rocket. There was nothing he could do to stop himself since he was still weak from his injury and dazed because of the sudden loss of blood.

He would have died if he had landed in the water, which was rising across the city, but by some good luck or a divine joke he was saved when he rammed between two tall buildings. He was stuck so deep that he could barely breathe, and felt himself black out.

* * *


	23. Enies Lobby

The Strawhats waited patiently for the memory to continue.

"Man, you guys were no match for them at all," Franky said, slightly disturbed by what he just witnessed.

He didn't blame his crew for their defeat. Those CP9 agents were no pushovers. It took all his strength and ability just to take down one of those bastards and zipper mouth wasn't even one of the stronger agents. A whole room full of them was an impossible fight, especially with Lucci there.

"They just caught us by surprise, that's all," Zoro said almost dismissively. He still hated how easily Lucci had kicked him out of the mansion.

"Where was Sanji-san in all of this?" Brook asked.

"Slacking off, as usual," Zoro answered.

Sanji snorted. "I'm not you, moss head. I was at the train station. I knew Robin-chan had to take the seatrain to leave the city and I was right."

"It would not have mattered. Even if Sanji was at the mansion, he would have been defeated by CP9," Robin said, feeling guilty again. "Like all of you, he would have been hindered by second thoughts and doubts."

Nami nodded. "Very true."

The memory came back and the Strawhats found themselves in the middle of a giant storm. It was raining heavily and thick black clouds darkened the night's sky. This particularly section of Water 7 seemed abandon since no soul walked the streets. It only made sense since the streets were rapidly flooding with seawater. It looked like a completely different city.

What caught the Strawhats' eyes, however, was Luffy who was currently smashed between two tall buildings. It wasn't odd to see Luff stuck. It happened quite often, much to his crew's eternal irritation. What was different this time was how far he was wedged.

Luffy was trapped deeply between the buildings and was in a position where he couldn't stretch upwards and pull himself out. They could see and hear him struggling, but he didn't have another space to break free.

After a moment, they saw him relaxed and stopped fighting. From the noise Luffy was making, it was a mixture of exhaustion, a lack of oxygen, and blood loss that made him stop struggling.

Nami had seen Luffy in this state, but she was so concerned about Robin's safety that she failed to notice the terrible position Luffy was in. He was squeezed so tightly in his prison that he was having trouble keeping his breath and staying conscious.

"How did he get out of that?" Chopper asked after looking over Luffy's prison. "He isn't exactly stuck in a chimney."

Nami snickered.

"A chimney? What a strange comparison," Sanji said.

"Oh, don't you know?" Chopper asked in surprise.

Sanji blinked in confusion. "Know what?"

"Zoro was..." Chopper started.

"Don't tell him that!" Zoro suddenly yelled.

"What happened to Zoro after Luffy was defeated?" Usopp asked.

"I know he was kicked out of the mansion by Lucci shortly after he threw Luffy out. I don't know what happened to him, though, and I didn't see Zoro again until I found Luffy," Nami said as she attempted to fight off a smile.

"I found him in a chimney," Chopper said bluntly, ignoring Zoro's death glare.

There was a long silent among the crew.

"What, a chimney!?" Franky exclaimed. "How…how did that happen!?"

"Did Zoro have the same bad luck as Luffy-san?" Brook asked, mostly to himself.

Sanji burst into laughter. He laughed so hard that his chest started to hurt. "You...you got stuck in a chimney!?"

Zoro growled. "It wasn't my fault, I slipped!"

"You slipped? …You mean you didn't land in it?" Usopp asked in disbelief. "Are you saying you _slipped_ and _fell_ into a chimney?"

Zoro closed his eye, knowing that he had just said too much.

Robin put her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh. Although, even she snickered at the mental image of Zoro falling head first into a chimney.

This sent Sanji into another laughing fit. He was near the edge of tears. "That's even better! You were always a klutz!"

"Shut up, eyebrow!" Zoro yelled. Dammit, thanks to Chopper he would never live this down.

"Luffy!" a voice suddenly screamed within the memory. The Strawhats recognized it as Nami's voice. "What the hell are you doing there!?"

"This must be when you found Luffy," Robin said to the navigator.

Luffy's body was twisted away from Nami so he couldn't see her. Nonetheless, he made an effort to respond to her, despite the obvious discomfort speaking gave him.

"Nami, is that you back there!?" Luffy yelled in a muffled voice that made his speech hard to understand. He was nearly out of breath from that simple question and the memory became a little hazy, most likely because Luffy's was on the verge of passing out again. He took several breaths before speaking again. "It's not my fault! That pigeon guy threw me! Luckily, I landed here, but I've been stuck ever since!" He grunted and coughed after he had finished speaking.

"His lungs are being smashed," Chopper said in worry as he went into doctor mood. "Even for a rubberman, being squeezed for that long could cause crush syndrome."

Nami in the memory was not as sympathetic to Luffy at the moment. "Quit screwing around! This isn't the time! While you were playing around up there, Robin was being taken away!"

Luffy's eyes widened and he stopped struggling again to listen to his crewmate.

"Robin's going to die for us!" Nami yelled. Her broken voice told everyone that she was either crying or near tears.

Robin felt even guiltier for causing so much pain. At the same time, she could not help feeling happy that she was so loved among her crew. After what happened at Ohara, she truly believed that no one would shed a tear for her if she died.

"She sacrificed herself to protect us from the government!" Nami screamed again in a stronger voice. "She knew that being arrested meant death!"

Luffy's eyes widened and the memory flashed for a second. It was the memory of Sabo before he was taken away.

 _"I'll do whatever you ask. I'll live just as you tell me to, so...don't hurt these two. That's all I ask. Please...they are my irreplaceable brothers,_ " Sabo said in a broken voice before the memory returned to Water 7.

Luffy looked to be near tears. History really did come full circle for him at that moment. Just like how Sabo sacrificed his happiness to save Ace and him, Robin was sacrificing her life to protect them. It was a brutal, almost cruel irony.

Before long, his face softened as another realization him. "Then...Robin...really was lying!" He sounded almost desperate.

Nami sobbing broke through the thunder of the storm. "Yes."

His body suddenly went slack and his shoulders slumped. He looked ready to cry again, except this time Luffy's tears were different. They weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of pure and utter relief. It was like a ton of weight has been lifted from Luffy's shoulders and heart.

"That's great!" Luffy yelled with a smile, or at least as much as a smile as he could give from having his face smashed.

The Strawhats realized that this was the first time they had seen Luffy smile since the fall-out with Usopp. At that moment, he looked like his old, cheerful self. It was a welcomed change from the gloomy, almost depressed demeanor he had for almost that entire day.

The tender mood was broken when Usopp noticed something in front of Luffy. "LOOK AT THAT!" he shouted when he saw a giant tidal wave heading straight for the island. It was the biggest one he had ever seen.

"What...what's that huge wave!?" Brook exclaimed. It was like the hand of Poseidon was reaching for them.

"That's the Aqua Laguna, the yearly tidal waves that hit Water 7," Nami said.

Brook's jaw dropped. "This is yearly!?"

"Yeah, but I've never seen one that big!" Franky yelled as his eyes widened in amazement. The wave seemed to be merged with the sky itself.

"I did hear that this Aqua Laguna was worse than any other," Chopper said. His fur stood on end. He truly thought that wave was going to kill all of them.

Franky nodded numbly. "Yeah. If all the Aqua Lagunas were like this, Water 7 would have flooded years ago." He suddenly wondered if his old home was okay.

"Don't worry!" Luffy suddenly yelled, bring the Strawhats back to the scene. Luffy's eyes were narrowed and his breathing was rapid. This time, however, it had nothing to do with his physical troubles. "I won't let Robin die!"

Luffy grunted and his eyes seemed to burn as his body started to shake. His arms also seemed to expand and grow as the buildings themselves began to tremble.

"What's he doing?" Usopp asked.

Nami smiled, recalling what happened. "He's breaking free."

With one mighty yell, Luffy managed to expand his body suddenly and pushed the two buildings over like they were made of cardboard.

Most of the Strawhats were surprised by the feat of raw strength, while others smiled proudly at their captain. Hearing that his crewmate was in danger was all Luffy needed to hear. Any doubt he had about Robin had finally vanished.

Luffy grinned as his eyes fired up. At that moment, he was truly back to his normal, confident self.

When the memory flashed, Luffy was standing in front of a long stonewall while Zoro and Nami talked in the back of him.

"So, Nico Robin sacrificed herself for us?" Zoro in the memory questioned as he took in the news. It was very subtle, but the crew could tell that Zoro was greatly relieved to hear the truth.

"That's right," Nami in the memory answered somberly.

"The cook and Usopp are also with her," Zoro said before turning towards Luffy. "What's the plan, captain?"

Luffy slammed a fist into his palm. "There's nothing to think about. We'll set sail after them!"

Zoro had a small smile on his face. "That's what we have to do."

The crash of waves could be heard in the background as Luffy turned towards Paulie.

"Hey, Rope Guy, loan us a ship," Luffy ordered bluntly. "Or, better yet, could we use one of the seatrains?"

Paulie stared at Luffy for a moment. His face was blank. "The only seatrain around here is the Puffing Tom. Years ago, a legendary team of shipwrights came together and created that miraculous vessel."

"Then give us a ship!" Luffy exclaimed impatiently. "The strongest and fastest ship in the city!"

"That's enough, all of you!" Paulie suddenly shouted, startling Luffy. "Didn't you see what just happened? That wave nearly swallowed us all!"

"That's right!" a shipwright yelled. "There's no way you could set sail right now!"

"No ship has survived even a normal Aqua Laguna. You saw what happened to the backstreets," Paulie said as he looked over the wall. A somber expression crossed his face. "That district never even budged during any previous Aqua Laguna. It's a sad day for us."

Franky understood Paulie's pain and worry. It was times like these that reminded him that his precious home was slowly sinking into the sea.

"What more, this year's waves are beyond any measure of intensity," Paulie went on. "Even the strongest galleons would be crushed to pieces by them. I can't let you take a ship knowing that it will only get destroyed."

"I have to wonder if those bastard CP9 agents counted on the Aqua Laguna being so bad that year," Franky said.

"I think it was more of a lucky coincidence with them. No one can predict the severity of the weather that far ahead," Nami said.

"Wait until morning," Paulie suggested. "Once the storm passes, I'll give you a ship." He turned towards the other Galley-La workers who had gathered in the area. "You guys should get to a storm shelter too. There will be no more search and rescue tonight. You would feel pretty stupid if you got carried away by the waves while standing around."

"Yes!" the crowd yelled.

"If...if we wait until morning, will we make it in time?" Nami asked in a grave voice.

Paulie silently stare at the navigator.

"I've heard of Enies Lobby. After hearing it was a government island, I remembered," Nami said. "That's...that's where the Gate of Justice is."

Paulie's eyes widened as Nami talked.

"What's that?" Zoro asked.

"Enies Lobby is an island occupied by the government's judiciary. The court there is only nominal," Nami explained. Although she attempted to keep her voice calm, all the Strawhats could hear the anxiety in her tone. "Those who are taken there have already been convicted. They pass through an empty courthouse and reach an enormous, cold, steel door. That door is called the Gate of Justice."

Robin had to keep herself from shivering. She remembered too well being pushed towards those cold doors and into hell.

Sanji instinctually put his hand on Robin's shoulder in comfort.

"Once a criminal passes through that door of despair, they never see the light of day again. That is because they are loaded onto a ship with only two possible destinations," Nami said darkly. "One is the pinnacle of military power in the world, Marine Headquarters. The other is a dungeon filled with torture chambers and gallows. Dangerous criminals from around the world who run amok are incarcerated there. It is the great underwater prison, Impel Down. In short, Enies Lobby is a puppet court which mercilessly sends one convict after another there. You know that, right?"

Paulie didn't answer, which was proof enough.

Zoro winced when he heard Marine Headquarters and Impel Down. He knew their journey into Luffy's memory would soon lead them there. To the depths of his very despair.

"As a wanted criminal, Robin will be sent into the depths of Hell," Nami said coldly. "Even as we stand here talking, Robin is getting closer to the Gate of Justice! We can't wait until morning!"

No one spoke for several seconds as the storm raged around them.

"Since you already know about it, I'll tell you one more thing," Paulie said. "Even if you set sail in calm seas, you should stay away from that place. Don't forget you seven are pirates. As you said, Enies Lobby is a portal into the very center of the World Government. There are powerful battleships stationed there. You wouldn't stand a chance storming in after a condemned crew member. Everyone knows what would happen." Paulie suddenly stepped towards the Strawhats. "Are you trying to pick a fight with the World Government!?"

The crowd muttered in agreement.

Luffy stared at Paulie and the other Galley-La workers, unmoved by his and the crowd's words.

"Then we'll steal a ship! We're setting sail now!" Luffy yelled fiercely. "Our friend needs us!"

Another waved hit, sending several shipwrights into air. Still, neither Luffy nor Paulie moved from their spot.

Paulie slowly pulled several lengths of rope out of his sleeve. "Fine then. You'll have to go through me!"

Zoro in the memory unsheathed his sword, Nami took out her Clima-Tact, and Chopper got ready to charge into his Heavy Point. None of the Strawhats would be stopped from saving their friend, even if they had to fight the entire city.

Robin felt tears build in her eyes again, causing Sanji to hug her tighter and whisper words of comfort into her ear.

Before a fight could break between the two groups, Kokoro stepped forward.

"That's enough, you idiots!" Kokoro yelled. As always, she had a bottle of booze in her hands and she was half drunk. Still, everyone could hear the seriousness in her voice that demanded attention.

"Kokoro?" Nami in the memory questioned.

"Sorry guys, Strawhat, but Paulie is right," Kokoro said. "Are you stupid?"

"Shut up!" Luffy screamed. "Granny, this has nothi..."

"To do with me, right?" Kokoro finished for Luffy before she began to laugh. "Just listen. If I don't step in, you're going to get yourselves killed. The only vessel that stands a chance of conquering the Aqua Laguna is the seatrain made by the legendary shipwrights."

"But it's not here, so we have to take a ship!" Luffy argued.

Kokoro turned her back on Luffy. "If you're not afraid to die, then follow me. I'll let you borrow a seatrain."

In a wave of mist the scene shifted and the Strawhats now stood in front of a gray locomotive with a shark's face painted on the front.

"So, that's the seatrain," Brook said in awe.

Franky nodded and smiled. "Rocketman, the first seatrain that Tom ever built and the prototype for the Puffing Tom. It was considered a failure because no one could control it once it reached top speed. I'm surprise that old lady Kokoro and Iceberg decided to keep it around after so many years."

"It's a good thing they did," Nami said as she looked over the old train with fondness. "This seatrain is one of the biggest reasons we were able to rescue Robin, and even you."

"It was a flawed machine, but even something that is imperfect has a purpose," Zoro said.

The door to the Rocketman suddenly opened and Iceberg came walking out with a toolbox.

"Ice-pops!" Luffy exclaimed when he saw him.

"He can still move around after everything that has happened to him?" Brook asked in surprise. He'd survived being shot several times, having his bones twisted by Robin, and a fire. This man had more luck than Luffy.

Franky chuckled. "As I said, Iceberg is tough. CP9 underestimated the heart of the Tom Workers."

"Strawhat," Iceberg greeted softly as he wiped his damp face with a rag. "I am glad you are alive. That pirate girl was right. I take it that Kokoro brought you here."

"Looks like you pulled through, Iceberg," Kokoro said with a note of relief. "What are you doing down here?"

"Since you are here, I imagine we had the same idea," Iceberg said with some humor. "We cannot let these idiots do this alone."

Kokoro laughed.

Iceberg walked towards a line of crates and sat down with a heavy thud. "It is yours. Everything is ready. It has plenty of water and coal and it is just building steam."

Luffy and Chopper happily ran to get a closer look at Rocketman.

"Ice-pops, were you getting it ready for us?" Luffy asked.

"Do not thank me unless you survive," Iceberg said gravely. "The Rocketman is completely uncontrollable since its speed cannot be regulated with the steam engine. It is the failed predecessor of the Puffing Tom. I cannot promise you will make it there alive."

"Okay!" Luffy yelled cheerfully. "Thanks, Ice-pops!"

Iceberg gave Luffy a small smile, marveled by the boy's bravery.

Without waiting another minute, Luffy grabbed a wooden stair ladder and plopped it against Rocketman.

"Yeah, let's go!" Luffy yelled. "Guys get on! Granny, we're leaving as soon as Nami gets here!"

"Where is Nami-san?" Sanji asked in concern, noticing that she wasn't among the crew.

"She went to get supplies," Chopper answered.

As Luffy was yelling, he nearly fell off the stair ladder. He was extremely unsteady on his feet and the memory blurred slightly.

"Luffy, are you okay?" Chopper in the memory asked in worry. "You've been stumbling way too much."

Zoro in the memory walked towards his captain with a concern expression on his face. "He lost too much blood."

"I guess he would, being stabbed like that by Lucci," Nami said. She shivered at the memory.

"And he still hasn't eaten," Chopper added in worry.

"I do feel a little weak," Luffy huffed. "If only I had some meat."

Sanji sighed. "Luffy's cure for all injuries and illnesses."

"Hurry, this way!" someone yelled.

The sounds of people running down a flight of stairs got the current Strawhats' attention. It also sounded like a wagon of some kind was being dragged down the stairs.

"Sorry I'm late!" Nami in the memory yelled as she ran into the tunnel.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" Luffy scolded the navigator. "Get on already!"

"Don't yell at Nami, rubber bastard!" Sanji yelled at his captain.

"It's strange that it was Nami-san holding everyone up," Brook mused.

Nami folded her arms in annoyance. "Like Chopper said, I was getting supplies for these idiots. We just couldn't rush to Enies Lobby ill-prepared, after all."

"Nami-swan is so smart!" Sanji cooed.

Nami in the memory didn't pay too much attention to Luffy. She was too taken in by the second seatrain.

"I never expected that there would be another one down here," a man, who was pulling a wooden wagon, said in awe. By the way he was dressed, he was a seatrain conductor.

"What a surprise," the second man said. He also appeared to be a conductor.

"Where were you!?" Luffy demanded. "You were the one carrying on about not having any time! And what's in that bag!?"

Nami in the memory pulled a huge bag off the wagon. "Food and liquor."

Within seconds, both Luffy and Zoro was tearing into the bag like raving dogs. Luffy naturally went after the meat while Zoro took all the rum out. The swordsman had a huge grin on his face and his eyes were practically lit up. It was rare to see Zoro this happy.

"Sorry I doubted you!" Luffy exclaimed as he stacked meat into his mouth.

"Well, I see Luffy's appetite returned," Usopp deadpanned.

Despite his tone, Usopp was delighted that Luffy was acting like his old self. The depressed, low energy Luffy that they were forced to endure since the duel wasn't his captain.

Franky laughed. "Dang Zoro, you're tearing into that rum almost as fast as Luffy eating meat."

Zoro grunted. "I went an entire day without booze. I earned a couple bottles."

"True, moss head is an alcoholic," Sanji said dryly. "His drinking is probably the reason why he has no brain cells."

Zoro growled at Sanji.

"Strawhat!" someone suddenly yelled from the back of the room.

Everyone looked up to see Zambai and the Franky Family standing at the door. They were all out of breath and were soaked from the rain. All of them had a desperate and scared expression on their faces. They were nothing like the thugs who had beating Usopp up just the other day.

"It's those guys," Luffy said with a full mouth. The Strawhats could tell Luffy wasn't happy to see them.

"The Franky Family!" Nami in the memory exclaimed.

Zoro in the memory loosened one of his swords, looking more than a little annoyed. "This is all we need."

"Please...take us with you!" Zambai pleaded, surprising everyone. "The Galley-La workers told us you were going to Enies Lobby! The government took Franky-bro into custody! We have to go after him!"

Luffy continued to eat his meat with a blank expression.

Nami, Chopper, and Zoro in the memory gave the Franky Family pitiless looks. After everything that Franky had done, him being taken by the government was poetic justice.

Franky could feel himself becoming teary-eyed by his family's pleas. It must have been hard for them to ask Luffy for help. The rift between them ran deep.

"We can't survive the Aqua Laguna by ourselves!" Zambai went on with teary eyes.

"You sure you want to take on the World Government?" Kokoro asked.

"We don't care who it is!" Zambai yelled without any hint of fear or hesitation.

"We need bro back!" one of the members of the Franky Family yelled.

"We would lay down our lives for him!" one of the Square Sisters shouted.

"Please!" the other Square Sister begged. "Fight with us!"

Luffy kept an emotionless expression.

"Your family cares for you deeply, Franky," Brook said in a soft voice. "Even if it meant taking on the world, they were willing to fight and die for you."

Franky fought back the tears as he wiped his eyes. "Damn those guys! Damn them for being so stupid!"

"Is this some kind of joke!?" Nami in the memory asked in disgust. "Do you realize what you have _done_ to us!?"

Chopper in the memory scowled at them. His fur was raised like a wild animal.

Tears ran down Zambai's eyes as he fell to his knees and lowered his head.

This gesture got Luffy's attention.

"I do and I bear the shame! I beg you!" Zambai begged as he humbled himself before Luffy and his crew. His tears drenched the floor. "Please save bro!"

Franky was opening crying now and Usopp patted the giant cyborg's back.

Luffy finished eating his meat and silently walked towards the seatrain. He still gave no readable expression.

"Get on," Luffy suddenly ordered as he thumbed the seatrain. Nami and Chopper looked at Luffy in surprise. "Now!"

The memory ended at that moment.

"He allowed the Franky Family to join in the rescue despite so many hard feelings," Brook said in awe. He knew from Luffy's expression that he still hadn't forgiven them, at least not completely.

"Zambai and the others in the Franky Family were willing to lower their heads and put their pride aside for someone they loved and respected," Zoro said. "Even if Luffy hated Franky, even he couldn't ignore such loyalty."

Nami nodded. "Loyalty to a friend is something Luffy values highly, even if you are his enemy."

A memory formed and the small pirate crew stood outside the rapidly moving seatrain. It was still raining heavily and the wind was blowing fiercely across the raging sea. There were the sounds of guns and cannons being fired, but that wasn't what grabbed the Strawhats' attention. In front of Rocketman was a giant tidal wave that was heading right for them. If it hit, the Rocketman would undoubtedly tumble into the sea.

"That's even bigger than the one we saw before!" Usopp screamed in horror.

"What's happening?" Brook asked in near panic.

"Not long after we left Water 7, Rocketman was nearly swallowed by this giant tidal wave," Nami said as she stared at the massive wave. The Aqua Laguna still frightened her even now.

"How did you get past such a force?" Brook asked.

As if answering his question, footfalls caught the crew's ears. They turned to see Luffy and Zoro standing on the seatrain, staring at the wave defiantly. Behind them the Franky Family kept shooting the wave with their cannons, trying to open a path.

"Times two 108, what does that equal?" Luffy asked Zoro.

There was a long pause.

"It took you that long to do such a simple math problem, moss head?" Sanji teased.

"Shut up!" Zoro yelled.

"Two-hundred and sixteen," Zoro in the memory finally answered.

"At least he got it right," Nami said dryly, causing Zoro to growl at her.

Luffy frowned. "Two-hundred and sixteen is kinda of long and hard to say."

"What's so hard about saying two-hundred and sixteen?" Nami muttered as she rubbed her forehead.

"They're both idiots," Sanji stated.

"Whatever is okay," Zoro in the memory said nonchalantly.

"Okay, three-hundred!" Luffy yelled as he started to do what looked like his Gatling. "Gum Gum..."

Next to him, Zoro raised his swords. "300 Pound..."

Luffy growled as his fists heated up and turned red. "Cannon!" they both shouted.

With the merger of their attacks, the pure force of the technique blew a giant hole through into the tidal wave. It really did look like a cannon had blown it opened.

Brook, Franky, Chopper, and Usopp gasped in awe.

"What power!" Brook exclaimed.

Chopper had stars in his eyes. "You guys are so strong and awesome!"

"They blew a tunnel right through the Aqua Laguna!" Franky shouted in disbelief. He didn't think such a thing was possible.

"It wasn't that impressive," Sanji said dismissively as he lit a cigarette.

Zoro smirked at his rival. "Jealous, swirls?"

"You wish, moss head," Sanji said as he blew out some smoke. "While you and Luffy were playing with water, I was doing some real work."

"What was that!?" Zoro yelled. Within seconds, they were having their usual fight.

Robin was left speechless, but it was not from the feat of strength. To save her, they challenged even the forces of Mother Nature herself. That one wave could have killed them all, but they did not back down. They did not hesitate. They were going to save her no matter what.

The gesture was almost enough to send her into tears again, despite her best attempts not to cry anymore. She was getting tired of crying so much, but being reminded of her crew's love for her filled her with warmth. She wished she had more faith in her crew to prevent them from going through all of this to save her. She really was a fool.

The mist surrounded the Strawhats and they were now inside the seatrain. Members of the Franky Family and the strongest remaining members of the Galley-La Company surrounded them. They were all gathered in the only passenger car on the Rocketman and they were all starting to assemble around Paulie who had a sheet of paper in his hands.

"The Galley-La workers are also here?" Brook asked in mild disbelief.

"The Galley-La shipwrights snuck aboard some time before we left the station," Zoro explained. "They wanted to get back at CP9 and the government for trying to kill Iceberg."

Brook looked among the three groups. "Amazing, not even twenty-four hours ago, all of you were enemies. Now, you're one group willing to take on the powers of the world."

"The World Government made a fatal mistake," Zoro said. "They underestimated the bonds of dedication and friendship by taking Robin and Franky on top of trying to kill Iceberg. By doing those actions, they gave all of us a common enemy."

"I once came here to repair rails. I drew this using the vague memory I have from that time," Paulie said as he put the piece of paper on the floor. It was a diagram of Enies Lobby. "This is an overall map of Enies Lobby's terrain."

Luffy sat on his knees not far from Paulie and studied the map.

"The Gate of Justice is located at the back of the island. You can go there by passing through the Judiciary Tower," Paulie explained.

"What's this? What's that black thing?" Luffy asked as he pointed at the diagram.

"That black part is the water fall," Paulie stated.

"Water?" Luffy repeated.

"You'll understand when you pass the gate," Paulie said.

Brook tilted his head as he looked at the map. "I've never seen a waterfall like that before."

"It was quite a sight," Usopp said. "It's still hard to believe that thing actually exists."

"Tell me about it," Franky said with a nod. It was almost hard to believe that he nearly fell into that void of water.

Chopper nodded in agreement.

"From the Main Gate to the Gate of Justice. If we don't get back Nico Robin and Franky during that period of time, we lose," Paulie said gravely.

"Why's that?" Luffy asked. "Wherever Robin is taken away, we just have to follow her until we succeed."

"I told you before in Water 7," Nami said in annoyance. "If we pass through that gate, our destination will either be Marine Headquarters or the Impel Down! No matter what, we must settle things before that."

"That's how it is," Paulie agreed. "But still, even if we all get on the island, the ones who really stand a chance to win against CP9 are just you guys. I understood that strength well while traveling on this train with you. That's why you should wait here for five minutes and then bash in the main island with the Rocketman."

Luffy put his hand on his chin and nodded several times.

"So, he was paying attention," Nami said dryly as she watched the memory.

Brook looked at the navigator in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Just keep watching," Sanji advised in a deadpan voice.

"We'll go first and open a passage so that the train can pass between the Main Gate and the Main Island Gate," Zambai said. "After that, we want you to go on, no matter how many of us fall."

All the Strawhats in the memory looked at the man in understanding.

"We may have around sixty members, but the other side should have around two to three thousand soldiers," Zambai explained. "You Strawhats should try to avoid unnecessary battles and only concentrate on following the CP9."

"Yeah, I got it," Luffy said with a nod.

"Hn, I doubt Luffy followed that plan at all," Franky said.

Chopper sweat-dropped. "He didn't get it at all."

"Don't give away the plot twist to Brook," Sanji muttered.

"Hey guys, this is the front of the island!" Kokoro announced over the loud speaker. "Look well at the sky beyond Enies Lobby. That is the Gate of Justice!"

Every gasped in awe and shock when they saw the Gate of Justice in the distance. It was huge. It looked like it covered the entire sky on the back of the island. It was hard to believe that men built such a thing.

"Incredible. My eyes would pop out, if I had any!" Brook exclaimed before he laughed at his skull joke.

While everyone stared transfixed at the gate, Luffy took this as his cue to leave. He walked towards one of the windows of the Rocketman and jumped out of it without his crew even knowing that he had left. He climbed to the top of the locomotive and grabbed onto the railings. With his face hardened in determination, he rocketed himself onto the island.

"Oh, he was impatient," Brook chuckled. "That's Luffy-san."

"Waiting five minutes was asking for too much," Usopp muttered in a dry voice.

"I should have figured he would do this," Nami said as she rubbed her forehead.

Sanji sighed. "That rubber brain has the patient of five years old."

With a graceful flip, Luffy landed on a pole that was connected to a steel railing that lined the island. He quickly climbed the steel pole until he stood at the top of it. Once at the top, he jumped down and allowed his arms to extend.

"Gum Gum Rocket!" he yelled as he flew across the island. He flew so far that he was at the first gate and landed on the flagpole with ease.

"He got to that gate that easily!?" Nami yelled in disbelief.

"We had to crash the Rocketman just to get that far!" Chopper screamed in equal disbelief. "Not to mention all the trouble that the Franky Family and Galley-La went through to clear the gate!"

"Shitty captain with his shitty rubber abilities," Sanji growled bitterly.

Even Zoro looked slightly annoyed.

Robin began to chuckle. "Well, that is one of the advantages of having an ability. You can do what is normally impossible."

"What's up with this place?" Luffy asked cheerfully as he took in the view for the entire island.

In front of him was the Judiciary Tower that stood perched on a single section of land surrounded by a huge waterfall. The waterfall itself was more like a bottomless pit that seemed to go into the earth itself.

"Wow, amazing! This island...could such a thing really exist!?" Brook asked, completely transfixed.

"I have to admit, Enies Lobby was like no other island I've ever seen," Franky said.

Another realization hit Brook. "Why is it daylight? Surely, it couldn't have taken that long to reach the island."

"For reasons I still don't understand, Enies Lobby never have nights," Nami said. "It's always day."

"Always!?" Brook exclaimed.

Franky nodded. "Yeah. I was pretty freaked out too when I found out."

"Truly, there are many strange places in the world," Brook muttered.

"There's such a huge hole! It looks like a floating island!" Luffy exclaimed in amazement. "There's a town too. Robin...I wonder where you are?"

Robin took note to how soft Luffy's voice became when he asked that last question.

Luffy's sightseeing ended when marines started to shoot at him

"I've been spotted!" Luffy yelled before he rocketed himself off the flag. He landed hard on the other side of the gate and made a run for it.

He kept running until the second gate was within his sight. The gate was guarded by several tough looking marines.

"Hey there, little guy, stop running," one of the marines ordered Luffy like they were talking to a little kid. They obviously had no idea who he was. "Do you know where you are?"

In some ways, Zoro envied the unassuming aura that Luffy emitted most of the time. Unlike Luffy, most people took him seriously the moment they laid eyes on him because of the aura he projected. This worked to his advantage since that kept most people from messing with him and helped intimidate his enemies. It did, however, have its disadvantages. Since everyone usually took him seriously from the start, people tend not to underestimate him and leave themselves open.

Luffy was just the opposite. People rarely take him seriously and mistakenly take him as some stupid, unruly kid who was getting in way over his head. Even he fell into that mind-set when he first set eyes on Luffy, despite sensing something different about him. This almost always worked to Luffy's advantage since when he did become serious, his opponents were taken completely off-guard. There was always an advantage to be had when you were the hidden dragon as opposed to always being the crouching tiger.

Luffy jumped in front of the group of marines just as they got the message of who he was. It came all too late for them as Luffy kicked two of the marines in the face.

Before the marines to get their bearings, Luffy mercilessly pummeled them. Marines went flying around like they were rag dolls.

Either out of boredom, or just plain playfulness Luffy actually walked up to one group of marines that guarded the second gate and politely asked to pass, causing some of the Strawhats to chuckle.

"Is he mocking them?" Franky asked with a smile on his face.

The leader of the marine group thought the same thing. "Even if you asked politely, when I say no, I mean no!" the man yelled as he charged at Luffy with a spear.

Luffy easily dodged the spear by jumping over it and wrapping his limbs around the marine's body. Now, he was moving the poor marine like a puppet and using him to beat up his own men. To add even further insult, Luffy made 'robot' like noise the entire time and named all his attacks 'ally' robot.

"Wow," Sanji snickered.

"That's so cool!" Chopper exclaimed.

Franky snorted. "He thinks he's a real robot, amateur."

"Does Luffy just sit around and think of new ways to humiliate people?" Usopp mumbled.

Luffy's run as the puppet master ended when two of the marines attempted to attack Luffy from the back and he jumped off, causing them to stab their own ally.

With his fun over, Luffy went back to beating up the marines the traditional way. He did it easily and jumped onto one of the marine's heads to launch himself upwards. He grabbed the two door handles that were attached to the Second Main Gate and stretched his arms back. He gave one last look towards the stunned marines.

"What's this!? His body seemed so light!" the marine who Luffy had jumped off of exclaimed as he rubbed his face.

The statement confused Chopper. "Luffy isn't all that heavy."

"I think he meant that Luffy is heavier than the thought given his build," Robin stated.

"I'm in a hurry," Luffy informed the marines with a huge grin. "Let's meet again! See ya!" he exclaimed cheerfully as he rocketed himself past the second gate.

"That rubber bastard. He passed right through that second gate like it was nothing too," Sanji growled.

"Luffy-san is a one man army," Brook said as he watched the scene.

The strawhat captain was now on the main island that held the Judiciary Tower. Once he reached the other side, he was literally surrounded by hundreds of marines.

"Strawhat Luffy, how many crew members did you bring with you?" one of the marines asked in a mocking tone. "Enies Lobby has over ten-thousand solders!"

"Yeah, I'm alone," Luffy said calmly before he cracked his knuckles. "Open the way!"

No one of course listened to the rubber captain's command and the marines attempted to attack him at once. With little to no effort, Luffy knocked all of them back, using a single Gatling.

"Luffy must have taken out at least two-hundred soldiers in that one attack!" Brook exclaimed.

"Luffy's so awesome!" Chopper cheered with stars in his eyes. He was almost as cool as Zoro.

"They should have brought a battleship if they wanted to fight Luffy," Zoro said nonchalantly.

With the way cleared, Luffy made his way into the town. There he spent what must have been several minutes going through marines like they were children. By the Strawhats' estimates, Luffy seemed to have taken out at least one-thousand solders by himself in a span of a minute.

"Look at Luffy, he's like an unstoppable machine!" Usopp cheered. It felt good to see Luffy so alive.

"How many marines did he take out?" Nami asked in shock. This was impressive even for Luffy.

"If I remember correctly, the damage report was over five-thousand," Robin said, recalling Spandam's meltdown when he heard the news. It was one of her fonder memories despite being upset at the time that Luffy and the others had followed her.

"Five-thousand!?" Usopp exclaimed in shock. "That's half the freaking island!"

"And here we struggle with the scraps," Sanji grumbled. He really hated Luffy at the moment.

"Well, we did take on the more elite members of Enies Lobby like that wolf unit and those jurymen with the ball and chains," Nami said. "We also didn't really fight until we reached the courthouse."

"And imagine, Luffy can now take out those five-thousand marines by just staring at them!" Franky exclaimed as he watched Luffy mowed down marines.

"He really is a monster," Sanji said.

Zoro nodded. "It's the least to be expected from the future Pirate King."

It took longer to reach than the gates, but Luffy eventually made his way to the top of the courthouse. There, the Judiciary Tower was within his sight.

"So, that's the last building," Luffy said as he looked up towards the Judiciary Tower. "Okay."

Before Luffy could move, however, he sensed something in the air. He looked around in confusion and saw a break in space.

"Air Door!" a deep voice echoed across the roof.

A door appeared out of nowhere and one of the CP9 agents came walking out of it. It was the agent with the bullhorns like haircut.

"Hey, it's the bull guy from the mansion!" Usopp exclaimed.

"What was the bastard's name again?" Sanji asked.

"Blueno," Robin answered.

"Ah, you're the cow who was with the pigeon guy!" Luffy yelled.

"I thought the information about damage report being only five was a mistake," Blueno said neutrally.

"Why did they say the damages were only five?" Chopper asked in confusion.

"That idiot Spanda made a mistake," Franky said in a dismissive tone.

"That's a pretty big mistake," Sanji said.

"That's because Spanda is a moron," Franky answered.

Robin nodded in agreement.

"Ah, that surprised me!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Since the beginning of the World Government, this is the first time such a thing has happened," Blueno went on. "To have a man sneak up to the entrance of the government."

"How the hell did Luffy sneak up on anyone?" Sanji asked.

"Until when do you plan on fighting?" Blueno asked. It almost sounded like a dare.

"Until I die," Luffy answered bluntly.

Blueno gave him a blank stare.

"What do you want to say?" Luffy asked.

"Across the world's oceans, we have influence over more than one-hundred and seventy affiliated countries," Blueno stated. "When you decided to invade this island owned by the massive organization known as the World Government, it meant that you also declared war against those countries. The government will put its dignity at stake and make you all criminals wanted throughout the world before making you suffer cruel deaths. You are at most a few dozen people. That is quite a small power."

"Since we're already criminals before even coming here, that would have been our fates regardless if we didn't invade Enies Lobby," Nami said almost dryly.

"People really do forgot that we're pirates," Chopper murmured.

"I just told you to move out of the way!" Luffy yelled, not caring about a word Blueno had said. He most likely didn't understand most if it anyway.

"Whether I move or not I only warn you that there is no future for all of you who broke though Enies Lobby's gates," Blueno said. "Fighting is also useless. I think you saw enough of our fighting style in the Galley-La mansion to understand. As well as the difference between us."

"That's right, but at this moment I don't feel like losing at all," Luffy answered as he finished his stretches and cracked his knuckles.

He then charged Blueno. "Gum Gum Rifle!"

"Tekkai," Blueno said as he hardened his body.

It didn't matter; Luffy's Rifle broke right through Blueno's Tekkai.

Blueno slid back several feet and stared at Luffy in shock. This was the first time any of the Strawhats had seen the CP9 agent unnerved.

"Whoa, it's completely different from last time," Brook said.

"That's because Luffy is no longer held back by doubt," Zoro said. "That idiot let his victory at the mansion go to his head."

"Gatling Gun!" Luffy shouted as his fists seemed to multiple.

Blueno quickly got out of the range of the Gatling by using Soru, but Luffy was still able to track his movements. He punched the bull agent in mid run and knocked Blueno right into one of the pillars that were on the roof.

Blueno slowly stood back up and glared at the rubberman.

"I don't care about the world or the government," Luffy said as he tilted his hat down, shadowing his eyes. "Do what you want with those things. We only came to take Robin back!"

Blueno stared at Luffy for a moment. Slowly, he calmed down and regained his cool demeanor. "I underestimated you."

"You shouldn't!" Luffy exclaimed angrily.

"Looks like that bull guy regained his head," Sanji noted.

Zoro nodded. "He's going to be more dangerous now."

Without warning, Blueno flew through the sky. After floating for a few seconds, he charged directly at Luffy.

"Gum Gum..." Luffy began to shout.

Blueno quickly performed a Rankyaku that nearly hit Luffy. Before Luffy could fully recover from the sudden attack Blueno attempted to hit Luffy several more times with the Rankyaku technique.

At one point, Blueno did a cartwheel that was embedded with the wind blades, keeping Luffy on the run, unable to counterattack.

"Blueno's better than I thought," Franky said. After briefly seeing Luffy fight Lucci in that storage room, he didn't think that bull agent could keep up with Luffy like this.

When Blueno finished his cartwheel, he disappeared using his Devil Fruit.

"There was a door there just now!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.

Two small doors opened on both sides of Luffy and grabbed his ankles before he knew what was going on. Blueno then pulled Luffy's legs into the doors, trapping him.

"Clever," Sanji complimented.

"W...what's this!?" Luffy yelled in shock. "Were there such small doors before!?"

Blueno appeared again by coming through a big door he put in the floor.

"You, what is this!? What did you do!? Is that a Devil Fruit!?" Luffy asked rapidly.

"I ate the Door Door Fruit. I am a Door Man," Blueno informed him.

"Door Man!?" Luffy repeated in surprise.

Usopp snickered despite himself. "Sounds like a butler."

"Such a lame sounding Devil Fruit can be so powerful," Franky said.

"Blueno was very good at using his powers," Robin said. "There is also no such a thing as a lame Devil Fruit. Just lame users."

Sanji snorted. It was that stupid door ability that kept him from saving Robin on the seatrain.

"Anything I touch turns into a door!" Blueno proclaimed as he swiped his hand across Luffy's face.

Luffy blinked several times, not sure what Blueno just did. After a second the entire middle of Luffy's face started to spin like revolving door. The scene was both funny and highly disturbing. The memory itself also began to spin like an out of control merry go round.

"He turned Luffy's face into a door!" Chopper exclaimed, completely freaked out.

"Hm, didn't quite see that coming," Sanji said neutrally.

Nami blinked and rubbed her eyes. "I'm getting dizzy look at this."

Blueno used this opportunity to attempt to finish Luffy with a Rankyaku. Somehow, Luffy was able to pull himself together enough to avoid the fatal hit by punching the ground under him, causing the floor to collapse.

It took a few moments, but eventually the memory stopped spinning as Luffy's face went back to normal. Luffy was left dizzy from his experience given the swirls in his eyes.

"That door in my face closed!" Luffy exclaimed as he held his head, trying to regain his senses.

"Of course. Doors will always close after being open," Blueno said as if he was reciting a fortune cookie. "You did well on dodging my Rankyaku."

"Yeah, no big deal," Luffy said as he dusted himself off.

"How unexpected," Blueno said as he disappeared again.

Luffy dodged a kick and attempted to punch Blueno with a Pistol. He easily evaded it and disappeared. Blueno started to fly again and it sounded like bombs were exploding in the air.

Blueno attempted to impale Luffy with his finger by falling downwards onto him, but Luffy flipped out of harm's way. Blueno disappeared and appeared behind Luffy and threw a powerful punch. Luffy got out of the way as the attack cracked the roof.

"Gum Gum Bullet!" Luffy screamed as he punched at Blueno's chest.

The CP9 agent threw a punch of his own and caught Luffy's punch midway. Luffy quickly moved in and did a Gatling, putting Blueno on the defensive.

Blueno attempted another Rankyaku, but Luffy caught his leg with a kick and knocked the blade of wind off course.

"Wow, look at them go!" Usopp yelled. He had never seen a fight quite like this.

"They seem evenly matched," Brook observed.

Luffy began to smile once he got some distance away from Blueno. "That's no good."

Blueno gave him a surprised look.

"If I stay like this, it's no good," Luffy reiterated. "When I lost to Aokiji and that incident with the Baron, I thought about it. If strong guys like these are going to appear down the road, if I don't become stronger, I won't be able to protect my friends."

The Strawhats saw flashes of Omatsuri Island and them dying by Lily. They also saw Aokiji freezing Robin while Luffy looked on helplessly.

Blueno just stared blankly at him.

"That's because even if they aren't strong, I have friends I want to keep with me," Luffy said.

Usopp was struck by the words. It sounded like he was talking about him. About how he felt unworthy to be on Luffy's crew because he was weak.

The other Strawhats also thought about Luffy's vow to Ace back on that cliff. About wanting to become stronger so no one else would disappear like Sabo. Nearly losing Robin to Aokiji and watching them die by the Baron's hands must have brought back that sense of loss and helplessness.

"If I don't get stronger than everyone else, I'll lose them all!" Luffy exclaimed with fire in his eyes.

"Then what do you want to do?" Blueno asked.

"I thought about a way to fight at my fullest. So that I don't lose anyone," Luffy answered as he went into a horse stance and put one of his hands on his knee and the other hand on the ground.

All the Strawhats knew what was about to happen.

Luffy to pumped his legs and his skin turned a glossy red as steam began to emanate from his body. "So that I don't let anyone drift away from me , you won't be able to keep up with me anymore."

"What?" Blueno questioned.

"All of my techniques are going to evolve by one step!" Luffy exclaimed. "Gear Second!"

Blueno stared at Luffy. He didn't look too impress. "Gear? Your technique will evolve? Blowing stream from all over your body? Is this your imitation of a steam engine? What kind of bluff is this? You are starting to test my patience."

"Is he in for a surprise," Sanji humored.

"Luffy can't bluff worth beans," Usopp said almost dryly.

Luffy's eyes were shadowed, displaying no emotion.

The memory suddenly shifted and the Strawhats were no longer at Enies Lobby. Instead, they were standing in what looked like some kind of factory. It was the middle of the night and they could hear the hissed of stream and the sounds of machines humming.

"Huh, why did the memory suddenly change?" Franky asked as he looked around. "And where are we? I don't recognize this place at all."

"I think Luffy is having a flashback," Robin surmised.

"Hm, I wonder why?" Brook asked.

"Show yourself!" Luffy screamed as he came running into the factory. He appeared to be searching for someone.

There was a low zooming sound in the distance and the Strawhats looked in front of Luffy. They saw a giant machine walking towards their captain. The mecha looked like a mechanical armadillo as it stumbled across the darkened room. It appeared incomplete given the wires hanging out and the lack of full armor.

"Wow, that's so super!" Franky yelled with stars in his eyes when he saw the machine.

"Awesome!" Chopper yelled. He too had stars in his eyes.

"Oh, I remember this now," Nami said in realization. "This is when we fought Ratchet and his mechanical castle."

"Pardon?" Brook questioned, looking bewildered.

"Ratchet was a genius inventor who built machines on his island, Mecha Island," Robin explained. "Unfortunately, he allowed his genius to go to his head and he thought he could take over the world."

"Take over the world, really?" Franky asked in a deadpan voice. "You're kidding me?"

"Afraid it's true," Usopp sighed with a shrug. "He tried to take over the world by taking control of a giant sea turtle."

"Huh?" Brook asked, completely lost.

Nami rubbed her forehead. "It's a long story. I wrote everything in the log book, so you can read about it once we get back."

"It was torture what that man did to that poor turtle," Chopper said as he became angry. "She was pregnant too!"

"No more holding back!" Ratchet yelled from his machine. He was a pale, skinny man with large, round yellow-tinted glasses. He was seated inside the mecha, but had no protection. "This is my ultimate weapon, Mr. Super Tortoise!"

"What a lame name," Sanji muttered.

Chopper nodded in agreement.

"It looks nothing like a turtle," Zoro said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, it should be Super Mechanical Armadillo!" Franky yelled.

"That's even stranger," Nami scolded.

"It is also unfinished, but it does not matter," Ratchet went on as he brought up a giant drill and attempted to impale Luffy with it.

The rubberman quickly dodged the drill, which destroyed a large chuck of the floor. Luffy jumped out of the building, but Ratchet swiftly followed him. In his pursuit, Ratchet knocked down an entire steel wall.

Ratchet laughed victoriously from inside his mecha. "Looks like you are worthy of your one-hundred million belli bounty! I never imagine that I would have to use this mecha! However, I simply cannot lose! I am going to conquer the world!"

He moved forward, but the machine stopped short of reaching Luffy. Apparently, the mecha was still hooked to several extension cords.

"Yeah, that thing was definitely not ready for prime time," Franky said. "A shame, I bet the end product would have been super."

Ratchet attempted to drill Luffy's face, but he was too far from the strawhat captain by mere inches. Luffy didn't bother to move or look the least bit scared as the drill hummed in his face.

Ratchet shot a mechanical arm at Luffy, which he easily caught with a single arm, surprising the young inventor.

Luffy gave a cocky grin. His fingers were stretched across the arm, keeping it from moving.

"With a single hand!?" Ratchet exclaimed in disbelief.

"You think this crap will stop me!?" Luffy yelled. "Back at ya!" He threw the arm back and destroyed the drill.

"So effortlessly!" Ratchet yelled as his eyes bugged out.

Franky snorted. "Oh come on. It isn't like he built something like General Franky."

"You make some awesome mechas, but you can't defeat us," Luffy stated casually as he tilted his hat. "It's over!"

Ratchet shook with rage when he heard this.

Luffy adjusted his hat. "Give up on world domination."

"Like hell I will!" Ratchet screamed defiantly as he forced his mecha forward, snapping the extension cords. He moved one of the legs on his 'turtle' mecha and attempted to crush Luffy into the ground.

Luffy stopped the legs by catching it with both hands. Nonetheless, he was still forced down by the power of the turtle mecha.

As Luffy pushed himself back up, the Strawhats noticed that Luffy had unknowingly pumped his legs. Steam began to rush from his body and his skin took on a reddish tint.

"Wait, so Luffy's Second Gear was created by accident!?" Usopp yelled in disbelief.

Zoro was also surprised. Who would have thought that this strange, out the path adventure would be such a key moment in Luffy's development.

"I wondered how he thought up such a technique," Robin said as she put her hand to her chin. Unlike his Third Gear, his Second Gear was not something Luffy did naturally when he experimented with his own body.

Luffy's teeth gritted as the power of his Gear took hold. He easily pushed the mecha's leg off of him, leaving Ratchet wide open. "Gum Gum Bazooka!"

He nailed the mecha with his attack, sending Ratchet and the mecha flying across the landscape like it was a tinkle toy, something that would have been impossible in his normal form.

Needless to say, Ratchet was defeated as he lay unconscious in the rubble of his mecha.

"Wow, now that's a jump in power!" Franky exclaimed. That mecha had to weigh a couple of tons.

Luffy was equally surprise at what he had just done as the stream dissipated from his body and his skin turned back to normal. He looked over himself in shock and the Strawhats could practically see the question mark pop up over Luffy's head. It reminded the Strawhats of when Luffy learned that he was bulletproof.

"What just happened?" Luffy asked himself as stared at his hands. "I put out some incredible power."

The memory stopped there and the Strawhats were back in Enies Lobby.

Luffy slowly lifted his head and stared at Blueno. He smiled. "You know. I'm glad I met you guys when I did."

This caused Blueno to raise an eyebrow.

Luffy gave a huge, cocky grin. "Because, thanks to you, I won't ever lose my friends."

The Strawhats became very uncomfortable when they heard that statement.

"What are you saying?" Blueno asked with an edge of annoyance. "I think you got it backwards. Is it not because you met us that you are about to lose your friends? What you are saying keeps getting weirder and weirder. I knew you were foolish, but now you are just uttering nonsense. Have you gone nuts or something?"

Luffy continued to smile at the agent as he got into his battle position. He held one hand stretched out like he was lining Blueno in his sights. "Gum Gum..."

"What, are you stopping to aim?" Blueno asked in a bored voice. "That only gives me more time to dodge."

Luffy said nothing as he just stared at the agent.

Blueno had enough of humoring Luffy. "Fine, let's see how good your aim is then." He charged in to finish the fight.

"Jet Pistol!" Luffy yelled as he nailed Blueno with his enhanced Pistol.

The attack was so fast that it was nearly invisible to the naked eye. It looked like Blueno was just blasted by a cannon of air as he flew across the roof like a rag doll. The memory itself shook from the force of the impact.

"Dang, he blasted him!" Usopp exclaimed in shock.

Despite himself, Usopp felt himself feeling sorry for Blueno. He knew how much one of Luffy's attacks hurt when he was using his Second Gear. One Jet Pistol did nearly rupture his stomach.

Now that Luffy had entered his Second Gear, the battle went downhill for Blueno in a hurry. The man was absolutely no match for Luffy anymore and the rubberman pummeled the CP9 agent like he was the novice.

Blueno also became horrified when he realized that Luffy was using Soru with as much ease as the CP9 agents. The agent was completely freaked out by the sudden jump in power and speed. His calm demeanor completely shattered and he was like a rat caught in a trap. He couldn't believe that he was being beaten this badly by a mere pirate.

Zoro and Sanji were a little taken aback by the fact that Luffy's movements were still nearly invisible to them. They could see flashes of their captain's attacks, but there wasn't much for them to see.

The other Strawhats couldn't even keep up. Just like the CP9 agents, Luffy appeared to just disappear.

After a brutal beat down, Blueno quickly used his door ability to escape.

Luffy looked around for a second and then waiting for the bull agent to reappear. He didn't have to wait long before a door appeared above Luffy's head. Blueno reached out to grab him, but Luffy avoided him but jumping back at an amazing speed.

Blueno was both horrified and annoyed that he had missed.

"When we fought before and it looked like you guys were disappearing, I saw you guys kicking the ground ten times in an instant," Luffy stated before he smiled. "I understand the trick and I'm glad to know there's a technique to move like this. I'm glad I met you here."

"When did he observe this?" Brook asked in awe. He knew how the agents moved so fast, but it was only because he understood how to move at high speeds himself.

"It must have been at the mansion given how quickly he assembled it into his fighting style," Zoro said. "Those agents did more or less show off their abilities to us."

Still, it was impressive how Luffy learned such a complex technique so quickly. Not just learn it, but able to use it liked a master. Even if he knew how Soru works, he couldn't do it himself. Even with the love cook, it took him two years to mimic one of the CP9's techniques.

"Thanks to this, I'll be able to protect my friends for a long time," Luffy said. "I'll be able to use your tricks to protect them."

 _"Or, for a month,"_ Usopp thought darkly to himself. His fists shook knowing the future that awaited Luffy and all of them.

Blueno's eyes narrowed, finally understanding what Luffy meant earlier.

Luffy decided to finish the fight and stretched both of his arms back. "Gum Gum Jet Bazooka!"

He ran in and rammed Blueno with his Bazooka just as the CP9 agent did a Tekkai. Despite the brutality of the hit, Blueno still stood firm after sliding back several feet.

"He took that attack right to the chest and didn't even flinch!" Franky exclaimed.

"What a tough guy," Usopp said.

Luffy was just as surprised to see Blueno still standing. The agent lifted up his head and smiled cockily at him.

"You're sure are tough, aren't you," Luffy said as he disengaged his Gear. "Alright then, I'll show you something more interesting. Don't blink." He put his thumb into his mouth and bit down. "Gear..."

Before he could finish, Blueno suddenly collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. It was clear by the utter lack of movement that the CP9 agent was knocked out and wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

There was a long silence as Luffy stared at the fallen man. He looked a little disappointed that Blueno fainted before he could finish his technique.

"That was unexpected," Chopper said as he stared at the unconscious agent.

"Well, I guess he couldn't take it after all," Sanji mused.

When the shock finally passed Luffy took several deep breaths. He sounded really tired.

"He's exhausted just from that," Chopper noted in worried.

Luffy glanced over his body and stared at his hand with dim interest. It was trembling ever so slightly. "Man, I beat. Guess my body can't keep this up for long." He looked towards the Judiciary Tower and his eyes narrowed. "Well, I don't care about my body right now. I need to move ahead."

"You should care about your body, Luffy!" Usopp yelled angrily. Luffy was far too reckless with his life.

Nami sighed. This was going to be an ongoing concern with Luffy for now on.

While Luffy rested, he recharged himself from the battle by eating two large pieces of meat that he somehow managed to stuff into his pocket.

Once done, Luffy climbed on one of the pillars and stood there. He was either waiting for the rest of his crew, or trying to figure out how he was going to get to the other side and reach the Judiciary Tower.

Without warning, there was a loud explosion and part of what looked like a steel fence fell from the roof. A hole was now in the Judiciary Tower and Luffy could clearly see Robin. She was standing next to Franky, who looked exhausted as his hair slumped over his face.

"Robin, how did you get up there anyway?" Chopper asked.

"Franky did a Coup de Boo," Robin answered nonchalantly.

There was a slight paused.

"You mean you _farted_ on Robin-chan!?" Sanji yelled at the cyborg. He was in flames again.

"Hey, it was the only thing I could do at the time. Both of my arms were tied!" Franky quickly defended himself.

"That's disgusting! How _dare_ you subject Robin-chan to your foul odor!" Sanji screamed.

"It wasn't foul. It smells like cola," Franky countered.

"Like it makes it any better, shit head!" Sanji shouted.

"Calm down, Sanji, before you burn us all up!" Usopp yelled as the fire around Sanji got worse.

Nami rubbed her forehead. "That is gross, but it got us to see Robin."

"Hey, Robin!" Luffy shouted happily when he saw his crewmate. "I'm glad! So, you were still up there! Didn't you hear me yelling?"

Robin in the memory stared coldly at her captain. "Luffy..."

"Looks like Franky there too..." Luffy noted when he heard gunfire. "Alright, wait for me there! I'll be right over!"

He ran off the pillar and prepared to rocket himself over towards Robin.

"Stop it!" Robin screamed, stopping Luffy from flying to the Judiciary Tower. "I have told you countless times! I will not come back to you! I am not part of your crew anymore! Just go away ! I do not want to see your faces anymore! Do you not understand! Why did you come to rescues me!? I have never wished for such a thing! When did I ask you to save me!? For the last time, I do not want you here!"

Luffy retracted his arms as he listened to Robin's rant.

"Do you hear me!? I only...I just want to die!" Robin screamed to the top of her lungs.

"Robin..." Chopper whispered, in tears as he listened to the pain in Robin's voice.

Robin herself was close to tears listening to her past self. Her friends had practically killed themselves to reach her and she had all but slapped them in the faces.

Franky in the memory was yelling something at Robin when he was suddenly kicked in the face. The attacker turned out to be one of the CP9 agents. All of them were now lining the opening that Franky had made.

Brook didn't recognize all of them, but didn't bother to ask who they were. He decided it was best to read up about Enies Lobby once they got back.

Luffy didn't care about any of the agents. He only had his eyes on Robin.

"You want to die?" Luffy asked, not believing her.

"That is right!" Robin answered coldly.

There was a second of silence.

"Robin, don't die!" Luffy shouted back.

"Yeah Luffy, that will really encourage her," Nami said dryly.

A man with dark circles around his eyes and short pink hair laughed at Luffy as he walked on the roof. For some reason, he had what looked like leather straps on his face.

"Who's that guy?" Brook asked. He felt different from the other agents. Instead of an aura of indifferent and mild amusement like the other CP9 agents, this man had an aura of pure malice and sadistic joy.

"The biggest asshole in Enies Lobby, Spanda," Franky answered as he growled at the man. Seeing that jerk again brought back all of his old anger.

"He is the boss of all the CP9 agents and Enies Lobby," Robin said coldly. She would never forgive that man for his cruelty. At least in the end she was able to repay him back for some of the pain he caused her and her crew.

Brook looked over the leather strapped man. "So, he's strong?"

Franky snorted. "Please. Spanda is weaker than a marine grunt."

"Really, then how is he the boss of CP9?" Brook asked in bafflement.

"Unlike the marines, the World Government doesn't seem to rank base on strength, or competence," Zoro said. "He most likely got his position because he knew someone high on the food chain."

Robin nodded. "He got his position purely because of his father." Her eyes narrowed. "Spandam is a pitiful, hateful man who only cares about himself and was willing to sacrifice everyone on this island for his personal gain."

She still wondered to this day why Aokiji would give that man the ability to summon a Buster Call. Then again, she highly suspected that Spandam stole it from the admiral. Even if she has many misgivings about Aokiji, that man would never give someone like Spandam such power.

"Yeah. The guy was so disgusting that even the other agents hated him," Franky said.

"Listen to his desperate shouting!" Spandam said sadistically. "I wonder what kind of expression he has!"

Spandam was completely surprised to see Luffy digging into his nose with his pinky, looking rather annoyed.

"What are you babbling about?" Luffy asked as he continued to pick his nose, causing some of the Strawhats to snicker.

"Disgusting, but strangely effective," Nami said with a note of humor.

"H…He's picking his nose!" Spandam yelled in disbelief.

This caused Franky, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook to burst into laughter. Robin also couldn't stop herself from smiling.

Robin in the memory looked annoyed by everything.

"You know, Robin, we've already come this far..." Luffy started to say while still picking his nose.

Before the sentence was completed a part of the roof suddenly exploded. In what looked like a tornado, Chopper and Nami came flying out of the roof, screaming all the way up.

"Arggh, I remember that," Nami said in annoyance. Mental note, kill Zoro.

"Yeah and I still haven't made that medicine," Chopper said, remembering what Zoro had done.

"Medicine?" Brook questioned.

"Anyway, we're still going to save you," Luffy went on as if nothing had happened. "And then, if you still want to die after we're all back together, that's your choice."

Robin in the memory was left baffled by his logic. She was also probably stun to see Chopper and Nami being flung into the air by a miniature tornado.

Chopper landed hard on his back while Nami landed with the grace of a cat. There was someone else with them, but the man fell back into the hole before any of the current Strawhats could see who it was.

"Ouch, that hurts," Chopper in the memory moaned as he rubbed his head.

"Are you alright, Chopper?" Nami in the memory asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Chopper muttered. "But what the heck happened?"

"I can somewhat imagine what happened," Nami in the memory said through gritted teeth. The Strawhats could see the murderous thoughts crossing her face.

"I should have climbed up this way from the start. This is a lot easier than dealing with those stupid stairs, " Zoro in the memory muttered as he climbed out of the hole he had created.

"Zoro!" Nami yelled as she pointed accusingly at the swordsman. "I knew it was you! We were lucky it was only the aftereffect! We would have died if we had been in the center of that damn technique!"

"What's wrong with you two?" Zoro asked, not understanding why Nami was mad.

"You stupid ball of moss! Were you trying to kill Nami-san!?" Sanji yelled at their Zoro.

"They survived," Zoro answered nonchalantly.

"Not the point!" Sanji shouted. "I'm going to kick your stupid green ass across this mist!"

Zoro loosened one of his swords. "Just try it, dart board."

"Can you guys cool it even for a few seconds?" Usopp muttered.

The floor to the roof exploded again and this time Sanji in the memory came flying up in a dramatic fashion. With a flip, he landed gracefully onto the roof.

"I'm certain that I'm the first one here. I left Robin waiting long enough. Time for her prince to..." Sanji in the memory bragged before he realized that everyone, save for Usopp, had beaten him to the roof. "Moss head, why the hell did you get here before me!?"

"Ah, you're pretty late," Zoro said. "Did you get lost or something?"

Despite themselves, some of the current Strawhats chuckled.

Sanji in the memory really got mad when he heard that question. "Where did you learn that freaking word!?"

"I still want to know," Sanji growled.

As they argued, Usopp, in his Sogeking outfit, came flying up like a rocket towards the roof. He had his hands together like he was praying.

Chopper in the memory was the first to notice him. "Sogeking!"

"He's flying in the sky!" Nami in the memory exclaimed.

"Awesome!" Chopper in the memory screamed in awe.

"Where he's been all this time?" Sanji in the memory asked as he watched the flying superhero.

Usopp sighed as he watched himself fly. The entrance looked cool, but the landed was terrible.

"I wonder what happened to Sogeking?" Chopper suddenly asked as he watched the scene. "I wonder if he has gotten stronger too in these last two years?"

Brook gave Chopper a blank look. Although he was the last to join, he was sure that Usopp was Sogeking.

Usopp laughed nervously. "I...I'm certain he did. He is a superhero after all."

"Usopp, how exactly did you fly?" Nami asked softly, not wanting Chopper to hear. No point in ruining his innocence.

"Well...I was kind of thrown by the giants," Usopp answered as he meekly rubbed the back of his head.

"How is he supposed to land?" Zoro in the memory asked as he followed Usopp's line of flight.

Usopp landed, and it wasn't a pretty landing. He landed face first into the concrete roof and was sticking out of the ground like a turnip.

"Sogeking!" Chopper in the memory yelled in horror as he and the other Strawhats ran to help Usopp get out of the roof.

Usopp growled angrily. Those jerks could have at least tried to catch him.

It took both Chopper and Sanji's efforts to pull Sogeking out of the concrete.

The entire time, Luffy kept looking at Robin. "I'll request this from you, Robin! If you want to die or whatever, that's fine! But say that kind of thing while you're by our side!"

Robin was taken aback by the words.

"That's right, Robin-chwan!" Sanji in the memory shouted in agreement.

"Robin, come back!" Chopper in the memory yelled.

Robin said nothing, but she was near tears by their kindness.

"Hey, Sogeking," Zoro said to Usopp. "Can you stand?"

"Of course," Usopp muttered as he got to his feet. "A fall like that won't stop me."

Then, silently, each of the Strawhats began to walk towards the pillars that lined the courthouse. They each paired off and took a pillar to stand on. There, they stood firmly against CP9 and the powers of the world.

Brook was suddenly reminded of Arlong Park. Once again, the Strawhats stood together against an overwhelming force, yet they wouldn't be turned back. For the sake of their crewmate, their family, they wouldn't fail. Brook found himself being moved to tears.

"For now on, leave everything to us," Luffy said in a strong and assuring voice towards Robin.

Robin in the memory was left completely speechless by their conviction.

Luffy only vaguely listened to his crew saying something about the Franky Family dropping the draw bridge, but he didn't care for the details. Not when Robin was right before his eyes.

"Hey, CP9!" Spandam yelled at his subordinates. "Alright guys, here are your orders! I give you permission to kill the intruders, but engage them in the Tower of Justice!"

The CP9 started to smile among themselves. Even if they didn't like their boss, this was one order they didn't mind following.

Spandam started to laugh at the pirates. "You octopus pirates!"

"Octopus?" Brook asked.

"I don't get it either," Chopper said.

"It was just a lame insult," Zoro dismissed.

"Even if you try your hardest, there's nothing you can change in the end!" Spandam shouted cockily. "We have the assassin group, the CP9's strength! We have the heavy Gate of Justice, impossible to open with mere human power! And more importantly, at this moment, I hold the authority to use this Golden Transponder Snail and call upon the Buster Call!" He raised the Golden Snail high into the air for everyone to see. The light from the sun reflected off the cold steel.

Robin's eyes widened in utter terror. "A Buster Call!?"

"Yes. That's right. I'm sure you remember its power well. Exactly twenty years ago, it crushed your homeland, Nico Robin," Spandam said cruelly as his smile got wider . "The name Ohara, it wiped out from the next year's map."

"How cruel," Brook muttered as he shook with anger. How could anyone bragged about the death of an entire island?

"Robin's homeland?" Chopper in the memory repeated.

"That shitty mask... He's pissing me off," Sanji in the memory growled.

"Tell me about it," Franky sneered, all his old anger coming back in full force.

"Stop!" Robin screamed at Spandam. Her eyes were wide with terror and she appeared closed to tears. "Anything but that! I begging you!"

Brook flinched hearing Robin's plea. Robin was a women who begged to no one and rarely showed fear. He didn't even want to think what she saw twenty years ago that would traumatize her like this.

Spandam grinned at her. "Begging for mercy? That's a nice reaction, it's giving me chills! What, does that mean you want me to push the Buster Call launching switch and annihilate all of your little friends?" He teasing touched the Golden Transponder Snail.

Robin scowled at him. "You are insane! Do you understand what will happen if you press that button!?"

"Of course I do. The possibility of the pirates leaving this island becomes zero!" Spandam answered cockily as he started to laugh again. "With a single press of this button, it's really that simple."

Robin began to shake. "If you think that, you don't understand a thing!"

"Are old memories flowing back?" Spandam asked mockingly. "Then, should I press if for a little test?" He reached for the button, laughing the entire time.

Brook sneered as he touched his cane. He could understand why his crew hated this man.

"This isn't a joke! " Robin screamed angrily. "Stop it!" If she could use her ability, she would have broken the man in half where he stood.

This stopped Spandam. He gave Robin a hateful glare. "You shouldn't be so cocky with me. I'm the one who makes the demands here, wretch."

"You said that Ohara was wiped out from that next map. Can you see people when looking from above a map?" Robin asked coldly. "Your view of the world is so distance, so twisted that you have lost sight of your humanity."

Everyone was silent as they reflected on Robin's words.

Spandam continued to look down his nose at Robin.

"The Buster Call is...a ruthless power that loses sight of its target itself," Robin said as she fell to her knees. "You can't use it...never..." She slowly pulled herself together and began to stand up again. "Right now, in this very place, if you trigger the Buster Call, Enies Lobby will be exterminated...and so will all of you…"

Robin of the present shook as she remembered what the Buster Call did to her home. Even the innocents of Ohara were not spared from the government's wrath. Despite all the death she had seen and caused in her life, it was all nothing compared to the terror of that day.

"What kind of crap are you saying!?" Spandam exclaimed, not moved at all by Robin's words. "As if we could be hurt by an ally attack! What are you babbling about!?"

"Twenty years ago...it stole everything from me, while crushing a lot of people's lives. With a single strike, the Buster Call...this attack has finally shown up. It is aimed at the friends I love. The more I wish to be by your sides, the more my fate bares its fangs in front of you! No matter how far I continued my journey on the sea, there is still that gigantic enemy that I can never shake off! Because my enemy is the world and its darkness!" Robin exclaimed in tears. She was actually heaving as she spoke every word. "With Aokiji and this time too, I have involved you in this _twice_. If this continues forever, no matter how kind you all are, someday you will see me as a burden! It is obvious that someday you will betray and throw me away! That is what scares me the most! That is why I did not want you to come and save me! If it is a life I will lose someday, I want to die here and now!"

Luffy continued to stare at her. His face betrayed no emotion.

"Robin," Chopper whispered.

"Robin-chan," Sanji also whispered.

"Robin," Nami muttered.

"So, that's what it was," Zoro said softly. For a moment, a look of both anger and pity crossed his face.

Despite no longer having one, his heart went out to Robin. Brook knew what it was like to have everything taking from him in day, casting him in a world of loneliness.

Spandam, of course, laughed at Robin's misery. "I understand now! That's right on the mark! That's exactly right! There's no one out there who would be stupid enough to not think you're a burden after traveling with you!"

"God, I hate that guy," Franky growled as he shook in rage.

"Second," Sanji sneered.

"I never understood how much you have suffered, Robin-san," Brook mumbled as he took in the memory.

Robin could only stare at her past self. This was only two years ago, yet it felt like a lifetime. How much she had changed since that day.

"Look at that flag, pirate scum!" Spandam yelled as he addressed the Strawhats. He pointed upwards towards the flag of the World Government. "That mark represents the unity of over one-hundred and seventy countries, dotting the four seas and the Grand Line! This is the world! Do you even get how insignificant your existence is compared to this!? Do you get how powerful the organization after this woman is!?"

Luffy silently stared up towards the flag, the symbol of the powers that ruled the world. For a moment, the memory shifted and the Strawhats could see flashes of Sabo.

"I understand Robin's enemy very well," Luffy said very softy.

" _You keep acting tough, even though you don't have any real strength! What the hell do you think you can do now!?_ " Dadan's voice reverberated across the memory. " _It was this kingdom that killed Sabo! It was the world itself! What can you do!?_ "

Luffy narrowed his eyes at the question. "Sogeking...burn that flag."

"Roger that," Usopp said with no hesitation. He held out his Kabuto and shot a giant flaming bird right at the government flag.

The flag immediately burst into flames and the Strawhats could hear marines gasped and muttered in horror.

The members of CP9 looked somewhat impressed. They knew that they had a spirited group on their hands and they welcomed the challenge.

Robin was completely lost for words as she watched the flag burn.

"Done," Usopp said nonchalantly as he folded arms.

Brook's mouth dropped. "You guys just declared war against the entire world."

"No, they declared world against us first when they took Robin. We just made it official," Zoro said.

"Are you out of you minds!?" Spandam screamed in disbelief. "Don't think you'll be able to survive having the entire world as your enemy!"

"You, bring it on!" Luffy shouted at the man, causing Spandam to scream in terror.

Robin could only stare teary eyed at her crew...her family.

Brook was also moved to tears by the scene before him. He regretted not being a part of this special moment.

"Robin, I still haven't heard it from your mouth!" Luffy screamed. "Say you want to live!"

They all waited for her answer. They knew Luffy would not act to help until Robin asked for it herself. Just like Nami before her, he wanted Robin's permission.

Robin in the memory stared numbly at her crew for several seconds as her own life flashed before her eyes.

Robin remembered what was going through her younger self's mind. Until that moment, her life, her very existence, was a sin. She was hated and despised by the entire world and she truly believed that Saul's last words to her were a lie. That she was born to be alone. Now, there stood people ready to fight and die for her. They challenged the gods of the world for her sake. How could anyone want to die anymore?

"I WANT TO LIVE! LET ME SAIL THE SEAS WITH YOU!" Robin in the memory screamed with all her heart as tears of happiness and joy ran down her face. At long last, her deepest wish could be fulfilled. She had finally found her family.

Luffy grinned and cracked his knuckles. That was all he needed to hear. "Let's go!"

The words echoed in the mist as the memory ended.


	24. Monster vs. Monster

As the new memory began to form, Brook sobbed hysterically over the scene he was just shown.

"Beautiful, just beautiful! My soul has never been so touched! The bond of friendship I've seen is just...beautiful!" Brook sobbed as waterfall of tears shoot to the side of his head.

"It's okay, Brook," Usopp said as he attempted to calm the skeleton swordsman down by patting his back.

"Are you okay, Robin?" Nami asked. During the memory, she had noticed that Robin had begun to cry as well.

"Seeing myself there and hearing myself shouting about wanting to live brought back so many memories that I just became overwhelmed," Robin said as she wiped her eyes.

Nami lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"It is nothing to be sorry about. The memory that we were shown was a happy one," Robin said with a smile. "That moment on the Tower of Justice is one of my most precious memories. It was at that moment I realized that I have found my place in the world. That I had, after twenty years of wondering, found my family."

Now Franky was the one close to tears. "Damn you guys, are you _trying_ to make me cry?"

"I think it's a little late for that," Sanji said in good humor as he watched Franky start to cry.

The memory finally composed itself and the Strawhats could see Luffy running down a long, narrow, stone hallway. It was dark with only a few lamps lighting the way.

Robin knew this hallway all too well. This was the path she was forced to walk when being taken to the Gate of Justice. It was like a roadway to Hell.

"Robin!" Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs.

He received no answer, but kept going. No matter what, he had to reach Robin before she passed through the gate and be lost to them.

Eventually, Luffy could see a door ahead. Without any hesitation, he kicked the wooden door down, breaking it in half. The room appeared to be a type of storage room. There was nothing remarkable about it except for a figure who sat on one of the nearby crates. It was Lucci, waiting patiently for him.

"I found you, pigeon guy!" Luffy exclaimed as Lucci smirked at him. He seemed a little too happy to see Luffy.

"Let me congratulate you on making it this far. I underestimated you. I never imagine that you would make it this far," Lucci said without a hint of teasing. "And by yourself no less."

"I'm not alone," Luffy answered.

Lucci gave him a questioning look.

"I didn't come alone," Luffy repeated. "I wouldn't want to come alone. I'm different from you guys. I'm not alone! All my friends are going to make it here!"

Before Lucci could say anything, his baby transponder snail started to ring. Without even sparing Luffy a second glance, he answered the call.

"Hello, Hello!" a voice yelled on the other side. All the Strawhats knew by the voice that it was Spandam.

"Yes, director," Kalifa answered for all the CP9 agents.

"Dammit, this is the hand with the baby transponder snail. Damn, I was too careless. Why would I have pressed the Golden Transponder Snail?" Spandam complained.

"Golden Transponder Snail? Does that mean..." Brook started to ask.

"Yes, Spandam summoned the Buster Call," Robin said in somewhat dry tone. She still remembered when that idiot pressed the wrong transponder snail and was too prideful to call off his mistake. Which was more proof that he most likely stole it.

"Does that moron even know he's being broadcast?" Sanji asked as he blew out some smoke.

"No," Robin answered in a deadpan voice.

"And I just had to call the Buster Call!" Spandam shouted in annoyance.

Although Lucci's face was blank, it almost looked like he wanted to roll his eyes.

"You have to cancel it right away! Do you not realize what you have done!?" Robin yelled from the other side of the line. "Stop it immediately!"

"Hey, that's Robin's voice!" Luffy yelled.

Lucci still paid no attention to Luffy.

"Everyone is going to die!" Robin continued to scream.

"What, cancel it?" Spandam asked mockingly. The Strawhats could hear the pure sadistic joy oozing from his voice. "Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" He began to laugh. "Isn't the Buster Call great? What's wrong with it? Yeah, this is fine. I'm the Director of Cipher Pol Number Nine. I called the Buster Call to deliver you to the government safely. Yeah, that's great!"

"What a moron," Nami muttered.

"But no matter what happens, we have to make sure that all the pirates are dead!" Spandam exclaimed.

"He's willing to reduce an entire island to ashes just to kill a hand full of pirates?" Brook asked in disbelief.

"That's how the scum in the government and the marines roll," Franky said in disgust.

"Pretty much. No kill like overkill for them," Sanji said in a dark voice.

"You are a fool. I told you before, that will not be the end of it!" Robin yelled frantically. She sounded closed to having a panic attack. "This is an attack without mercy! That attack does not have any humanity! Everything in Enies Lobby will go up in flames! The buildings, the people, even the island itself! A nightmarish attack, sacrificing anything to achieve its goal; _that_ is the Buster Call! You have no idea what happened in Ohara twenty years ago!"

"Oh, that's fine, the government doesn't care," Spandam said dismissively. "After that idiot Cutty Flam burned the Pluton blueprints you're the only clue we have to the ancient weapons. Enough military force to overturn this entire era is coming this way. In order to completely destroy those idiots who insist on taking you way, it doesn't matter how many thousands of soldiers die."

Brook growled under his breath. This man was the worst kind of scum.

Chopper also shook in fury. He had missed all of this. How could one person have such a disregard towards life? Especially his own allies?

"It's all a necessary sacrifice for a glorious future!" Spandam continued to rant. "And more importantly, I'll get my promotion."

"Are you..." Brook sneered, unable to finish his sentence. Was this what this was about, a promotion? He was going to sacrifice countless lives over something that insignificant. This man was a disgrace.

"What do you think people's lives are!?" Robin shouted.

"Don't forget, CP9 are the government's assassins. We can kill in the name of justice," Spandam said. "If it's necessary for one-hundred people to die in order to save one-thousand, then we'll immediately go out and kill those one-hundred people without question."

Even Lucci started to look a little annoyed.

"Being heartless is necessary for true justice," Spandam said.

"He got the heartless part down pack," Franky sneered.

"I would also add soulless," Nami said, not bothering to hide her hate.

"Anyway, worthless soldiers that can't even stop those pirates are better off dead anyway, idiot!" Spandam laughed again.

Brook gritted. How dare this…man dismiss life so wholeheartedly?

Zoro's eye visible twitched, but said nothing. He would get his dues soon.

"I think the line is still connected on your transponder snail," Robin in the memory suddenly spoke.

There was suddenly a small gasp. "That transponder snail...it's still on." There was a long silence from the snail. "Shit!" Spandam screamed.

"Moron!" Almost all the Strawhats said at once.

"That whole conversation went through!?" Spandam screamed. There was a strange noise, like Spandam was trying to clear his throat. "U..um well, my name is Strawhat Luffy..."

The pitiful deceit caused some of the crew to slap their foreheads.

"Everyone, leave the island!" Robin screamed, cutting Spandam off. "A Buster Call is headed for Enies Lobby! Nobody on the island will be safe!"

Nami couldn't help find it ironic. Not that long ago, Robin didn't care how many people died in Alabasta, yet here, she was warning people who wanted her dead to run away. Either it showed how much Robin had changed since then or it underlined that Robin's good heart was returning after spending years frozen.

"Don't say such things!" Spandam shouted and a loud cry was heard on the transponder snail before it cut off.

"That bastard hit Robin-chan!" Sanji yelled furiously. "If I ever see that shit head again, I'll cut him up and boil him into a stew!"

"That's going to be one nasty stew," Franky said in a deadpan voice.

Lucci casually turned off his transponder snail. His expression was unreadable.

"What was that?" Luffy asked, not understanding most of the exchange. "Where was Robin talking from?"

"The other side of this door," Lucci answered. At that moment, his pigeon flew off his shoulder.

Luffy took this as his cue and charged Lucci. He attempted to kick the assassin, but he easily blocked it with his elbow.

"I am not going to let you through," Lucci said nonchalantly.

Luffy doubled back and punched Lucci in the gut, but the man didn't move. All the attack did was knock his hat off.

The fight continued like this of several minutes. Both fighters traded blows, but neither of them managed to really hurt each other. Luffy attempted to break away from Lucci several times, but to no avail. Lucci was always able to block his path and push Luffy aside.

"Why doesn't Luffy use his Gears to pass Lucci?" Brook asked.

"Because if he does, that pigeon guy will just go into his Zoan hybrid form," Zoro answered. "Also, Luffy gets tired easily from using his Gears at this point. Right now, that technique is only used as a method of last resort."

"Even so, it looks like that pigeon man has the advantage," Usopp said as he watched the battle in awe.

"I would say that overall Lucci is the better fighter," Sanji observed. "What Luffy has going for him is that his rubber body is mostly immune to blunt and physical force. Not to mention, sheer will."

Zoro also nodded begrudgingly. The more he watched the fight, the more thankful he was that Lucci didn't know or couldn't control Haki. If he did, that pigeon guy would have most likely killed Luffy. He couldn't think of one person who had pushed Luffy this far with physical force alone.

As the battle dragged on, Luffy became more impatient and took more than his share of hits trying to pass Lucci. The pigeon man, however, was the perfect gatekeeper and nothing Luffy did could bypassed him.

"Shit, I can't get hit!" Luffy cussed. "And Robin is waiting for me..."

"Give it up," Lucci said. "You will never see her again. You will not be going past here."

Luffy growled as he charged Lucci again.

Luffy attempted to punch him, but Lucci blocked the punch with a kick. He then used his other leg to kick Luffy in the chin before sending him flying back with a roundhouse kick.

Luffy went crashing into a pile of crates but he immediately recovered. Without missing a beat, Luffy ran in and performed a Gatling on Lucci. Not one of the punches managed to hit Lucci as he seemingly transported across the room.

"That is not going to work on me," Lucci said nonchalantly as he stopped moving and grabbed both of Luffy's arms in mid-punch.

Luffy's mouth dropped open in surprise. No one had ever stopped his Gatling by grabbing him except for Eneru and he did it using Haki.

Lucci swung Luffy around before slamming the rubber boy into a nearby wall. Just like all the other times, Luffy was not badly hurt from the exchange, but he knew his time was running out. Robin was getting further away and closer to Hell.

Several more minutes went by without Luffy making any progress towards the door, when an unexpected person came running through the doorway.

"You...Strawhat!" someone yelled.

Luffy glanced over towards the person and saw Franky standing near the entrance where he had come from.

"Franky!" Luffy growled. He wasn't happy to see the cyborg. "Bastard, why are you here!? I have enough jerks to worry about!"

"Now's not the time to be mad at me, idiot!" Franky in the memory yelled. "I'm on your side now! Just give it up!"

Luffy continued to glare at him. If Lucci weren't in the room, he would have most likely punched Franky.

"Luffy-san still holds a grudge," Brook said with a frown. At least he would frown if he had any skin.

"Luffy can be bitter at people for a long time. Especially if he hadn't beaten them up," Zoro said.

Franky sighed as he rubbed the back of his had. "I can't really blame him. I did beat up Usopp pretty badly and he didn't know we buried the hatchet. If it was me, I would still be piss too."

Franky in the memory finally noticed Lucci.

"Lucci's here," Franky mumbled. "Are you having trouble with him?"

The CP9 agent was standing in front of the door with a smug expression .

"Where's Nico Robin?" Franky asked. "I brought two of the keys. You need help?"

"No," Luffy said bluntly, allowing his anger towards Franky to pass for the moment. "More importantly, please stop Robin! You can get to the Gate of Justice through the door behind the pigeon guy! Robin has already been taken through! I'll take care of him. Keep going and don't look back."

Brook couldn't help being impress. Despite still disliking Franky, he was leaving Robin's safety in his hands. It showed that Luffy puts his crew before his personal feelings.

"Just leave it to me, bastard!" Franky exclaimed with a huge grin.

Luffy rushed forward and attempted to kick Lucci, but he blocked it using his forearm. Luffy attempted to counter by punching Lucci, but the CP9 agent vanished and reappeared at Luffy's side. He thrust his index finger into Luffy's chest, right at his heart. Of course, Luffy's rubber body protected him for the normally mortal blow.

"That won't work!" Luffy yelled almost cockily.

Lucci suddenly began to hit Luffy rapidly with his finger like a machine gun. The sudden multiple attacks pushed Luffy back into the wall, not far from Franky.

"Ever for a rubberman, that had to hurt," Sanji said as he rubbed his own chest.

"That would had turned a normal man into swiss cheese," Usopp said in horror. How could Lucci be that freaking strong even before using his Devil Fruit?

"Strawhat!" Franky in the memory yelled. "No, I've got to worry about getting through that door!" He made a mad dash towards the door, but was cut off by Lucci.

"It is no use," Lucci said. "You cannot get through here."

"Shut up!" Franky yelled as he raised his arm. "Right Hammer!"

"Tekkai," Lucci muttered.

Franky's attack hit square in Lucci's gut, but it did nothing. Lucci didn't even flinch.

"It did nothing!" Chopper yelled in disbelief.

"What, not even a response?" Franky in the memory muttered in equal disbelief. "That attack sent that Chapapa freak flying."

"Ah, I see," Lucci said calmly. "You defeated Fukurou and then came here? I am sorry, my Douriki is five times his."

He casually hit Franky multiple times with his finger, taking the cyborg completely off-guard. Franky grunted in pain as he fell to his knees. He was barely conscious.

"He took Franky out so effortlessly!" Chopper yelled. How strong was this guy?

Franky growled as he rubbed his chest. "Don't remind me."

He hated how easily Lucci sent him to his knees. The bastard wasn't even trying.

"You did well defeating Fukurou. I am impress. Your strength is super human as well," Lucci complimented. Again, there was no hint of mockery in his voice.

"It would seem that Lucci is one who respects strength above all else," Zoro noted.

"Yeah, he's too happy to face Luffy to the point that I think he had forgotten about Robin-chan," Sanji said.

"Now die," Lucci said as he moved in for the killing blow.

Luffy saw this and wasted no time shifting into his Second Gear. "Gum Gum Jet Pistol!"

The attack completely took Lucci off-guard and the CP9 agent was knocked senseless into a pile of crates.

"Yeah, I bet that bastard felt that!" Usopp cheered.

"What the hell!?" Franky in the memory exclaimed as he stood up. He stared at Luffy like he never seen him before. "What's with the smoke!?"

When Lucci regained his senses, he didn't look angry at all. Instead, he seemed very pleased by this development.

"I can't keep my body like this for long," Luffy warned Franky. "But I'll damn sure stop him, so go on ahead, Franky! Robin's waiting!"

"Okay, Strawhat!" Franky yelled, all too happy to leave. "I have no clue what you're doing, but you go beat him!"

Lucci also got serious and went into his hybrid form. He now stood between Franky and the door.

"Did I not say I would not let you pass?" Lucci almost growled.

Franky freaked out seeing Lucci. This was the first time he had seen his Devil Fruit. "You were a Devil Fruit user too!?"

"First, thing first. I will get rid of you, Franky!" Lucci exclaimed as he disappeared.

He was on Franky within a second, but Luffy quickly intercepted him.

"Jet Whip!" Luffy yelled as he kicked Lucci, knocking him into the wall.

Lucci quickly picked himself up. "Did you forget, Strawhat Luffy? In this form, I defeated you in a single blow at the Galley-La mansion."

"Arrogant bastard," Zoro mumbled mostly to himself. He still owed that cat for kicking him across the city.

"Yeah, that. I was real hungry that day," Luffy informed casually.

This information annoyed Lucci. He disappeared again and attempted to stab Luffy with his claw finger. It was now Luffy's turn to vanish and he reappeared hovering behind Lucci's back.

"Gum Gum Jet Bazooka!" Luffy exclaimed.

Lucci barely had time to do a Tekkai, but it made little different. Luffy's attack went right through Lucci's defense and knocked him over.

"Amazing, what a difference in power!" Brook exclaimed. "He actually took that man's back."

"He went from barely being a match for Lucci to surpassing him in speed," Nami said in awe. They had all experience the power of Luffy's Gears before, but it was still a sight to see.

Sanji rubbed his chin. "Lucci's speed decreased after he transformed. I guess that heavy hybrid form compromised his speed."

Usopp's mouth dropped. "But he doesn't appear slower."

"The drop wasn't major, but noticeable enough that Luffy can now keep up with him, even if he's using his Gears," Sanji stated.

"It also helps that Luffy is no longer trying to escape. With Franky going after Robin, he can now fully concentrate on beating that pigeon bastard," Zoro said with an edge of excitement. Now the real fight begins.

Franky in the memory used the chaos of the fighting to run towards the door.

"Franky!" Luffy shouted. "You got to save her!"

"Leave it to me!" Franky yelled as he ran out the door, leaving Luffy and Lucci alone.

Lucci was a little annoyed by this development, but didn't seem overly concerned.

"Robin will be fine. I know Franky can take care of her ," Luffy said confidently with a smile.

Lucci observed Luffy for a moment. "It seems you are breathing harder now. Whatever you are doing seems to be taking its toll. Is it because of the steam?"

"If I can beat you, it doesn't matter," Luffy answered.

"Of course." Lucci smirked. "How stubborn." He then disappeared.

"Bastard!" Luffy yelled as he quickly did the same.

The two fighters moved so fast across the room that most of the Strawhats couldn't keep up. Only Zoro and Sanji was able to follow all their movements and they had to use their Observation Haki to catch everything. They learned after watching Luffy fight Blueno that just using their eyes alone was pointless. Even then, their Haki was greatly hindered since this was a memory from Luffy's point-of-view who couldn't control his Haki at the time. The only reason they were able to feel anything was because Luffy's Haki was awakening thanks to all the stress he's been under.

"Wow, so fast!" Chopper exclaimed as he watched the room break apart from the invisible blows and aftershocks. This was far beyond Luffy's battle with Blueno.

"Even through this was two years ago, it's still amazing to look at," Usopp murmured. It was like he was watching a battle of the gods. Or, maybe monsters would be a more accurate term.

Luffy managed to nail Lucci with a Jet Whip to the gut, knocking the leopard man into a wall, stunning him. Luffy, however, didn't follow up as he attempted to catch his breath. Gear Second was already taking its toll on him.

It was at this moment that the room they were in began to tremble slightly, almost like there was a small earthquake.

Robin shook when she felt the tremors. She knew what that was, she could never forget. The Buster Call was approaching.

The battle quickly resumed and Lucci attempted to stab Luffy with multiple attacks with his clawed finger. Luffy made sure to dodge each of them since Lucci's finger pistol could now pierce his body.

After a while, Luffy jumped out of Lucci's range and did a Jet Stomp from right on top of him. Lucci quickly evaded, although it wasn't a graceful dodge since he landed onto some crates.

Luffy didn't follow up for a second time as he was forced to take several deep breaths.

Lucci slowly got up with a huge grin on his face that would have rivaled one of Zoro's. He was happy to have someone who could properly challenge his skills.

"Look at him. It's like he's having the time of his life," Usopp said.

Nami folded her arms. "Well, all the CP9 agents were like that. They were a very bloodthirsty bunch."

"Although, Lucci is more so than the others," Sanji said. "I guess it's because he spent five years playing shipwright fighting only shit head pirates. Someone as powerful as this jackass probably rarely gets a challenge."

Zoro nodded. "Kaku was the same. That giraffa bastard had too much fun fighting me. Which is part of the reason why he lost."

Lucci observed Luffy for a moment longer before his eyebrows rose, almost as if he came to some type of realization.

Within seconds, they both went back to fighting, but Luffy was noticeably slower and his attacks didn't do the same level of damage as earlier.

"He's getting tired," Zoro observed in concern.

"But he has only been fighting for a few minutes," Franky said.

"Maybe so, but Luffy's body can't handle his Gears at this stage," Sanji said with a hint of worry.

As if proving his point, Luffy's Gears disengaged as the boy captain nearly fell to his knees in exhaustion.

"Just as I thought, it is like steroids," Lucci stated. "You used your legs as a pump to speed the flow of blood, so it is like you are doping yourself on your own blood . If you were a normal human, that much rise in your blood pressure would be enough to cause your heart to explode. However, as your organs and blood vessels are rubber, you can handle it. An ability only usable to a rubber human."

Most of the Strawhats cringed at the mental image of Luffy's heart exploding.

"He managed to figure out Luffy's Gears from mere observation," Robin said, greatly impressed.

"Yeah, there's more to Lucci than just raw power," Franky said. Truthfully, he never fully understood how those Gears worked.

"Wait, is that true?" Nami suddenly asked as the implications of Lucci's statement hit her. "Luffy's Second Gear is like a steroid?" As she asked that, a picture of the New Fishman Pirates came to mind.

Chopper became uncomfortable. "In theory, it is. Luffy is stimulating his body to enhance his performance beyond his normal levels, except he's able to do it without the assistance of drugs. So, he is in a sense doping. I wouldn't even be surprised if he got a mild high by causing ephedrine to rush through his body."

"You make Luffy sound like an addict when you put it that way," Sanji said with some humor, although the subject matter was far from humorous.

"You are surely pushing your body to its limits," Lucci continued his observation. "Your body is barely withstanding it. You are not very smart. You are undoubtedly in pain and you are also shortening your own life just for a few minutes of strength."

Chopper gritted his teeth. He knew all of this. He gave Luffy the same diagnoses when he explained how his Gears worked. He wanted to forbid Luffy from using such a dangerous technique, but he knew it would be in vain. To protect them, Luffy was more than willing to cause damage to his body.

Thankfully, since Luffy learned how to activate his Gears in just one part of his body, it had greatly reduced its ill efforts. Still, Second Gear was far from safe and he wished Luffy didn't use it so often.

Usopp started to shake as he listened to Lucci. "Is it true? Do Luffy's Gears really cause him pain?"

Chopper didn't answer right away. "Yes and no. If used in moderations like he did when he fought Blueno, Luffy's Second Gear only causes mild exhaustion and discomfort. If used to excess, it can cause muscle spasms, sever fatigue, irregular heartbeat, ligament and joint injury, and muscle tearing. If used too much over a long period of time, it is possible that he can have major heart failure since raising his blood pressure to that degree can damage his heart over time, regardless if it's made of rubber."

Zoro's eye widened for a moment. He didn't know it was quite that bad.

Nami's eyes were also widened in shock. "I know his Gears were dangerous, but I didn't know it could do that much damage."

Luffy had his eyes closed, fully aware of the dangers of his Gears. "It's better than having everything taken away from me! I'll do whatever I can to keep that from happening!"

Brook shook his head. "But you needn't protect us at the expense of your own health."

"You wish for too much! You have still lost even if you do defeat me," Lucci informed.

This statement startled Luffy.

"You must have felt that explosion earlier," Lucci went on. "That was most likely the marines' headquarters battleship doing a warm up attack. In mere minutes, a full scale bombardment shall begin. Your crew in the Tower of Justice will die. If, somehow, there was someone who was running through the underground tunnel to reach us..." He suddenly stopped and smiled viciously.

"What's that cat up to?" Franky growled.

Without warning, Lucci performed a Rankyaku and cut one of the walls. Within moments, water began pouring into the room.

"What? What did you do!?" Luffy demanded. He was already ankle deep in seawater.

"You might defeat me, but this seawater will fill the tunnel and drown anyone who happens to be in there," Lucci informed.

"That bastard! He's the one who flooded that tunnel and nearly killed us!" Nami yelled.

"I figured as much," Sanji growled. He had to give the big pussy credit. With one well-placed technique, Lucci nearly undermined everything they had done.

Luffy's eyes widened in horror. "You..."

"Face the facts. Nothing will go your way, Strawhat," Lucci said in a matter-of-fact voice. "Let us see how far you will go to achieve your silly hope of saving everyone and escaping safely."

"What the hell are you doing!?" Luffy screamed angrily. "This isn't a game, dammit!"

"To the CP9 agents, this entire thing has been nothing but a game to them," Zoro said. That was part of the reason why they lost. He supposed that what's happened when one goes unchallenged for too long.

At that very moment, the entire room began to shake violently again.

"The Buster Call must have begun," Robin said as suppressed a shiver. Even now, that name sent fear down her spin.

Neither fighter had time to worry about the Buster Call since the room was rapidly flooding. Both Devil Fruit users were forced to find higher ground before they drowned. Once they had reached a suitable location, both rested to catch to their breaths.

"Whether or not anyone was in the tunnel, there is no longer any pathway here," Lucci stated.

"Why you!" Luffy screamed at the giant cat.

Lucci grinned. "This tunnel is underneath the sea as well." He air jumped to higher ground.

Luffy stretched his arms and grabbed a ladder that led toward the path that Lucci had taken. He shot himself up and quickly climbed the ladder.

They were now both in a different location.

"Here, we are above sea level, so the water will not reach us," Lucci informed. "Can you hear them? The sounds of the battleships' attack."

Within the room, the sounds of cannon fire were louder and closer, making Robin nervous.

"What happened to the pirates? What happened to Nico Robin?" Lucci asked mockingly, almost like he was reading a teaser for a story. "You must be worried."

Luffy glanced down the passageway he had just taken. It was now completely filled with water.

"If you wish to go to save them, you can go," Lucci said nonchalantly. "I will not stop you."

Franky snorted. "Like he would just let Luffy go that easily."

"I'm not taking my eyes off of you," Luffy said as he turned to face the pigeon man.

Luffy's answered surprised Lucci.

"No matter what's happening right now, they'll survive," Luffy said without a shred of doubt in his voice. "But if I run from you now, you'll go and kill my crew! So, I'm not taking my eyes off of you."

The Strawhats couldn't help being touched by Luffy's confidence in them.

Another rumble shook the room, causing pieces of the roof to crumble and fall.

Lucci chuckled at Luffy, but it was not a mocking laugh. "You got some determination. You have a high calibrator befitting of a boss. I would have like for a certain idiot to hear that. It is almost a pity that you are on the wrong side of the law," he said with an air of admiration.

Chopper blinked in surprise. "Did he just compliment Luffy?"

"That's a lot coming from someone like him. I mean, Lucci seems like the type to look down his nose at everyone," Brook noted.

Sanji chuckled. "Even that big cat is being won over by Luffy."

"Lucci sees Luffy as a worth opponent, pure and simple. When one is fighting their equal, there's always a measure of respect given," Zoro said.

"Although, who was he talking about when he said a certain idiot?" Usopp asked.

Franky snorted. "Who do you think?"

Robin's eyes darkened. "Spadam can never be even half the man Luffy is."

"Although, let us see if you can back up those big words," Lucci challenged with a huge grin on his face.

With those words, the battle resumed.

Just like before, the two fighters were even, although Luffy had a slight disadvantage since he couldn't use his Second Gear at the moment. Luffy took several hard hits from Lucci that would have shattered his body if he were a normal human.

"Can you really beat me?" Lucci asked as he moved in for a powerful kick.

"If I don't win, I can't protect anyone!" Luffy screamed as he caught Lucci's kick with his leg. He then wrapped his limb around Lucci's leg, immobilizing him.

"Gum Gum Rifle!" Luffy screamed as he slammed his fist into Lucci's chest.

Lucci was ready and performed a Tekkai, making the attack useless. In fact, the recoil blew Luffy back.

The moment Luffy landed, Lucci disappeared and reappeared in Luffy's face. Before Luffy could move, the Zoan user wrapped his tail around the boy captain's neck and lifted him off the ground.

"You did well to stand up to the World Government, but it seems that you, like all other pirates, are simply unable to stand up to me in battle," Lucci said. "You got guts, but it takes more than that to defeat someone like me."

Luffy gasped for air before he started to spin his body rapidly. He grabbed Lucci's tail and let himself unwind. Lucci was completely shock to find himself being spun like a top before Luffy flung him.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy shouted as he shot his fist at the flying Zoan user.

Lucci was able to recover and evade the attack. Luffy charged in again, but Lucci grinned at him.

With a flick of his thumb, Lucci shot was looked like a bullet at Luffy, causing him to reel in pain as the object hit him.

"What was that?" Franky asked. "It looked like he shot Luffy."

"He's using that finger thrusting technique like the Rankyaku," Zoro said. "In a sense, he is shooting Luffy."

Lucci flew across the room and shot Luffy from several different angles. Luffy could do nothing to defend himself as the Zoan user shot him rapidly. After several hits, Luffy fell to his knees, breathing hard in pain.

While he was down, Lucci held out his arm and shot what looked like a giant fireball at Luffy. The attack hit and Luffy screamed in pain as the fire consumed him.

"What...how did he set that on fire!?" Chopper exclaimed. How many moves did this guy have?

"Lucci is a man of many talents it seems," Robin said.

"If I had been expecting a spirited man, I would be disappointed," Lucci said in a mocking voice. "Did you lose all your power after that attack or did you waste them on those leg pumps earlier?" He was surprised to see Luffy standing up and going into his horse stance.

"Is he using his Second Gear again?" Nami asked in worry.

"He can't. He still haven't recovered from the last time," Chopper said as panic seized his chest.

"If you want a spirited battle, I'll show you another strategy," Luffy said as he bit down on his thumb. "Gear Third, Bone Balloon!"

"Bone?" Lucci questioned.

Luffy's right arm expanded in size until it was as big as a giant.

"The power to move air from one bone to another," Luffy explained as he moved the air to his chest and then his left arm. "Watch, my left hand! This is the hand of a giant!" He threw his punch right at the zoan user.

Lucci looked less than impressed as the giant fist approached him. "If you are trying to intimidate me, stop."

"Gum Gum Giant Pistol!" Luffy yelled.

Lucci performed a Tekkai, which proved to be a big mistake. Luffy's giant punch rammed right through Lucci's defense and threw the zoan user out of the tower after Luffy punched a giant hole in the wall.

"He hit!" Usopp cheered.

"Yeah, he got him!" Chopper also cheered.

"I can't believe that shit head didn't dodge that," Sanji stated as he rubbed his eyes.

"Lucci got arrogant and underestimated Luffy's attack," Robin said as she watched Lucci fly out of the tower. The zoan user looked only half conscious as he headed towards the sea.

Lucci would have fallen into the water and died if a marine battleship had not been nearby. He landed hard onto the deck, breaking the wooden panels.

"Lucky bastard," Zoro muttered.

Luffy brought the air back to his chest, causing his rubberman's body to distort upwards making Luffy take the appearance of a giant egg. Once he had gotten himself halfway in order, he stretched his arms and rocketed over towards the battleship.

From the air, he could see Lucci on the deck of the ship, taking off his jacket and back in his human form. Despite taking a Gear Third to the face, he looked relatively unharmed.

"How can he be okay after that!?" Chopper yelled in disbelief.

"He's not even daze!" Usopp also screamed.

"It isn't that bad getting hit by a giant," Zoro said dismissively as he remembered being rammed by Oars. Still, how the hell did Lucci recover so freaking fast? Even for him, he was out for several minutes.

"Remember what Pell said," Robin said. "All Devil Fruit users have high recovery rates. Given Lucci's training, he is bound to heal faster than most."

Sanji lit another cigarette. "Which means Luffy has to use more extensive force to keep that big cat down."

"There you are, pigeon guy!" Luffy yelled as he floated over the battleship.

The marines attempted to shoot Luffy, but the bullets bounced off as if he was made of steel.

"You think that will work! I'm too strong for that!" Luffy lifted his foot and allowed the air to travel up his leg, making it grow.

Franky laughed. "Even without Third Gear, bullets wouldn't hurt him anyway."

"Gum Gum Giant Battle Axe!" Luffy exclaimed as he brought his foot down. The attack nearly split the battleship in half.

Despite the sheer destructive force for the kick, Lucci easily avoided it. The assassin jumped and performed a Rankyaku, which nearly hit Luffy. While the boy captain's guard was down, Lucci turned into a full leopard and mauled Luffy in mid-air, biting deeply into the rubberman's shoulder.

"Brutal!" Franky yelled.

"He actually bit him!" Brook exclaimed.

Luffy brought the air back to his chest and repelled Lucci off of him.

"Gum Gum Giant Whip!" Luffy yelled as his Giant Whip destroyed more of the battleship, but completely missed Lucci.

"He's too slow," Zoro observed. "Since Lucci knows how dangers that technique is, he won't allow himself to be hit again."

Lucci went back to his hybrid form and shot Luffy with his finger pistol, stunning Luffy for a moment as he moved behind the rubber man.

"Your power increased, but it seems your speed also decreased," Lucci observed as he kicked Luffy downward into the battleship.

Lucci did a Rankyaku in the shape of a bird that cut the ship up more, but Luffy was able to avoid the worst of it.

"That was close. He nearly sliced me in two," Luffy muttered.

Lucci kept himself in the air by using the sky jumping technique.

Before too long, the other marine battleships in the area started to mercilessly fire on their fellow ship. Luffy heard the cannonballs coming and released the air from his body, making him fly upwards like a deflated balloon. This didn't come a moment too soon before the battleship exploded from its own ally's attack.

"Are they attacking their own ship?" Usopp asked in disbelief. "Are they crazy!?"

"There're over a thousand people on one of those battleships!" Nami yelled in disbelief and horror.

"Despicable," Brook scolded.

Franky growled under this breath. He saw this happened while he was on the Bridge of Hesitation, but even he didn't believe that the marines could be so heartless. He may not like the marines, but those people had homes and families too. They deserved more than to be murdered by their own allies.

"Why would they do such a thing?" Chopper asked in horror. He was closed to tears. "Those are their friends."

"All in the name of Absolute Justice," Robin said darkly. "The Buster Call have no humanity."

"Still, how cold-hearted," Nami said in disgust once she had calmed down. Some marines could just as bad as pirates.

Luffy eventually landed back on the damaged tower and had shrunk to the size of a child.

"That was close!" Luffy exclaimed as he attempted to catch his breath. "Why are the battleships shooting each other? Are they that stupid? But I shrunk again." He looked his body over. He was more than a little annoyed at his helplessness. "Third's a cool idea and it's really powerful, but talk about lousy side efforts. Well, I was big for about a minute, so I'll probably be small for a minute."

"Probably? Doesn't that shit head know the time to his own techniques?" Sanji asked in exasperation.

Luffy ran back into the tower. "I need to hide until I turn back to normal, or he'll kill me!"

The small captain attempted to hide behind some crates, but Lucci was able to easily find him by using a Rankyaku on them. Most likely, it was his increased senses that allowed him to find Luffy so fast.

"H...he found me," Luffy moaned in pain.

Lucci looked amused at Luffy's current state. "Such an unbalanced technique. Still, it seems like a fair trade. One must always pay a great price for a great power."

"Well, can't argue with that," Sanji said after a second of thought.

Lucci did something to make his body smaller and more humanoid despite still being in his hybrid form.

Chopper gasped when he saw it. It was just like that octopus guy.

Luffy slowly sat up to face him. Just as he sat up, Lucci disappeared. Luffy didn't have to wait long before Lucci stabbed him with his finger before slamming him into the wall.

Sanji's eyes widened. "Not good. By doing that strange slimming technique, his speed increased. Now, he has the full power of his Devil Fruit along with the speed he has as a human."

Usopp gulped. "You mean he's even more dangerous."

"Yep," Zoro answered in a deadpan voice, frighting Usopp.

"If you continue to use such foolish attacks..." Lucci started to lecture before Luffy punched him in the nose. It was so weak that it didn't even make Lucci blink.

Despite the situation, several of the Strawhats snickered.

Lucci was not amused and embedded Luffy into the wall, trapping him.

"I...I'm stuck!" Luffy yelled in distress as he tried vainly to pull himself free.

"Well, he was asking for that," Franky humored.

Nami and Usopp nodded in agreement

"How unfortunate," Lucci mocked as he got ready to charge. "I apologize, but I have to kill you in that silly form."

He ran in to perform the killing blow by hitting Luffy multiple times with his claw finger. Luffy could only beg for his body to change back before he was killed.

Lucci suddenly stopped as his legs gave on him, much to the zoan user's surprise.

Luffy also got another lucky break as his body finally changed back to normal.

"What a lucky bastard," Sanji muttered.

"After everything we have seen, Luffy seems to run on luck," Nami stated dryly.

"You see, it really did hurt you!" Luffy bragged. "It got your legs."

Lucci looked annoyed at him. "Just as I thought. It seems your fighting style was not simply a game. However, do not underestimate the body of a Rokushiki master. For such extreme power, a powerful body is required."

"Why does that matter?" Luffy asked as he charged Lucci.

He attempted to punch the zoan user, but was blocked by Lucci's foot. He was then ruthlessly kicked.

The battle got intense again as both sides attempted to best each other. Lucci was slower than before, despite slimming his body, because of the damaged to his legs, but he still had the upper hand. Luffy couldn't land a solid blow, while Lucci managed to hit him several times during the course of several minutes.

Luffy quickly realized that he couldn't win like this. Lucci was simply too strong and too skilled to be defeated without using his Gears, whether his body was ready or not.

Once Luffy had an opening, he went into his horse stance and pumped his legs. Lucci did nothing to stop him.

"This is the end," Luffy proclaimed as his body turned red and steam began to emanate from it. "I'm not stopping until I beat you."

"Your body cannot take this. Do you plan on killing yourself?" Lucci asked nonchalantly.

The question upset all of the Strawhats. All, except Brook, saw the shape Luffy was left in after this fight. As wonderful as those Gears have been in beating back Luffy's strongest enemies, it was a terrible double-edged sword that may kill their captain one day.

"I don't know what will happen," Luffy answered honestly, although it was clear to tell that he didn't care. When it came to protecting others, Luffy placed little value on his own well-being.

The two fighters glared at each for a moment before Luffy rushed in.

"Gum Gum Jet Pistol!" Luffy yelled.

Lucci was able to jump back before Luffy threw the punch and curved some of the damage. He quickly jumped back towards the rubber captain and engaged Luffy in combat.

They were both evenly matched again, except they were both much slower than before. Neither one of them disappeared and their movements were more predictable.

During their scuffle, Luffy slammed his fist into Lucci's forearm, crippling him in pain for a moment. A moment was all he needed.

"Jet Bullet!" Luffy screamed as nailed Lucci, sending him sliding backwards. "Twin Jet Pistol!" he yelled as he hit Lucci with two Pistols at once. This sent Lucci into the nearest wall.

Now Lucci looked really pissed.

Luffy quickly charged the leopard man, not allowing him to regain his bearings. "Gum Gum..."

"Let me show you the most powerful attack available to those with full mastery of Rokushiki!" Lucci shouted as he disappeared and reappeared right in Luffy's face. He placed his balled fists inches away from Luffy's chest. "Rokuougan!"

Within seconds, Luffy was hit by an incredible force of power that sent him flying across the room like he was shot out of a cannon. He landed hard on his back and stayed there for a couple of seconds.

"What was that!?" Chopper shouted in horror. His eyes were wide in shock.

"It looked like Luffy got hit by an Impact Dial," Nami said as she put her hands to her mouth.

"Actually, it reminds me more of a Reject Dial," Usopp said in worry. Even worse, unlike a Reject Dial, it looked like Lucci was undamaged from his own attack, save for stream coming out of his fist.

Luffy slowly rolled over and struggled to push himself to his knees. "It's...like an Impact Dial. But...there's a heck of lot more...power!"

While he lay on the floor, Lucci attempted to finish him with a Rankyaku. Luffy managed to pull himself together enough to dodge and the attack spilt the tower opened.

Luffy pushed himself to his feet to face Lucci, who was breathing hard. Although the Rokuougan did not deal physical damage to the assassin, it obviously took a lot out of him.

The entire tower suddenly began to rumble again and the sound of cannon fire filled the room.

"What?" Lucci asked as the wall started to collapse.

Soon, they were both able to see the outside world. They heard someone talk from a speaker, but neither one of them paid too much attention to the words.

"Hey, Luffy-kun!" someone suddenly screamed. "Over here!"

"Everyone got to the bridge safely!" Franky yelled from the distance.

Luffy looked out the now collapsed wall and saw his crew including Sogeking and Franky standing on what was left of the Bridge of Hesitation. They were all alive, although they all looked like they had seen better days.

"We're all fine!" Franky continued to yell with a huge grin.

"There's no need to worry about us, Luffy-kun!" Sogeking yelled.

"We saved Robin-chan too," Sanji shouted.

"Now, just beat him!" Franky screamed.

"Beat him, Luffy!" Zoro suddenly yelled in encouragement.

"And together..." Sogeking started.

"Let's go back!" Sanji finished.

Luffy smiled at hearing his friends' words and was relieved to know that Robin had been saved. His body slumped a little knowing that everyone was okay. It almost looked like he would have passed out where he stood. The memory even darkened a little.

"Hey, don't fell asleep now, shit captain!" Sanji yelled before he pointed towards Lucci. "You still have a cat to beat!"

"How did you guys get over there?" Brook asked. "Lucci destroyed the only pathway, yet you all ended on the other tower."

Sanji, Zoro, and Franky became very uncomfortable.

"We don't talk about it," Zoro said as he closed his eye.

Brook tilted his head.

"Unless you want to have nightmares, it's best not to ask," Sanji muttered, trying to erase the image from his mind again.

"That's no way to talk about a person who saved our lives," Nami scowled before she turned towards Brook. "Kokoro saved us."

"Kokoro? The train conductor?" Brook questioned.

Nami nodded. "She's really a mermaid. We would have drowned in that tunnel if it wasn't for her."

Brook stood perfectly still as he took in this new information. "Miss Kokoro is a mermaid?" There was long silence. After that moment passed, Brook screamed in horror. "THE MENTAL IMAGE!"

"I told you that you didn't want to know," Sanji dryly. Although, after spending two years in hell, Kokoro didn't seem so ugly anymore. At least she was a woman.

Robin chuckled at Brook's reaction.

Franky crossed his arms. "I don't blame you for being disturbed. Until we met Caimie, I forever had her burnt into my mind when I thought of mermaids."

Brook gave Franky a look of pity. "How dreadful."

Nami smacked Brook upside the head. Kokoro may not be a typical mermaid, but they still owed the woman their lives many times over.

Lucci looked strangely indifferent about these turn of events. "It seems it is just as you said. They all survived. I am impressed."

Luffy quickly got his head back into the battle and his body stiffened.

"Now, however, we will see how long you can keep this up," Lucci said calmly. "Evil will not prosper in the world!"

The battle resumed and Luffy was even weaker than before. His lightning fast punches had been reduced to the point that even the less observant Strawhats could see them. Lucci was also not as affected when he took or blocked a hit.

"Luffy has overexerted himself," Chopper said in worry. He was mentally taking note of all the damaged Luffy was doing to himself. "His body can't keep up anymore."

"This battle has been going on for a while," Sanji said. "What has it been, close to an hour?"

"This is definitely Luffy's longest battle," Robin said. "Then again, Lucci has been the only opponent up to this point who has been able to match Luffy in both physical strength and speed."

Zoro nodded. "This isn't a battle of ability users. This is an outright brawl where only the strongest will stand on top."

"You seem to be losing heart and the power from that technique is starting to drop as well ," Lucci observed as he easily blocked Luffy's attacks.

Luffy did a Gatling, but all his attacks did nothing to Lucci, who wasn't even using Tekkai.

"It is pointless to struggle ," Lucci said. He sounded almost disappointed. "You really are too weak to defeat Enies Lobby after all. That is all there is to it!"

"Gum Gum Jet Axe!" Luffy screamed as he raised his leg and brought his foot down.

Lucci effortlessly evaded it.

"Even if Enies Lobby were to be ruined," Lucci started to say as Luffy attempted to hit him with another Gatling. "That woman, who is in the way of the government's goal, I would chase down to the end of the earth to eliminate her! All in the name of Dark Justice!"

"So, he does have some kind of justice," Sanji mused. "I thought he was just a bloodthirsty cat."

"Although, what's the different between Dark Justice and Absolute Justice?" Franky asked. "They both seem to work on the principle of screwing people over, regardless of their morals."

"There is no difference," Robin said coldly. "Lucci simply embraces the darkness of his sense of justice and does not pretend to be good."

"We came here to save Robin from that!" Luffy screamed as he disappeared and came right on top of Lucci.

He attempted a Jet Stomp, but the zoan user evaded it. He then came to Luffy's side and put his fists together again. Luffy knew what was about to happen, but didn't have the time to dodge.

"Rokuougan!" Lucci yelled as he hit Luffy with his most power attack for the second time.

The attack was much more devastating and Luffy coughed up blood as he fell. He slammed into a nearby wall and it took him several seconds just to stand up. When he finally did, his movements were slow and sluggish. He was shaking badly and was having trouble breathing. He looked almost like a zombie.

Lucci was breathing hard and watching the rubberman's movements carefully, ready to attack if Luffy tried anything.

Chopper gritted his teeth. How powerful was that technique to make a rubberman cough up blood? No wonder Luffy was so closed to death when they got back to Water 7. He still wondered how Luffy stood conscious as long as he did given that his organs looked like pancakes when he treated him. Not to mention the extensive damage from using his Gears alone.

After a couple more steps, Luffy fell to his knees before he completely collapsed. A dull thug echoed across the memory as Luffy hit the floor and blood streamed from his mouth, making a small puddle. His breathing was labored and it sounded like it was close to stopping. There, he lay on the floor defeated. Still, he somehow managed to maintain his Second Gear.

The memory hazed, liked Luffy was about to black out and the noise dimmed. The darkness may had consumed the memory if someone shouting hadn't brought Luffy back to reality.

Nami gasped at the shape Luffy was in. She had never seen him this close to defeat. Not when so much was at stake. Unlike first two fights with Crocodile, there would be no second chance if he lost here.

Franky growled under his breath. He almost forgotten how Lucci had pushed Luffy to the point of near death. Now, more than ever, he was sure that Lucci would had killed them if Luffy didn't hold him off. He didn't think even Sanji and Zoro could handle him.

"Luffy!" the voice called desperately. "What are you doing!? Get up! Luffy!"

Luffy slowly turned his head towards the voice. He knew the man, but his mind was too scrambled up to remember. Nonetheless, the man kept calling his name.

Finally, his eyes began to focus and the memory became less clouded. Standing on the second tower was Usopp. He was still bandaged up from his encounter with the Franky Family, but he looked much better than he did the night of the duel.

"Usopp...you...you came too?" Luffy mumbled. He became teary eyed, happy to see his lost friend.

Usopp also started to tear up. Despite the big fall-out and betrayal, Luffy was truly glad to see him. He only regretted that Luffy couldn't see him through the mask of Sogeking and know that he had been by his side the entire time.

Somehow, Usopp in the memory heard his former's captain fading voice. "Don't get me wrong! I just came to save Robin! I didn't come to see you or anything!"

Usopp shook his head at his past self. Even then, when his friend was near death, his allowed his pride to get in the way.

"Hey you, CP9 boss cat!" Usopp in the memory suddenly shouted. "I'll be your opponent!"

Luffy's eyes widened in horror as Lucci side-eyed Usopp.

"T...that's right!" Usopp went on, trying to hide his fear. "I'm your opponent! Okay? Listen carefully, I'm a great pirate, a warrior among warriors with, eight-thousand men, Captain Usopp!"

Lucci was unimpressed.

"I've traveled the entire Grand Line, destroyed island after island, and if the World Government goes against me, I'll defeat every one of you with a single finger!" Usopp exclaimed.

Lucci spat while Usopp talked.

"If you dare, come fight me!" Usopp challenged. "You worthless little kitten!"

That last insult got Lucci's attention. Apparently, being called a kitten was crossing the line for him. He began to walk towards Usopp, ready to engage him in battle.

"Hey...hey...stop... _stop_ , you!" Luffy attempted to scream, but they came out as weak whimpers. "Keep away from him! This...is between you and me!"

"I have no business with you now that you are defeated," Lucci stated. "I will kill them no matter what. You can just watch from there."

Luffy gritted his teeth in anger.

"Yeah, come on, boss cat!" Usopp in the memory continued to taunt. "I'll send you flying!"

"I don't know whether to call you brave or stupid, Usopp," Zoro said. Lucci would have ripped Usopp to shreds in seconds.

"I had faith in Luffy. If he knew I was in danger, I knew he would stand up again," Usopp said as he watched the memory. "Luffy's protective nature has never failed."

The memory was becoming clearer as Luffy's senses returned.

Luffy coughed up some blood before he spoke. "Are you stupid!? Quit it, Usopp! He'll kill you!"

"Shut up!" Usopp screamed at Luffy. "What the hell are you going to do when you're so close to death!?"

Luffy grunted at him, but still couldn't will himself to move. "I'll kick his ass!"

"Then stand up! Stop looking like you're about to die!" Usopp screamed. He was closed to tears.

Luffy attempted to stand, but ended up coughing more blood. It looked like a pint came out of his mouth alone.

"This isn't like you!" Usopp screamed desperately. "Even though the sky is blackened with explosions, we can still see the sky! We can still see the sea! THIS PLACE ISN'T HELL!"

Luffy stared at Usopp.

"Stop looking like you're going to die, bastard!" Usopp shouted as his voice cracked. "Stop making me worry, dammit!"

"Are you finished?" Lucci asked as he got ready to cross the distance and attack Usopp. "Then prepare yourself."

"Got it," Luffy said softly as he forcible stood up, startling Lucci. "This isn't Hell or anything."

Luffy was shaky on his legs and he was trembling, but he stayed firm. Luffy was literally using the last of his willpower just to keep standing.

"Beat him!" Usopp yelled. "Then, we'll go back together, Luffy!"

"No matter what!" Luffy shouted as a mass of stream left his body.

"You can move again?" Lucci asked tiredly. It was clear that the joy of fighting Luffy had long passed. To him, he was pretty much beating up on a dead man.

"I'm not going to give up," Luffy grunted. "Until I defeat you, I'm not going down!"

Even as Luffy said that, the memory fuzzed a little.

Lucci bulked his body back to normal, figuring he didn't need the speed boast anymore. "I am tired of your interference. I will defeat you in a single power blow. Do not worry about your crew, Strawhat. Just as you wish, I will allow you to be together." He then gave a wide grin. "I will send them all to Hell with you!"

"How kind of him," Sanji muttered.

Lucci vanished and attempted to punch Luffy, but Luffy blocked the punch with one of his own.

Within moments, both fighters were punching rapidly at each other so fast their arms appeared to multiple. Neither one of them were bothering to dodge anymore. It was a pure endurance test.

They eventually broke apart and they battled evenly for several more minutes. Both were pushing their bodies to their limits.

"Gum Gum Jet Pistol!" Luffy yelled as he threw a lightning fast punch that hit Lucci in the chest, knowing him off balance.

"Yeah, he got him!" Usopp cheered.

As soon as Luffy's arm returned he began to cough up blood and the vision to the memory blurred for several seconds.

"Luffy!" Nami screamed.

"He pushed his body past the limit. He just minutes a way from completely losing consciousness or worse," Chopper said, nearing tears. He didn't say it out loud, but was going to die if this kept up.

"Taking those two Rokuougan really messed up his body. Luffy's spilling blood by the pints," Franky said.

Sanji pulled his cigarette from his mouth. "At this rate, Luffy's going to be competing with moss head for the most blood lost."

Zoro glared at the cook. "What was that!?"

Lucci came to Luffy's side, ready to perform another Rokuougan.

"That technique again!?" Brook exclaimed.

"How many times can he use that thing?" Nami asked.

"He'll going to be killed if he takes another!" Chopper screamed as tears edge on his eyes.

Luffy was ready for it and attempted to jump away. The strawhat captain was surprised to find, however, that Lucci foresaw his evasion and had ensnared him in his tail, making him unable to move away.

"Clever bastard!" Sanji yelled as he watched the scene in horror.

"Rokuougan!" Lucci yelled as he hit Luffy for a third time, causing blood to explode from Luffy's mouth and his eyes to roll back in his head.

The entire memory shook and twisted violently as it turned red as if Luffy's blood was covering scene. The crew could also hear Luffy's rapidly beating heart. The attack had done critical damage.

The Strawhats gasped when they saw the amount of blood that came flying out of their captain's mouth.

Chopper's hooves flew to his mouth as he thought of all the internal damage that must have been done. Seeing the injuries after the fight was nothing compare to watching how the damage was done.

Zoro kept a straight face, but he was disturbed that Lucci could make a rubberman cough up blood so easily by sheer physical force alone. If Luffy were a normal person, his organs would have exploded. It was a mental picture Zoro didn't wish to see.

Assured that Luffy was truly defeated this time, Lucci casually dropped the rubberman to the floor and started to walk away. Luffy stumbled around, looking like he wasn't even conscious. He stopped moving and it seemed he was about to fall again.

The memory began to fade into darkness as Luffy got closer to floor.

Suddenly, Luffy rebalanced himself and memory returned in full force, losing the red tint. Luffy's eyes rolled back and burned with an unbreakable fury. He turned toward Lucci.

Lucci stopped walking when he felt Luffy's presence. He turned back towards the strawhat captain with a look of pure disbelief.

Luffy gave him a cold glare and his teeth were bared. With a loud battle cry, Luffy used the last of his strength to do a Gum Gum Jet Gatling.

Lucci quickly did a Tekkai, but it was all in vain. The attack completely shattered Lucci's defense and slammed the zoan user into wall, pinning him.

Luffy didn't stop. He kept rapidly punching Lucci, not allowing the man to escape or even move. Lucci was forced to take every punch as his body withered under each ruthless fist.

Lucci must have been punched at least five-hundred times before the wall behind him finally collapsed by the sheer force of Luffy's assault. Only then did Luffy stop.

With nothing left to give, Luffy collapsed onto the floor and his Gears disengaged.

At last, the fight was over. Lucci laid in the rubble unconscious as his pigeon returned to his side. Lucci may have been a monster, but even he wouldn't be getting up from that. It was by far the most brutal beating that Luffy had ever given anyone. The closest comparison was his battle with Crocodile.

In the background, the Strawhats could hear the marines announcing Luffy's victory over the speakers for the entire island to hear. There was a loud uproar from the marines. It was unbelievable that the strongest CP9 agent in history could have fallen to a mere rookie pirate. By the hands of one small crew, CP9 laid defeated.

"It's over..." Luffy said, barely above a whisper as he forced himself onto his back. He laid spread out, like he had fallen from the sky. "That should be enough..." He took a deep breath. "LET'S GO BACK TOGETHER, ROBIN!" he shouted to the top of his lungs before he broke into a huge grin.

There was a second of silence among the Strawhats as they took in Luffy's victory.

"That was a super battle!" Franky exclaimed before he roughly patted Usopp's shoulder. "You were super too, bro! It took nerves of steel to stand up to that big cat."

Usopp blushed at the compliment. He didn't do much. In the end, it was Luffy's own will and strength that defeated Lucci.

"I'm surprise Luffy only slept for two days after that kind of battle," Sanji said as he took into account all the damage Luffy accumulated as his captain laid flat on the stone floor.

Zoro's face was blank. Although Lucci did a great deal of damage to Luffy, he knew that more than some of it came from his Gears. To think, this kind of damage would become regular for Luffy.

A part of him almost wished Luffy never discovered his Gears. They had saved their lives more than a couple of time, but to him, the price was too high. They were slowly shaving away Luffy's life. In many ways, they were no different than the Evil Drug the New Fishmen Pirates took that ended up stealing all of their lives. Why did that rubber bastard have to be so selfish?

Luffy was breathing hard and sweating badly. He was obviously past the point of exhaustion. He also seemed to be in great pain by the way he winced after each breath. It was a wonder that he was even still conscious.

"He would have slept longer if his grandpa hadn't woken him," Nami pointed out as she stared worriedly at her captain. Even if this was the past, she didn't like seeing Luffy so wounded. "Also, Luffy still wasn't really well for another week. We just never really noticed since we all rested in Water 7 while the Sunny was being built."

Brook couldn't help but wonder how big Luffy's pain bubble would have been if Kuma took his pain after this battle. He suspected it would be even bigger than the one from Thriller Bark. If Luffy wasn't made of rubber, he didn't even want to imagine the damage Lucci's attacks would have done to a regular human body.

"Luffy won!" Usopp in the memory screamed over the flabbergasted and disheartened marines.

There were suddenly several loud, joyful screams coming from the speakers. They weren't marines.

"Good job, Strawhat!" Zambai yelled.

"You idiot, everyone will hear us!" Paulie scolded over the speakers.

"It's fine! They need to know!" Zambai shouted in unrestrained joy. "Bro!"

Several more people from the Franky Family called to Franky.

Franky felt himself tear up as he listened to his family. To think, he thought he had lost all of them. If he had, he would have never forgiven himself. After Tom, he didn't want anyone else to die because of him.

"Stop it! We've already made them think we died while we ran away!" Paulie yelled.

"What's he talking about?" Brook asked.

Nami wiped her tears from her eyes. This brought back so many memories. "We...we thought they had all died. The marines announced that they had killed them during the Buster Call."

"Geez, I thought I'd told all of you to stay quiet," Paulie huffed in annoyance.

"We're all okay!" a member from the Franky Family yelled over the speakers.

"The giants took all the blows for us!" one of the Square Sisters yelled.

Brook tilted his head. "Giants?"

"I'll tell you later," Usopp said. He knew that would be a long story.

"Sodom and Gomorrah are okay too!" the other Square Sister shouted.

Brook said nothing this time. He really had a lot to read up on.

"We can't stay here anymore," Paulie said. "If we do, the battleships will come. Hurry up and get out of here!"

"So, we have an escape plan, and we'll be fine!" Zambai yelled. "We'll all survive this and meet again soon!"

"Yeah!" one of the Square Sisters yelled.

"Let's hurry!" her sister shouted.

There was more shouting and the sounds of battle could be heard again. The marines had finally snapped out of their stupor and were determine to finish their mission. Even if CP9 had fallen, the pirates were still trapped by battleships and they were weakened from their fights.

Luffy was too weak to care about any of that as his breaths finally returned to a somewhat normal rate. He didn't bother to move or get up. Instead, he stared blankly at the smoke-covered sky. It looked like he was on the verge of falling asleep.

"Shouldn't Luffy-san be moving? He'll be killed if he just lies there," Brook said.

There was an uncomfortable silence among the crew.

"Don't take your eyes off of Strawhat Luffy in the first tower!" a marine ordered. He obviously thought that Luffy was still a threat.

"Yes, but...the pirate Strawhat Luffy appears heavily wounded!" a marine announced. "He still hasn't moved from that spot!"

There were several noises that ranged from shock, to surprise, and terror.

The Strawhats could see Usopp from the memory running from the other tower and stared at Luffy with what had to be panic and fear.

"Hey, Luffy!" Usopp in the memory screamed. "What are you doing!? Hurry up and get over here! We won't survive if we don't get out of here!"

Luffy took several deep breaths as he turned his head with much effort. He stared blankly at Usopp.

"What's wrong!? It's just a little further!" Usopp in the memory shouted as tears ran down his eyes. "Fly over here with your powers! I'll help you the rest of the way!"

Luffy continued to stare at Usopp.

"We're surrounded by nothing but battleships and ocean! If you stay here, you'll be killed!" Usopp yelled desperately at his captain. He no longer tried to hide his worries. "Luffy! Luffy! Can you hear me, Luffy!? Answer me!"

The Strawhats saw Luffy trying to obey Usopp's pleas, but he only managed to weakly twitched his fingers. Nothing else on his body moved.

Usopp tightened his fists, upset at seeing Luffy in this state again. Luffy was too reckless pushing his body to this point.

Luffy seemed to have given up as he stared at Usopp with shame on his face. "I...it's no use... My body..."

Usopp in the memory stared at Luffy in horror.

Luffy gritted his teeth. "Won't move at all..." The crew could see the silent apologize in their captain's eyes.

Brook's mouth dropped. "He can't move!"

"After Luffy defeated Lucci, his body was left in a paralyzed state," Robin said, hating herself for putting Luffy through all of this. "No matter how much we called to him, he could not will himself to move."

"Terrible, and he was still conscious," Brook said.

"Won't move?" Usopp in the memory said in disbelief. "Don't be stupid! Didn't you defeat your enemy? And we've already saved Robin! Now all we have to do is run! Please, just try harder!"

Luffy attempted to move again, but nothing happened. He winced and cringed in pain, but his body refused to listen to him. He might as well have been bolted to the floor.

"Usopp!" Nami in the memory yelled over the sound of thunder. "We'll bring the ship over to Luffy! Everyone move! Get onboard!"

Almost as soon as Nami shouted that, a loud explosion caught the Strawhats' ears. They could see smoke rise from where the memory crew fought.

"What happened!?" Brook yelled in shock.

"The marines blew up our escape ship," Zoro answered nonchalantly. "We were too obvious."

Luffy seemed fully aware that something had gone horribly wrong by all the shouting from his crew. Still, he could do nothing about it.

"Force them to the second tower!" someone yelled over the speakers. "Fire!"

There were several more explosions as the marines rained cannonballs on the memory Strawhats. There was a lot of panicked shouting and the sounds of people running. The current Strawhats could also hear the screams and cries of marines who were being blasted by their own allies.

Robin shook in rage as she listened to this. The Buster Call was truly a heartless attack. For the sake of killing a handful of pirate, they murdered countless of their own people.

Chopper also trembled as he thought of the loss of life. Marines were supposed to be the _good_ guys! How could they be so cruel to their own friends?

The sounds of shooting finally ended and there was nothing but silence. It wasn't a calm silence, however. It was the silence that followed in the eye of a tornado.

"Shit, they destroyed the bridge!" Sanji in the memory yelled. "We're stuck on this tower!"

Brook cringed when he heard that. They were trapped. The marines could kill them at any moment.

"We can't do anything else!" Zoro in the memory shouted.

"We just have to fight..." Nami in the memory said. There was no trace of fear in her voice.

"Don't be stupid!" Franky in the memory yelled. "They'll just send more powerful guys over!"

"Prepare to fire on the first tower!" a marine ordered. The click of cannons being moved caught the current Strawhats' ears. They looked around to see several battleships pointing their cannons at Luffy's prone body. "Eliminate Strawhat Luffy!"

Brook gasped as he glanced at the comatose Lucci. His pigeon remained at his side, refusing to move away from its master. "They'll kill him too!"

"They don't care," Franky growled. "As long as they kill Luffy, they don't care who they blow away."

"But that man did everything for them. Right or wrong, he believed in the government and their goals," Brook said as his temper flared. "How...how...can they abandon him like that!?"

Sanji blew out some smoke. "He lost, so he's expendable. Just like the other CP9 agents who were left to die in the Judiciary Tower."

A part of him wondered if they were still alive. They were all shitty bastards (except for Kalifa, of course) but even they didn't deserve the raw deal that the marines gave them.

Robin nodded as her eyes became shadowed. "That is how the World Government works."

"LUFFY!" Usopp in the memory screamed in panic.

Luffy desperately attempted to move, but he still could barely twitch. There was now a panic look on his face as he realized that he was going to die. "Crap. This is bad..."

"Understatement of the year," Franky said as he watched his captain attempt to move.

"Luffy!" Usopp continued to scream.

"Strawhat!" the Franky Family yelled through the speakers. "Stand up, Strawhat! Stand up!"

"Hang in there, kid!" Kokoro yelled with the others.

"Pirate-bro!" Chimney screamed.

"Luffy! Stand up, please!" Nami in the memory pleaded to her captain.

"Dammit! You got to do something, Luffy!" Sanji in the memory yelled.

Luffy heard all their cries and pleas, but nothing could be done. Nothing anyone said or did could force Luffy's body move. Whatever will his body had was already spent on defeating Lucci. He literally had nothing left.

The Strawhats felt their captain's frustration and helplessness. He did all of this to save Robin, and now he couldn't save himself or help his crew escape. His crew was going to be killed because they waited for him instead of escaping with Robin.

Luffy was close to crying. It wasn't tears about his own death. He accepted that he might die when he came here. What he felt bad about was that his crew was going to watch him be killed and they could nothing to help him. He didn't want his crew to suffer as he had.

"This is bad..." Luffy muttered again.

"Luffy!" Nami screamed as the sounds of fighting resumed.

"Get moving! They're going to kill you!" Sanji yelled. He sounded unusually scared.

Luffy grunted for several seconds as he closed his eyes in acceptance. There was nothing that could be done.

Just as Luffy accepted his fate, a strange noise reached his ears. It sounded almost like a whale call.

Brook lifted his head in surprise. "What is that?"

Usopp smiled. So, Luffy had heard it too. "A miracle."

"Five seconds until firing on Strawhat Luffy!" the marine yelled.

"Luffy is...!" Nami in the memory screamed. She sounded like she was ready to cry.

"Jump into the sea!" Usopp in the memory suddenly screamed.

"Four seconds!" the marine continued to countdown.

"To the sea!" Usopp in the memory screamed again. "Robin, can you still get Luffy into the sea!?"

"Leave it to me," Robin in the memory said as the sound of bones breaking reached Luffy's ears.

"Idiot, you're trying to kill yourself!?" Zoro in the memory yelled. "There's no way that will help anything!"

"Three!"

"We'll be okay!" Usopp in the memory yelled. It sounded like he was crying. "She came to save us! We still have another friend!"

"She?" Brook questioned.

"Two!"

At that moment, several hands appeared around Luffy. The stunned rubberman was then lifted up and rolled him over to the edge of the tower.

"One!"

"I'm moving," Luffy said in awe. "Robin?" He grunted a bit from the rough treatment.

Robin frowned a little. She wished she was bit more gentle with Luffy.

"To the sea!" Sanji, Nami, and Chopper in the memory shouted.

Luffy was tossed off the edge of the tower like an anchor and he fell to the sea below. It came just in time as the marines fired on the first tower.

"Follow Luffy!" Usopp in the memory screamed.

For a moment, Luffy was baffled as to why Robin had thrown him to what would be watery grave. He got his answer when looked into the sea. He was shocked by what he saw.

There in the ocean stood the Going Merry. Despite looking like she had been through a war, she had come to save them. He began to grin like a maniac from seeing his precious comrade.

"MERRY!" Luffy screamed in pure joy.

" _Let's go back everyone,_ " a voice echoed. It sounded like it came from Merry. " _Back to the seas of adventure!_ "

 


	25. Forge in Fire

Brook stood slack-jawed as he looked over the badly beaten and broken ship. He knew that Usopp said that a miracle saved them, but he wasn't expecting this. Wasn't the Merry fatally damaged? How did it even get here past all the battleships?

"What..." Brook muttered, finally finding his voice. "Was that a voice coming from the ship?"

Usopp wiped his eyes. "It was. Merry...she came to save us."

"But how?" Brook asked, in awe of what he was looking at. It was truly a miracle. "How did Lamb-chan get here?"

"It's _Merry!_ " Usopp yelled.

"How did your ship make it all the way to Enies Lobby? What about the Aqua Laguna? Also, who piloted the ship?" Brook asked in confusion, ignoring Usopp. He never felt so out of the loop.

"Merry made it to Enies Lobby by herself after Iceberg repaired her," Usopp said in a tender voice, losing his previous irritation. "Merry was literally alive. She had the spirit of a Klabautermann."

"A Klabautermann," Brook whispered in understanding. It all made perfect sense. He began to look at Merry in a new light. "I understand. That's why you were so sad about Merry's fate. It wasn't just because it was a gift from your girlfriend."

"Yeah..." Usopp said before he paused for a moment. "Wait a minute, Kaya is not my girlfriend!"

Luffy landed head first into the water and, naturally, sank like a rock. Before he could black out, Kokoro grabbed him along with Chopper and Robin and pulled them to the surface.

"Get on there, Devil Fruit users!" Kokoro yelled as she unceremoniously tossed Luffy, Robin, and Chopper onto the Going Merry.

Luffy landed hard on his back and lay unmoving on the wooden deck. His eyes were rolled back and he was obviously dazed from the water's effect on him.

"It's Merry...it's Merry...Merry saved us! I love Merry so much!" Chopper in the memory screamed in happiness as he hopped weakly on his back like a dying fish.

Chopper sniffed as tears build in his eyes. "I still love Merry."

"Why can't you move here, Chopper? Did you overextend yourself like Luffy-san?" Brook asked.

Chopper quickly stopped crying. "Yeah...I had to use my Monster Point in ordered to defeat one of the CP9 agents," he said softly. His eyes became shadowed. "After I…transformed…I lost control of myself. I don't remember anything…"

Nami gently patted the young doctor's shoulder. What happened in that tower was still a sore subject for Chopper. He knew that he could have killed his crew, but chanced it anyway in order to protect everyone.

"Merry... My sweet Merry...is still alive..." Usopp in the memory sobbed as he touched Merry's mast. It looked like he was going to fall against it. "Why did you do this?"

"I can't believe it..." Franky in the memory said softly as he looked around the Merry. "This ship fell into the ocean!"

"Who brought it here?" Nami in the memory asked in confusion.

"Worry about that later!" Zoro in the memory yelled, reminding everyone that they were still in danger. "Just tell us what to do!"

"Oh, that's right!" Nami yelled as they both ran to prepare the Merry for their escape.

Luffy finally regained his bearings and started to gasp for air. "That was close! I thought those ships were going to kill me!" He turned weakly towards Robin who was kneeling near one of the railings. "Hey, Robin! You saved me, thank..."

Before he could finish, Robin used her ability to cover his mouth. She turned around and gave a rare gentle smile. At that moment, she was back to the Robin the Strawhats knew.

"Luffy, everyone...thank you," Robin said gratefully. By the tightness in her voice, she sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

Everyone on-board the Merry smiled.

Luffy gave one of his signatures huge grins. "Don't mention it." He started to chuckle, which Chopper mimicked.

"Save this sappy stuff until after we escape," Zoro in the memory said, breaking the tender mood.

"Zoro-san!" Brook scolded their Zoro.

"It was true," Zoro growled.

"As I said, moss head has a heart of ice," Sanji said as he lit a cigarette.

"Yes he does," Nami said as she side-eyed Zoro.

Chopper nodded in agreement.

Franky side-eyed Zoro. "I think ice is warming."

"That's Zoro, the killer of moods," Usopp said in disgust.

Zoro scowled at all of them. They were all too emotional.

The Strawhats within the memory also didn't appreciate Zoro's comment and Sanji and Chopper began to fight Zoro. After realizing that he could move again, Chopper went into his Heavy Point and put Zoro into a painful submission, causing the swordsman to howl in pain.

This made all the current Strawhats, save for Zoro, laugh. He more than deserved it.

"Now, everyone, let's get out of here!" Nami in the memory yelled.

"Yeah!" they all shouted in agreement.

The Going Merry began to move, but the marines were not about to let them escape. They appeared to abandon their mission of taking Robin alive and attempted to blow them all away with their cannons.

They could hear Spandam screaming orders to the marines from one of the battleships. He was ordering that all the Strawhats be killed, including Robin, because Aokiji himself ordered it.

"That bastard Spanda. He's still alive?" Franky in the memory asked in frustration. "That sucks."

Franky nodded in agreement with his past self. Between being smacked silly by Robin and being crushed by his own elephant sword, what did it take to kill that man?

"Did Aokiji really order you to be killed?" Brook asked as he listened to Spandam scream. "After all they went through to capture you…"

"It was most likely another one of his lies," Robin said as she crossed her arms.

Despite all the battleships shooting at the Going Merry at close range, the marines not only missed, but also hit their own ships.

"The marines can't aim," Brook noted.

Sanji smiled. "Well, they're having a little problem keeping their aim."

At that same moment, the marine ships started to ram into each other.

Now Brook was really confused. Although, from the shouting by the marines, he was able to figure out that their bad aim and them running into each other was caused by the Gate of Justice being closed. Apparently, the gate blocked a pair of large whirlpools. With the gates no longer covering them, the battleships were being sucked in.

Sanji in the memory laughed as he watched the chaos. "That was better than I imagined!"

"Sanji, is that what you did before!?" Usopp in the memory asked in shock.

"Yeah," Sanji said smugly before he pointed to his head. "We can't always use strength alone."

"You're amazing, Sanji!" Usopp in the memory yelled in awe.

"Are you a genius!?" Luffy shouted.

"Very clever, Sanji," Brook also praised.

Zoro snorted. "So, the cook is good for something."

"Don't be jealous, moss head," Sanji teased. "There's no shame in not having any brain."

Within seconds, the two were fighting again.

"Don't start kissing his ass yet. The whirlpools are dangerous to us too," Zoro in the memory said. This made Usopp in the memory panic.

"Be quiet, all of you!" Nami in the memory yelled, catching her crew's attention. "There's no ocean we can't pass on Merry!"

Everyone cheered in agreement.

"Just hold on while I figure out what to do!" Nami in the memory yelled.

"Leave it to us!" the crew shouted.

Once they had regained themselves somewhat, the marines fired upon the Going Merry while the memory Strawhats protected the ship from all sides. With their combined strength and powers, no cannonball could touch Merry.

During the fighting, Luffy wanted to join in the defense of the Merry. As the captain, it was his duty to protect the ship, even if he couldn't move and was on the verge of passing out.

Whether granting their captain's wish, or just them making fun of him, Zoro and Sanji both grabbed Luffy and lifted him sideways like a sheet. They used his rubber body to catch several cannonballs and flung them back at the marines, causing major damage to the battleships.

Luffy was left dazed on the deck from the experience. Because he was already heavily wounded, the cannonballs had hurt him on impact.

"You saved us, captain!" Zoro in the memory cheered teasingly as he knelt at Luffy's side.

"That's the captain for you!" Sanji in the memory cheered as well with a huge smile.

Luffy groaned in response.

"You guys are monsters!" Usopp in the memory yelled at his former crewmates as they gave the victory sign.

"That _was_ a kind of jerk-ish thing to do," Franky said with a small chuckle. Although, it was kind of funny.

"Seriously, why did you do that?" Nami asked. It was nice, however, to see Sanji and Zoro working together for once. Even if it was at Luffy's expense.

"Luffy wanted to feel useful, so we made him useful," Zoro said nonchalantly.

Sanji shrugged. "Pretty much."

"As I said, monsters," Usopp muttered.

"Although, I think that is the most playful we have seen Zoro in a long time," Robin said in amusement. "When was the last time Zoro teased anyone like that?"

Zoro found that he couldn't answer.

After a few calculations in her notebook, Nami had the path to victory in her hands. With Chopper steering the ship, they used the whirlpool as a slingshot to boost their speed. With the extra aid, they zoomed past the marine ships.

The marines shot desperately at them, attempting to do everything within their power to keep the pirates from escaping, but it was all in vain. Nothing could stop them from leaving.

As the battleship began to get further away, Robin walked towards the back of the ship where Luffy laid.

Luffy remained silent as Robin got to the end of the railings and crossed her arms. Her eyes were deadly focused in a way the Strawhats had rarely seen.

Zoro knew by her eyes that she had murderous intentions.

Luffy had to tilt his head to see that Robin was using her ability to grab Spandam, who was on one of the closest battleships.

Robin paused as she slowly closed her eyes. Although Luffy knew little about Robin's past and all that she had suffered, he could tell that this was deeply personal.

Spandam was viciously bent back by Robin's hands and the current Strawhats could hear the man cry in pain despite Robin covering his mouth.

Robin gradually opened her eyes and glared hatefully at her tormentor as she bent him back further. She paused for a second, as if she wanting Spandam to fully appreciate the pain that he was about to be inflicted on him.

"Clutch!" Robin shouted.

Even from this distance, all the Strawhats heard the all too familiar sound of bone snapping. Even without seeing it, they knew that Robin had broken Spandam's back and probably snapped his spine.

Franky gave a vicious, satisfied grin. He hoped that bastard could never walk again.

The other Strawhats stared blank faced. Even among the more sympathetic Strawhats, they felt no pity for Spandam. That man's carelessness and disregard for others took the lives of hundreds of marines. Even if they were enemies, all those people didn't need to die this way. Not over one man's mistake and need for glory. For all of them, it was karma.

Luffy said nothing, silently supporting what Robin had done.

With Spandam dealt with, Franky in the memory jumped to the back of the ship.

"Everyone, brace yourselves," Franky in the memory said as he pulled down his sunglasses.

A marine battleship attempted to intercept them.

"This might hurt the ship a bit, sorry about that," Franky said as he prepared to do his Coup de Vent.

His arms expanded and with a giant burst of air the Merry flew across the sky, surprising the marines. It was very much how the Strawhats usually escape on the Sunny.

To ensure that the marines could not fire upon them while they were in the air, Usopp shot a smoke bomb at the fleet, hindering their sights.

The marines could do nothing as the Merry landed hard some distance away from the marine fleet and began to sail away. They still tried, however. They fired repeatedly, but nothing could stop the Going Merry.

Soon, the cannonballs could no longer reach the small ship. It was then that the Strawhats knew that they had escaped.

Against all the odds, this small band of pirates had defeated the power of Enies Lobby, the World Government, the mighty Buster Call, and had taken back their friends from the powers of the world. For the World Government, this was a complete and utter defeat.

In the distance, the Strawhats could see Enies Lobby burn, a victim of the governments' own ruthlessness.

Brook shivered as he looked at what the Buster Call had done. He truly understood why Robin feared it. It was indeed an attack that completely disregarded life and burned everything in its wake. He hoped he never had to witness such cruelty again.

Knowing that his crew was finally safe, Luffy asked Kokoro to take him to Merry's head. It was only fitting that he sit on his Special Seat after such a great triumph. Given that he still couldn't move, he more lay on Merry's head like a boneless jellyfish than sat.

"Thank you, Merry..." Luffy said gratefully to the sheep head. "We got away because of you. I never thought you would come to save us. But now that I think about it, you have always protected us. I'm so glad that you're our comrade. Thanks, Merry."

Brook started to feel tears build in his non-existent eyes. "That's so beautiful."

"Merry was a beautiful ship," Usopp said with a soft smile with tears building in his eyes. This was by far Merry's _greatest_ moment. That little ship with its dying breath beat the Aqua Laguna, something that no ship before it could do. She was truly one of a kind.

Chopper began to cry. "Merry will always be the best!"

"I hate to spoil the mood, but damn, you guys did some unbelievable things," Franky in the memory said with his arms folded. "You burnt down the World Government's flag..."

Luffy rolled himself to his back and stared into the sky. He had a peaceful expression on his face. "What? It's nothing special. We were just getting back a friend who was taken from us." As he said that, the Strawhats saw several images of Sabo. The last image being his lost brother smiling down at him, as if saying that he was proud. "You saved Robin too. We couldn't have do it without your help, so thanks."

Franky in the memory blushed and scratch the back of his head. "Well, it really wasn't special to someone as great as me."

Brook chuckled at Franky's cockiness, while Franky blushed at his past behavior.

Luffy gave Franky a soft smile. There was none of the hostility or anger from before. Whatever ill feelings Luffy had towards the cyborg had passed. He truly saw him as a friend.

"Anyway, this fight is _our_ victory!" Luffy proclaimed to everyone as he lifted his arms.

All the Strawhats cheered in agreement, ending the memory.

"Indeed, it was a major victory for all of you," Brook said to his crew. What his crew did at Enies Lobby was the stuff of legends.

"Hard to believe that was just two years ago. It almost feels like a lifetime," Usopp said in thought. So much had happened since that time.

"Yeah, our victory at Enies Lobby was one of our biggest achievements. We really gave the government a bloody nose that they never forgot," Sanji said in a strangly somber voice.

All the Strawhats became silent as they reflected on Sanji's words.

It was strange that a moment that should had brought great happiness was also filled with a note of bitterness. In many ways, the government would have their revenge on all of them, especially on Luffy.

The mist engulfed the Strawhats and they were back on the Going Merry.

The atmosphere was peaceful and the day was clear. It was like the giant storm never happened. Everyone was just now calming down from their great battle and escape. After going through so much, the small crew deserved a moment of peace.

"Hey, Usopp!" Luffy called.

The Strawhats turned to see Luffy being carried around on Chopper's shoulders. He was still too weak to walk on his own very far, but at least he could move his upper body now.

"Huh, he's not here?" Luffy asked in confusion. "Usopp, Usopp, USOPP!" he continued to yell as Chopper walked right passed Sogeking, who had his head down.

Brook stared blank-faced at the entire scene while the other Strawhats, except for Chopper, sweat-dropped at the memory. They still couldn't believe that Luffy couldn't tell who Sogeking was. Where did Luffy think Usopp disappeared to?

Usopp almost wanted to laugh at the absurdity. Looking back at it, this was actually quite funny.

"Come out already!" Luffy shouted angrily. He was quickly getting frustrated. "If you don't come out, I'll kick your ass!"

"Kick your ass!" Chopper yelled in agreement.

Luffy frowned when he got no answer. Chopper turned towards Sogeking, who was sitting next to Sanji. The cook looked really pissed at the super hero.

"Hey Sogeking, do you know where Usopp is?" Luffy asked desperately. "He disappeared!"

Sogeking quickly stood up and faced Luffy. "Please relax, he already went ahead on a smaller ship."

Both Luffy and Chopper were to surprise to hear this.

Sanji, however, was annoyed and kicked Sogeking in the head.

"Why!?" Chopper exclaimed.

"That doesn't make sense! The Merry is his ship..." Luffy said in confusion. He had obviously assumed that Usopp brought the Going Merry to them.

"Ummm…" Brook mumbled. Not quite sure what to say. He wasn't even sure if he should say something given that Chopper still didn't know the truth.

"I still wonder why Usopp wasn't on the Merry," Chopper said as he put a hoof on his chin. "How did he leave so fast on a small boat? He was just on the Merry when we escape."

Zoro side-eyed the young doctor. Why can't Chopper see it was Usopp even now?

There was a brief discussion among the other Strawhats in the memory about how the Merry got to Enies Lobby and who steered it since no one was on-board. The Strawhats were more than a little confused about how a ship managed to sail itself into a warzone.

They also talked about someone calling to them just before they jumped into the sea. Luffy insisted it was Merry's voice, but most of the more even-minded Strawhats didn't buy it. Ships, after all, didn't talk.

After sailing for a few more minutes, a ship appeared in the horizon. To the Strawhats' delight, it was Galley-La led by Iceberg. They had gotten one of their biggest galleons and were sailing towards Enies Lobby to meet up with the Strawhats.

All the shipwrights were happy to see that the Strawhats and Franky had escaped in one piece and cheered at their safe return. It wasn't every day that someone survived going through an Aqua Laguna, the biggest one in history, and raiding a government compound.

The celebration was cut short when the Going Merry began to creak. There was a loud snapping noise of wood breaking as the entire front of the ship broke in half, falling halfway into the sea. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the breakage.

"Oh..." Brook mumbled softly as he looked over the damage.

The current Strawhats fell silent as they looked over their doomed ship. They knew this moment would come, but it was still heart-breaking to see. Usopp and Chopper were openingly in tears.

Luffy ran towards the front of the ship and begged Iceberg to save Merry. The Strawhats could tell by Luffy's voice that he knew it was impossible. Still, he had to try. The Merry saved their lives and was their precious crewmember. What captain wouldn't do everything within their power to save a dying friend?

Iceberg stared somberly at Luffy. "She fought hard for you, but it is time to let her go. I have already done everything I can," he said gently as he explained how he found Merry during the Aqua Laguna, nearly destroyed on the shore bank after they had left on the seatrain.

The Merry herself pleaded with Iceberg to help her so she could sail one last time to help her crew. Being unable to turn away from her pleads, Iceberg worked the entire night in the rain repairing Merry to the best of his abilities and sending her off into the storm, thinking she was doom to fail.

Brook was in tears during the entire story. He had heard many stories and legends about the Klabautermann, but none of them were like this. That ship gave everything to save the crew she so dearly loved. She really was a true friend.

Usopp also cried. That was their Merry. Always looking out for them, even during her dying moments.

"Right now, I am witnessing a miracle. A miracle of a ship that has gone beyond its limits to see you one last time," Iceberg said as he stared at the Going Merry with admiration. "I have been a shipwright for many years, but I have never seen such an amazing ship. It is a magnificent thing. It lived a wonderful life."

Brook nodded in agreement as tears streamed out of his eye sockets. Iceberg took the words right out of his mouth.

"Yes it is," Franky said in tears, not bothering to hide or deny them. Merry may have been a simple ship, but it showed more heart and soul than most people. He could only hope that Sunny developed such a wonderful spirit.

Luffy was taken in by Iceberg's words. He slumped back a little and looked at Merry's head with blank eyes. He slowly sat straight as he realized what must be done now. It was time for Merry to be put to rest.

The memory skipped a little and Luffy was now standing in a small rowboat next to the Merry. The other Strawhats, along with Franky, Kokoro, Chimney and her pet 'cat', were behind him in another boat next to the Galley-La's ship. They all wore somber expressions as they prepared themselves to say goodbye to their precious friend and comrade. The shipwrights were also lined up on the galleon, ready to pay their final respects.

Luffy gave one last long look at the Going Merry. "So, everyone's ready?"

"Yeah," they all answered in muted voices.

Luffy lit a torch and stared at Going Merry again. "Merry, the seafloor is a dark and lonely place. So, we'll see you off." He took the torch and lit the broke side of the Merry on fire. "It's...probably best that Usopp isn't here. He wouldn't be able to handle this."

Usopp teared up hearing Luffy's words. In some ways, Luffy was right. He didn't see Merry's death as Usopp. He did it with the mask of Sogeking, disconnecting himself from his other crewmates. In some ways, he was happy that he got to see Merry's funeral again. Now, he can share the experience as a proper Strawhat.

After holding the torch to Merry's broken side for a couple of seconds, the entire ship lit on fire.

The Strawhats of both the present and the past watched Merry burn with teary eyes. To many, it may seem strange to cry over a ship. A ship, after all, was just a thing, made out of wood and nails. A ship could easily be replaced.

For the Strawhats, however, the Merry was far more than a mere ship. It had a soul and that soul had carried them through East Blue and almost half of the Grand Line. That soul also saved them from the hand of the World Government and for that, the Going Merry would never be just a ship to any of them. It was a Strawhat.

"For letting us ride on you for so long and so far, thank you…Merry," Luffy said softly.

The atmosphere became more sorrowful when it suddenly started to snow, an unusual occurrence given the area. It was like the sea itself was mourning along with the Strawhats.

The current Strawhats attempted to hold back their tears. Almost all of them failed miserably. Brook found himself playing his violin, unable to help himself. A funeral felt incomplete without music.

It was a few minutes after the snow started falling that Merry began to speak directly to the Strawhats.

"I'm sorry..." Merry said in a soft voice, startling Brook and the past Strawhats. "I wanted to carry everyone just a little farther..." The sheep head of the Merry appeared to be crying through the flames. "I'm sorry... I wanted to always go on adventures together."

Usopp cried into his arm. Dammit, why did Merry has to be so selfless?

"Merry!" Chopper in the memory screamed in tears.

Nami in the memory completely collapsed in grief and sobbed into her open hands.

Even the shipwrights on-board the galleon were crying loudly.

The Strawhats of the present also weren't immune to the scene. Some cried more openly than others, but there wasn't a dry eye among them.

Only Zoro remained stone-faced as he listened to Merry's dying words again. It wasn't that Merry didn't deserve his tears that he didn't cry, but he saw her death as a celebration of life. This wasn't a moment for tears.

Brook could only stare in shock. He had never heard of a Klabautermann talking directly to their crew.

"But I..." Merry attempted to continue.

"If someone got to apologize, it's us, Merry!" Luffy yelled in tears, cutting Merry off. He nearly collapsed as grief overtook him. "I suck at steering, so I ran into icebergs and other stuff! I ruined your sails too!" As he yelled that, the Strawhats saw a flashback of Luffy stabbing Laboon with the sail mast. "Zoro and Sanji are idiots so they broke lots of things! And Usopp tried to fix you, but he wasn't good at it! If someone got to apologize..." He fell to his knees, unable to control his emotions anymore.

"I don't mind. I was happy," Merry said, holding no ill will towards her crew. "You always treated me with love... Thank you... Even if the time spent together was short, I'm glad...that I could have spent it with you," she whispered with her last breath as the flames overtook the sheep head.

"MERRY!" Luffy shouted to the heavens.

Brook cried openly. This was both a sad and beautiful sight. No one could ask for a better death.

The Strawhats stood there until the last of Merry disappeared into ashes and fluttered into the wind. Merry was now part of the sea.

Only once during the funeral did Luffy turn to glance at his crew. The person who caught his eye was Sogeking. Although he wore a mask that covered his eyes, Luffy could see the waterfall of tears streaming down his neck. Luffy continued to stare at Sogeking for a moment before his eyes suddenly widened.

"Usopp...?" Luffy whispered in confusion. He then quickly shook his head, obviously thinking he was being foolish.

There, the memory concluded.

Usopp gasped when he saw that. Luffy…he knew? No…Luffy sensed something was off, but he didn't believe what he felt.

"Why did Luffy think Sogeking was Usopp?" Chopper asked in bewilderment as he wiped the last of his tears.

"He was probably so moved by Merry's death that he wanted to see Usopp in Sogeking," Nami answered as she side-eyed Usopp. "You know, since Usopp missed the funeral."

Chopper began to tear up. "I wished Usopp was there. He deserved to be there more than anyone." He turned towards the sniper. "But, I guess you couldn't take it back then."

Usopp was silent for a second. "Yeah…."

Brook cried loudly as tears poured out of his empty sockets. "That...that's so moving! I never knew how much you guys loved that ship! So...so beautiful!"

Franky was also sobbing along with Brook. "That's so sad even now! It's even worse now since I've seen how much you guys have been through together! That Merry...what a wonderful ship! She's a shipwrights' dream!"

Robin stood silent in reflection of the memory for a moment. "I wonder...if the Sunny will develop a Klabautermann one day."

Brook wiped his nose as he got control of his emotions. "If Lion-chan is as loved by all of you as Merry, I'm certain that a Klabautermann will come to us one day."

Usopp smiled brightly. "Yeah, I'm certain it will happen. Sunny, after all, carries Merry's spirit. It's the throne of the Pirate King."

"And it's Sunny, not Lion-chan!" Franky yelled at Brook.

"Since a Klabautermann only appears when a ship is about to die, let's hope we never actually see Sunny's Klabautermann," Nami said.

All the Strawhats nodded in agreement.

"Sunny won't die. Not on my watch," Franky said proudly.

The mist cleared, but strangely there was no image. There was complete darkness.

Nami tilted her head in confusion. "Did something go wrong?"

"We should be looking at the next memory. Unless Luffy doesn't have his eyes open," Zoro said.

As soon as Zoro said that, munching sounds caught the Strawhats' ears. It was also followed by what sounded like Luffy humming.

"It seems you all finally woke up," someone said through the void.

"Hey, that's Kokoro!" Chopper exclaimed when he recognized the voice.

"To sleep for two days, you must have been worn out," Kokoro said. "I guess that's expected."

"You all slept for two days?" Brook asked in mild disbelief.

He didn't blame them for being exhausted, but he never witnessed the entire crew being knocked out. Even at Thriller Bark, the crew woke up after only one day of rest. Except for, of course, Zoro, who was practically in a coma for a week.

Nami brushed some hair out of her eyes. "I slept for only a day and a half."

"That's because you weren't badly injured," Zoro said as he side-eyed Nami.

"Are you trying to say Nami-swan didn't do anything, moss head!?" Sanji yelled at Zoro.

"I also only slept for a day," Robin said, stopping Zoro and Sanji from fighting again. "Since I...did not really fight."

"You kicked Spanda's ass. That's more than enough," Franky said.

The sounds of footsteps could be heard. "Oh, the Pirate King seems to be feeling good," Kokoro noted.

"Why is Miss Kokoro calling Luffy-san the Pirate King?" Brook asked.

"She started calling Luffy that since the incident at Enies Lobby. I guess you could say Luffy made a believer out of her," Franky said with a small laugh.

Brook nodded and smiled, if a skeleton could smile. "Luffy-san has that effect."

"Oh, you're mistaken," Sanji in the memory said.

"About what?" Kokoro asked.

"After the fight he collapsed, but he was still dying to eat," Sanji in the memory explained.

Kokoro gave a grunt in disbelief.

"He seems to have invented a technique to eat while sleeping," Sanji said. There was a note of humor in his voice.

"He's asleep!?" Kokoro yelled in disbelief.

"Amazing, pirate-bro!" Chimney yelled.

"Personally, I think that's Luffy's most amazing trick," Sanji said casually. "That and the disappearing fruit from Alabasta."

Chopper nodded. "I still wonder how he can eat like that without choking." What Luffy was doing should have been medically impossible.

"I'm more surprise that you're feeding him, Sanji-san," Brook said.

"Why be surprised? I feed people who are hungry, even if they're not conscious," Sanji said. "I actually prefer it this way so I can get food into Luffy so he can recover faster. I also don't have to feed that rubber brain all at once."

"After what Luffy did to his body, he more than needed the nutrients," Zoro said with an edge of bitterness.

"Although, how is Luffy hearing all this if he's knocked out?" Usopp asked.

"He is most likely semi-conscious. That could explain how he is able to eat while remaining asleep," Robin surmised.

"He's a pretty skilled guy," Kokoro laughed after getting over her initial shock. "Oh yeah, the Log Pose should set in two or three days." She paused for a second. "What happened here!?" It sounded like she just witnessed a murder.

Nami in the memory gave a depress sigh. "Even if the Log Pose sets, we can't move forward anymore... The one-hundred million we worked so hard for to buy a new ship...our clothes, our furniture...Bellmère's tangerine trees...all of it...Aqua Laguna carried it all away..."

Brook would have frowned, if he had skin. Nami sounded like she was going to cry when she mentioned the tangerine trees. The money itself was more of a side note.

"Gloomy..." Kokoro muttered.

"We left all of it at the inn in the backstreets," Sanji in the memory explained. He too sounded depress.

Brook sighed. "You all really had some lousy luck in this city."

"It does appear that way," Sanji said before he smiled. "But, don't worry. This actually has a happy outcome."

The Strawhats heard Kokoro guzzle down her bottle of booze. "Ah, so that's what the visitors out front are for."

"Visitors?" Sanji in the memory asked in bafflement.

There was a loud knock at the door. The door was opened and the Strawhats heard several footfalls.

"The truth is we..." someone said slowly.

The crew heard Nami in the memory gasp and a chair falling on the floor.

"My tangerine trees!" Nami in the memory shouted in pure, unrestrained joy. They could tell by all the rustling that Nami was hugging them. "I never thought they would come back! Thank goodness!"

Nami couldn't stop herself from tearing up. She thought for certain that she had lost her mother's precious trees to the Aqua Laguna.

"Actually, we thought you were responsible for Iceberg's assassination. Your stuff crossed our minds so we seized all of it," someone said. "Sorry about that."

"Something good came out of that tragedy after all," Brook said.

"Our luck really started to turn around after we got back to Water 7," Robin said.

"After all the bad luck we had, it was about time things started to turn around," Zoro said. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought CP9 had cursed them or something.

"It's alright, thank you!" Nami in the memory yelled gratefully.

Kokoro laughed. "Well, that's good."

The door opened again.

"Hey, we're coming in!" Chopper in the memory shouted.

"We are back," Robin said.

"Oh, Chopper. And Robin-chwan!" Sanji exclaimed. "That was heavy, wasn't it? Now please, right this way."

Robin chuckled. "Thank you."

Almost as soon as Robin spoke, the memory went dead.

"Huh, was that it?" Usopp asked. "That was a random place to stop."

"He most likely fell asleep the moment Chopper and Robin walked in," Zoro said with a small smile. Even asleep, Luffy was still trying to look after his crew.

The door being slammed open jolted all the Strawhats.

"Feeling super you guys! Everyone!" Franky in the memory shouted. He suddenly grunted. "Not everyone is around. Well, whatever..."

"Franky, what are you up to all of a sudden?" Sanji asked.

"Listen!" Franky exclaimed. "I have something important to tell you." He sat down hard on the floor.

From the void, the Strawhats listened to Franky tell a story about a miraculous wood known as Adam. The wood was so strong and sturdy that it could be hit by a cannonball without breaking or denting. The tree became so known for its strength that entire civilizations were built under it.

Although Franky's explanation about the Adam wood seemed rather pointless, he eventually got around to telling the Strawhats that he wanted the wood, but it was really expensive. It was an item that cost two-hundred million belli.

"That exact amount that he stole from you," Brook muttered.

Usopp nodded. "Funny how that worked out."

Franky chuckled. "Yeah. You could almost call it divine intervention."

"Why you! You used our money to buy something like that, didn't you!?" Sanji in the memory yelled.

"Just let me finish!" Franky shouted before a loud banging noise reached the Strawhats' ears, silencing the entire room. "A long time ago, I decided I would never build a ship again. But before long, to catch up to a man I admire, and to reach my own goal, I drew up the blueprints for a ship... My dream is to use that treasured wood and just one last time...make a ship able to sail any sea. I'm going to make a Dream Ship."

Brook felt himself become teary eyed. These memories were going to leave him without any moisture, although he was already dry from being just a skeleton. He laughed at the thought.

Usopp too wiped some tears away. He had missed so much while he was away from the crew.

Zoro kept a blank face, but he greatly admired how Franky chased after his dream despite not wanting to build ships anymore.

"I already have the wood and the blueprints. With this I can make it!" Franky shouted with complete conviction in his voice. "So, when it's done, would you all sail on the ship I created!?"

The room was completely quiet as the weight of the question hung in the room. Luffy's loud snoring, however, broke the silence. He seemed unaware, but he heard everything that Franky said.

"Then...?" Chopper in the memory stuttered.

"So, you mean you'll give us that ship!?" Sanji asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Franky answered. "If people I would like are sailing it. That's what makes me happiest. It's something I was only able to make because of your investment after all."

"Investment, huh?" Usopp asked dryly, making Franky laugh nervously.

"The only ship on this sea that ever sailed around the world, Gold Roger's Oro Jackson, was made from this wood," Franky stated. "I'll definitely...show you all an amazing ship!"

Kokoro chuckled. "Can't be helped. You and Tom are the same after all. Just like a carpenter."

"That's true, now...I can understand how Tom felt when he died with his pride," Franky in the memory said softly. There was a rare tenderness in his voice.

"That's so beautiful!" Brook cried as tears flew out of his eyes.

There was much celebration as the memory Strawhats shouted and cheered. They may have lost their dear Going Merry, but soon, they would have a new comrade. One that would conquer the great Grand Line.

The celebration was suddenly cut short by what sounded like an explosion.

"What the...?" Franky in the memory exclaimed.

"Who is it?" Chopper in the memory shouted. He sounded closed to panicking.

"Are you the Strawhat Pirates!?" a loud voice demanded.

Brook knew that voice. "That's Garp-san."

Nami nodded. "This is when Garp 'visited' Luffy."

"There're some men here who want to meet Monkey D. Luffy," Garp said.

"Marines!" Franky in the memory yelled. There was lot of shuffling.

"Really, just as careless as always," Garp humored almost sadistically.

There was a zooming sound and lots of shouting in the background.

"WAKE UP!" Garp shouted before a loud cracking noise filled the memory.

Images suddenly appeared before the Strawhats and they could see that they were inside one of the Galley-La buildings.

The scene, however, was anything but clear. Things were hazy and slightly distorted. There was also a loud ringing noise. Whether it was from suddenly having Garp knock Luffy senseless, or Luffy just being exhausted, none of the crew knew.

"IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" Luffy screamed in anguish as he grabbed his swollen forehead. It looked like he was crying.

"It hurts!?" Sanji in the memory asked in disbelief. "What are you saying!? That was a punch. For it to hurt a rubberman..."

"Even with Haki, that is an impressive injury," Zoro noted in a dry voice.

"There's no defense against the Fist of Love," Garp said as he removed the dog mask he was wearing, fully revealing his face. He had his trademark grin on his face. "I heard you've been acting pretty reckless, Luffy."

Luffy lifted his head and stared at his attacker. At that moment, it looked like Luffy was going to wet himself in terror. Even at seventeen, his grandfather still had the ability to scare the young pirate like a small child.

The change in his captain's demeanor unnerved Zoro. He knew that Luffy was deathly afraid of his grandfather, but he didn't see the strong reaction when they met in Water 7. It literally looked like Luffy wanted to run through the wall to escape the older man's gaze.

Brook was also unnerved. Fighting Crocodile, Lucci, or Moriah didn't scare Luffy.

"G...G...Grandpa!?" Luffy shouted as the memory dissipated.

"Well...that's how you met Luffy-san's grandfather," Brook muttered as he sweat-dropped. It seemed that age has not mellowed Garp one bit.

"It was certainly a surprise," Nami said. "I would never have guessed that anyone in Luffy's family was a marine, especially a marine hero. To be blunt, I always felt anyone from Luffy's family would be too rebellious to be led."

"Although, did he really need to punch Luffy-san like that?" Brook asked. After nearly being killed by Lucci, Luffy didn't need more damage, especially from his own granddad.

Sanji sighed as he reached for his cigarette. "No. He's just being himself. If you haven't noticed, Garp is kind of an ass."

Usopp, Chopper, and Franky nodded in agreement.

The next memory came and the Strawhats stood outside of what looked to be a plaza. It was a little after twilight given the last rays of sunlight that was sinking in the distance.

What made the scene less than peaceful were the shouts and howls of people celebrating. Around the Strawhats, the people of Water 7 were celebrating the Strawhats victory over Enies Lobby, the safe return of Franky, and the recovery of their mayor. After all the tragedy, grief, and suffering that everyone has been though, the party was a welcome change. It truly told the Strawhats that the danger had passed.

Luffy was, of course, at a table munching away happily at the food. Despite the vigor with which he ate, there were still dark circles under his eyes and he had a slightly haggard appearance. He was obviously still weak from his fight with Lucci and would require a lot more sleep to fully heal.

As he ate, the Robin from the memory slowly walked behind him. She stopped short of reaching him. She did nothing to alert Luffy of her presence, choosing to wait until Luffy acknowledged her on his own.

She didn't have to wait long before Luffy turned his head a full one hundred and eighty degrees to greet his crewmate. "Hey, Robin! Are you enjoying yourself!? This party is in honor of you, after all!"

Robin smiled lightly. "I am...thank you."

Luffy laughed heartily. "I'm glad you're back, Robin. We all missed you."

"And...I missed you all too," Robin said before she paused for a few seconds. "Luffy, I just wanted to say that I am sorry."

Luffy gave Robin a baffled look as he turned the rest of his body around.

"You...you and the others went through so much because I had no faith in you. I made you all suffer needlessly because I thought you would see me as a burden and abandon me. If I trusted in your strength..."

"Robin," Luffy cut Robin off. He had an unusually serious expression on his face. "There's nothing to be sorry about. You did all that stuff to protect us."

"But..." Robin started.

"And...you were scared of being left alone," Luffy said as he put his hat over his eyes, covering them in shadow. "You were scared that we would see you as a monster and reject you."

" _Get away from him, you monster!_ " the voice of one of the kids from Luffy's childhood screamed.

" _You're still here!? Go away before you kill someone!_ " another child screamed.

" _He's more than a monster! He's a demon!_ " someone else yelled through the mist.

" _Stay away from us! You were already a monster, but now...you're just a freak! Not even human! Stay away from us! There's no place for a thing like you!_ " the final boy shouted.

Luffy's eyes softened at those memories. "It hurts...being rejected and alone."

The Strawhats felt themselves becoming teary-eyed hearing those kids' cruel words again. To think, even after all those years, Luffy still remembered those words.

Robin in the memory said nothing for a few seconds as she stared at her captain. "Yes...it does..."

Luffy stared at the ground, allowing the Strawhats to see his eyes. They were blank, but somewhat watery. "To save us, you were willing to go through pain and die. You were willing to end everything to keep from being alone again. That I can understand. Dying hurts. Death hurts. Being alone…hurts much more."

" _As humans, we all have the need to fit in. To find our place in the world_ ," Gasp's voice echoed across the mist.

Robin's eyes in the memory widened as she listened to her captain talk.

Robin knew what her past self was thinking. At the time, it stunned her how well Luffy understood her. Now, she knew why. Despite living very different lives, they both experienced the anguish of loneliness and were deathly afraid it.

"But Robin, I hope you know now that you can always come to us," Luffy said as he slowly stood up. "That you'll never be alone again."

" _If you ever set out to sea, you will see for yourself just how small you are and also find those who will appreciate your power and accept you for what you are without fear or judgment. When you find those people, Luffy, you will also find your second family._ " the voice of Shanks said through the mist. " _At its heart, that's what a pirate crew truly is. Those who sail with me are not just my underlings. They are my precious family._ "

Luffy walked up to Robin and embraced her in a tight hug. It was a little awkward, given that Robin was several inches taller than him. Nonetheless, the older woman leaned down into his embraced and began to sob on his shoulder.

Robin seemed almost like a lost child who had finally found her way home.

"You won't be alone anymore because your family is here," Luffy said softly. "You are one of us."

Robin's sobs became louder and she returned his hug in full force.

"I will always protect you, Robin," Luffy came close to whispering.

" _Never see your power as a curse. Instead, think of it as a gift given to you to protect those you care about. Use that desire to protect to grow even stronger,_ " Gasp said as the memory dissipated.

Franky cried loudly. "That was so touching. Dammit, why did Luffy have to remember so much heart-warming stuff?"

Chopper was also crying.

"I...I did not know I provoke so many memories from him," Robin said softly.

"It always seems that Luffy understands. He knew exactly what to say to cheer you up," Nami said as she wiped her eyes.

Robin frowned. "In many ways, I wished he did not understand."

Sanji gently put a hand on her shoulder, allowing Robin to draw strength from his warmth.

The mist formed into a new memory and the Strawhats stood within a big, but comfortable looking room. They were obviously still in Water 7 given that some of their past counterparts were wearing Galley-La shirts. It was late evening given the orange rays of sun coming through the window.

"Usopp's coming back!?" Luffy exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah," Sanji in the memory confirmed. He was sitting in a chair smoking a cigarette. "He was at the coast practicing."

"You saw that?" Usopp asked in embarrassment.

"It wasn't like you were doing a good job hiding it," Sanji said. "You were always such a ham."

This caused Usopp to blush deeply.

"Really!?" Luffy yelled happily. He appeared closed to jumping with joy. "So, that's how it is! Then, I'm going to get him back right away!"

Chopper cheered in agreement.

"You really seem unaffected," Nami joked.

"Usopp's coming back!" Luffy cheered as he ran towards the door with Chopper and Nami right behind him. At last, they could reunite with their friend.

"Wait up, guys!" Zoro suddenly yelled, stopping everyone in their tracks. "I won't forgive anyone who tries to bring him back here."

Luffy was surprised to hear this. "Why!?"

Zoro slowly crossed his arms and glared harshly at Luffy. "No matter what happens, it isn't you who should behave modestly, Luffy."

Luffy looked at Zoro with a blank expression. "Zoro..."

"I won't accept him unless he comes and begs," Zoro said coldly.

"Zoro!" Chopper exclaimed angrily.

"Hey, why are you being so..." Nami started to ask.

"Shut up!" Zoro shouted, silencing everyone. He never used that tone of voice with his crew.

Sanji in the memory, who would normally scold Zoro for yelling at Nami, stared at his rival with interest. It seemed Sanji had an idea of what Zoro was going to say.

Robin stood silently in the background, unable to speak up for or against Usopp since she did not see the fall-out.

"No matter how Luffy and Usopp felt when they started their quarrel, no matter who was right, after demanding a man-to-man duel, you got to devote yourself to the outcome of the battle! After losing, he left of his own accord," Zoro said.

He walked up to Luffy until he was right in his captain's face. Luffy met his gaze, refusing to turn away.

"Listen, everyone!" Zoro shouted as he grabbed Luffy's cheek and pulled. "Even though he's an idiot, he has the title of captain. The crew would be better without someone who doesn't show respect for this guy. A crew that loses the respect for their captain is sure to collapse."

Everyone took in Zoro's words. It was so silent that a mouse squeaking would have sounded like thunder.

Zoro ruthlessly turned Luffy so he was facing him. His eyes burned into Luffy with such fury that it almost appeared like Zoro was trying to burn a hole through his captain's head. "Listen, you can act easy-going as you usually do, but if you _even_ for an instant, as the guy who is my leader, let others walk over him, next time it will be me who will leave this crew!"

Luffy's eyes widened as he took in Zoro's words. He looked like he wanted to punch Zoro as his body shook with rage. After losing so much, he couldn't believe that Zoro would threatened to leave.

There was a tense silence between the two men as they continued to glare each other down.

" _You're our captain. It's a heavy burden, but it's one that you chose to carry the moment you decided to become a pirate. A pirate's life isn't all fun and games_." Zoro's words from the other day echoed.

At that moment, the fit of anger disappeared and Luffy's demeanor calmed. His eyes hardened with an unspoken understanding. For better or for worse, Zoro was right. This was his burden as captain. He had to see it through to the end.

The memory faded.

The Strawhats were silent as they took in the memory.

"As hard as it was to say, Zoro-san was correct. The way that Usopp treated Luffy-san, his captain, over the Lamb-chan wasn't right. Even if the ship was alive, Usopp crossed the line," Brook said softly. "If it was on any other pirate ship, Usopp would have been killed or thrown off, never allowed to return."

"I know that now," Usopp whispered as he clenched his hands, his shame returning again. "In retrospect, I got off easy."

"It can be hard. It's easy to forget the chain-of-command if you consider all your crewmates, especially your captain, friends," Brook said sympathetically towards Usopp. "But even among pirates, there are still rules that must be followed. The chain-of-command is one of them. No crew can survive with a soft-hearted captain who is pushed around by their crew."

"Very harsh, but true words," Robin said with a nod.

"But we pushed Luffy around all the time," Nami pointed out.

"To an extent. However, when Luffy makes a definitive order, we accept and follow it," Robin said. "Usopp did not do that. He fought and demeaned Luffy. That is not something that should be easily forgiven."

Usopp slumped over, feeling even worse.

"Although, would you have really left if Luffy had taken Usopp back?" Franky asked Zoro.

It wasn't that he didn't believe the swordsman's words; it was just unthinkable to believe that Zoro would just abandon Luffy. Zoro's faith in his captain had always been unwavering and he spent the longest time with Luffy than any of them. Zoro wouldn't just throw that all away on a disagreement.

"I would," Zoro said with no hesitation. "Because I expect better from Luffy. If he wishes to become the Pirate King, he can't travel with a crew who would disrespect and betray him on a moment's notice. If he had lowered himself that far, even for the sake of a friend, than he wasn't the man I thought he was or capable of becoming. I cannot and never will call such a weak man captain."

The words were harsh and almost cruel, but unlike some on his crew, Zoro had only the highest expectations for his captain. Luffy selling himself short in any way would have been a disgrace to the man Luffy was destined to become. To Zoro, seeing Luffy become less than what he could would have hurt more than him leaving the crew.

Sanji read all of Zoro's inner thoughts despite the swordsman's best attempts to keep his expression blank. He would never admit it out loud, but he agreed with Zoro fully. As much as he wanted Usopp back, he honestly would had lost all respect for Luffy as a captain if he was the one who ran to get him.

"But it doesn't matter anymore," Chopper said, breaking the tense atmosphere. He looked at each of his crewmates. "It's all in the past, right?"

All the Strawhats nodded in agreement. What's done was done, and the crew was looking forward to moving on from these memories.

The next memory came and they were back in the Galley-La room. This time, it was early afternoon and everyone's spirits were brighter.

"Franky-bro told us to come and call everyone!" someone yelled excitedly.

"The dream ship is complete!" someone else shouted.

"It's great!" a much younger voice yelled.

The Strawhats turned to see that the two Square Sisters and Chimney were kneeling on the floor.

"It's complete already!" Luffy yelled excitedly. "That was fast."

"The five top-notch shipwrights stayed up all night building it," Mozu said.

"Building it!" Chimney repeated happily.

"Alright, let's go!" Sanji exclaimed, equally excited as everyone else to see their new ship.

"Yeah!" Chopper cheered.

"Strawhat!" someone suddenly screamed from outside.

The Strawhats ran out of the building to see the Franky Family running towards them at full speed. They all were extremely concern about something.

"What's wrong, guys?" Kiwi asked.

Zambai fell to his knees. "To be honest, we've just heard about it! Did you see the wanted posters!?"

"Wanted posters?" Luffy repeated.

"You've been given an unexpected bounty, Strawhat!" Zambai exclaimed. "Also, everyone else has one as well!"

"Me too!?" Sanji in the memory asked happily. "Finally!"

Sanji scowled as he looked at the scene. This should be one of his proudest moments and those shit heads from Marine Headquarters ruined it. Shitty marines and their shitty photographers.

"Me too!?" Nami in the memory asked in horror.

"Me too!?" Chopper in the memory squealed in excitement.

Chopper became upset seeing how excited his past self was. He still was worth only fifty belli.

"Instead of talking, see for yourself," Zambai said as he spread the wanted posters out for everyone to see.

Luffy, Zoro, and Robin were very happy about their new bounties. Although Robin only got a one-million belli raise, she was happy that they had finally updated her picture.

Nami was upset to even have a bounty despite having a great picture that would be envied by pin-up models.

Chopper and Sanji were both completely horrified by their bounties. Chopper was disheartened to have such a low bounty and such a cutie nickname, while Sanji nearly had a melt down over his bounty picture.

Even now, the Strawhats chuckled at Sanji's expression. Really, could no one within the marines draw?

Once everyone had time to get used to their new bounties, Zambai got to the real reason they were worried. From his jacket, he pulled out a wanted poster of Franky.

"Franky!" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.

"Cyborg Franky, bounty of forty-four million belli," Zambai said.

"That was a starting bounty, very impressive," Brook praised the cyborg, who struck a pose in happiness. He then turned towards Sanji. "You also have an impressive starting bounty. Almost one-hundred million from one incident. That's extremely rare."

Sanji growled at the musician. "Shut up."

"That is _terrible_ , bro has a bounty on his head!" Kiwi exclaimed.

"It's terrible!" Mozu yelled.

"That's right," Zambai said as he stared at the wanted poster. "We somehow managed to avoid this, but bro couldn't. Bro's life will be in danger if he stays in Water 7. If he gets caught this time, we won't have the power to save him! Surely, bro must be worried about us and doesn't want to leave the island."

Luffy took in everything Zambai said.

"That's why we all came here to talk to you," Zambai said as he looked Luffy right in his eyes. "Strawhat, I beg of you, even if it's against his will, take bro out to sea! That man was the child of a pirate to begin with!"

Luffy remained silent and expression was blank.

"We all beg you!" everyone in the Franky Family yelled as they bowed their heads.

Franky felt himself become teary-eyed. That was the second time his family humbled themselves for him.

Luffy smiled at the Franky Family. "You don't have to say it. I've already decided to make him my shipwright."

With those words, the memory faded into the mist.

Franky was now crying. "That was so sweet of those guys!"

"Interesting, there didn't seem to be a single moment when Luffy-san decided to take Franky like the rest of you. It seemed to almost just happen," Brook noted. "Especially since there still were some hard feelings even back at Enies Lobby."

"No, there was a moment," Zoro said. "Franky won Luffy over the moment he saved Robin and fought by our side to escape Enies Lobby."

The next memory came in a flash and the Strawhats stood on what looked like a beach covered in ship parts.

"Aw, so many good memories of this place," Franky said fondly. This was his playground growing up.

"Oh, there's something huge over there!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly.

The Strawhats followed Luffy's line of sight and saw a white sheet covering something huge in the water.

"Is that it!?" Chopper in the memory asked in awe. He was barely containing his enthusiasm.

"Hey, we came, Franky!" Luffy yelled as he ran towards the covered ship. "Please give us the ship!" He then noticed Iceberg standing in front of the sheet. "Ice-pops!"

"You came," Iceberg said with a smile.

"Where's Franky?" Luffy asked.

"Unfortunately, Franky is not around. However, the ship is complete," Iceberg said as he walked towards the sheet. "I will show it to you in his place."

Luffy gasped excitedly.

"This ship is amazing," Iceberg said with a huge grin on his face. "My eyes were shocked when I saw the amazing blueprints. It is one that can sail over any sea. With this ship, sailing to the end of the world will not be a dream."

Franky was moved by Iceberg's words. He began to tear up again. Damn, he was crying a lot.

"Hurry up and show it to us!" Luffy shouted impatiently.

"Please!" Chopper in the memory begged. He was practically jumping in excitement.

"Seriously, Iceberg," Franky said as he wiped his eyes. "Don't keep the kids in suspense."

"That was a messaged from Franky, Strawhat. If you are going to become the Pirate King someday you have to ride on this King of Beasts!" Iceberg exclaimed as he pulled the sheet off and revealed the Thousand Sunny to the world.

To say that all the Strawhats were excited and in awe of the new ship would have been an understatement. All of them were left speechless for several seconds.

Franky watched the memory and smiled. He had missed seeing their reactions and was happy that Luffy's memory had given him a second chance to witnessed this event. The unveiling of any new ship was like seeing the birth of a child.

Usopp also started to cry. He had missed this moment too. It almost echoed Merry's unveiling.

"Oh, it's so huge and cool!" Luffy exclaimed as stars came out of his eyes. "It could break us out of so many places!"

The rest of the memory showed the Strawhats playing and exploring their new vessel and home. It was indeed love at first sight.

The memory shifted and the Strawhats now stood on the Sunny. Their past counterparts were lined up on the railing, except Zoro and Sanji, and staring at Franky who currently had no speedos on and was showing his manhood to everyone in Water 7. There was quite a crowd too near the shore.

"Why is Franky naked?" Brook asked in confusion.

Sanji's eyes caught on fire. "You perverted cyborg, put your damn pants on!"

Franky rolled his eyes. "Give me a break. It was your guys' plan to steal my speedos, remember?"

"You really did steal his speedos," Usopp said as he watched Luffy hold up the undergarment, threatening to never to return them if Franky didn't join.

"Give me back my pants, Strawhat," Franky in the memory demanded. He sounded more annoyed than angry. He also didn't seem to mind being naked.

"Then be our crewmate," Luffy said with a wide, cocky grin.

His cheeky demeanor reminded Zoro of how Luffy blackmailed him into joining.

"This is the weirdest hostage situation I've even seen," Usopp mumbled in disbelief. "Who came up with this idea?"

"It was Iceberg," Nami said casually, trying not to look at memory Franky. "He said that Franky would never join willingly and we had to use force. So, the Franky Family stole Franky's speedos."

"What you should be asking is why does Franky only have one pair of speedos," Sanji said once he had calmed down.

Nami blinked. "I've never of thought of that." Now she could forget.

Zoro didn't speak, but there were beads of sweat on his forehead. This was the oddest recruitment ever. Then again, it fitted the crew perfectly.

Brook stared at the scene for a moment. "Do you know where those things have been?"

"Are you suggesting that I'm dirty, pervert skeleton!?" Franky exclaimed angrily.

Franky in the memory was stubborn and even struck a pose in defiance, showing his glory to all, much to the city's distress.

"Dammit, Franky! Do you have any kind of respect for the women!" Sanji yelled in outraged as the cyborg flashed the entire city.

Franky just laughed in response.

"I took him too lightly!" Luffy exclaimed as he back away in awe. "How determined! He's a man inside a man!"

"You got that right!" Franky yelled as he gave a thumbs up.

Chopper looked up towards the cyborg. "You're always amazing, Franky!"

Nami rubbed her forehead. This was her crew, for better and worse.

Nami within the memory smacked Luffy upside the head. "He's just a pervert!"

"Completely right, Nami-san!" Sanji shouted.

This made most of the Strawhats laugh, especially Usopp. This was just too weird to have actually happened.

Robin turned towards her captain and gave a slight smile. "If I may get a little rough, I can give you a hand." Her voice was sweet, but her face spoke only of evil intentions.

Zoro, Sanji, Brook, and Usopp became scared.

"Oh, so this is when…." Brook said unable to finished his sentence.

Franky turned his head, knowing what was coming next.

After getting her captain's permission, Robin crossed her arms and two hands appeared on Franky's lower region.

Usopp's hand flew over his mouth in horror. "You...you wouldn't!"

All of the anger from Sanji's face drained away.

Zoro's one eye widened in realization.

Franky's face turned blue in horror as the hands reached for his nuts.

"Dos Fleur Grab!" Robin exclaimed as she closed her hands and crushed Franky's balls like they were grapefruits.

Franky's face went white before he screamed in agony and dance around.

Everyone, even the women, felt for Franky as some gasps of horror were heard from the crowd.

Usopp screamed in horror as his hands instinctually flew over his own manhood.

Sanji's cigarette fell out of his mouth as he watched Franky wither in pain.

Zoro slowly moved away from their Robin, who watched the memory in amusement.

Brook looked like he was going to faint. "Robin...that's so evil. I feel for Franky, even though I have none anymore." He began to laugh at his own joke.

Franky side-eyed Brook and gritted his teeth. "That isn't funny."

Robin just chuckled.

Nami said nothing, but her arms were tightly folded across her chest. By her facial expression, it was like she almost wanted to laugh and cringe in pain all at the same time.

"I never did check to see if Franky was still functional after all of this," Chopper said in tears, his mouth covered by his hooves.

"Robin, I still want him to be a man when he joins!" Luffy screamed in protest. He looked physically sick. "Don't take them off!"

"It hurts just looking!" Chopper in the memory screamed in anguish.

Robin in the memory smiled. She seemed to be enjoying this a little too much. "Just like when a treasure is in front of a pirate and he does not want to let go. If I do not receive a good reason, I am not letting them go."

Usopp gasped in horror. Robin was a pure sadist.

After Franky had been rendered completely immobile by the vicious assault, he explained why he couldn't leave the island. For Franky, he had stopped being a shipwright years ago and the Thousand Sunny was meant to be his final ship and a present to the Strawhats.

It took a talking to by Iceberg to make Franky understand that the Thousand Sunny hadn't become his dream ship yet since his dream also included him being the shipwright for that ship and that he had allowed himself to be trapped on Water 7 because of his guilt.

Iceberg explained to Franky that his mentor and father figure had already forgiven him since he have been protecting Water 7 by forming the Franky Family and keeping the city from being plundered by pirates. The mayor also added that he too had forgiven Franky. All that was left was for Franky to forgive himself.

Usopp teared up during the entire conversation. He was the only one among his crew who knew Franky's story and to see Franky finally move on from his guilt touched the sniper. Franky was being healed before his eyes, despite Robin crushing his nuts.

The memory immediately shifted and the crew was sailing away from Water 7.

"You know, that was the most painful recruitment I have ever seen," Brook muttered. At that moment, he was very glad that Robin had nothing to grab on him.

"It's strange even by our standards," Sanji said as he got another cigarette. Was Franky still productive after that?

"Hey, he didn't show everything!" Franky suddenly exclaimed. "He completely skipped over the part where I officially joined!"

"Not really. In Luffy's eyes, you were already a member the moment he decided that you would be part of his crew. The whole thing with the speedos just showed us the extent he was willing to go to get you," Zoro stated, refusing to acknowledge Robin's nut cracking. "Besides, the memories seem to show us how Luffy bonded with us more than when we actually joined."

"Pretty much. My official recruitment was completely skipped over too," Sanji said with a slight bitterness.

"Yours wasn't worth noting anyway," Zoro said dismissively.

"What!?" Sanji exclaimed angrily.

"Hey Luffy, can you hear me!?" a loud voice yelled over what sounded like a megaphone.

"Oh, that's Garp," Nami said, thankful that the vice-admiral had prevented another fight.

Some distance away from the Thousand Sunny, a marine battleship approached them. Unlike every marine ship the Strawhats had seen, this one had a figurehead of a dog with a bone at the front. It fitted Garp's quirky personality.

"Grandpa here, grandpa here!" Garp yelled thought the megaphone. "Answer me if you can hear me!"

"How could he not hear that?" Sanji asked as he rubbed his ear.

"Grandpa, what's wrong with you!?" Luffy shouted. "Didn't you say you weren't going to capture us here!?"

"Well, a lot of things have happened!" Garp yelled. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to die in this sea!"

Luffy gave one of his funniest 'oh crap' faces.

"That doesn't sound like a real apology," Brook said.

Nami sighed. "It really wasn't. He's way too calm about killing his own grandson."

"There're no apologies that I can give you," Garp went on like he was having a dinner conversation. "I'll take care of you by myself!"

"Yeah, that was so kind of him," Sanji mumbled as he lit a cigarette.

"I guess we should be thankful that he attacked us after Sunny was completed," Franky said as he folded his arms. "Thankfully, he didn't damage the ship.

"What's he trying to do?" Sanji in the memory asked worriedly as Garp took a cannonball into his hand.

Like he was throwing a baseball, Garp threw the cannonball at the Sunny, barely missing it. The explosion, however, was so powerful that it nearly capsized the ship.

"What power!" Brook exclaimed in shock. "Then again, this is Luffy-san's grandfather."

"He...he just shot a cannonball at us with his bare hands!" Sanji in the memory exclaimed in disbelief.

"That flew much faster than with a normal cannon!" Zoro yelled, even he sounded scared. "As if it was a baseball pitch!"

"We have no choice, we have to escape!" Nami yelled at her crew. "The new ship might get blown up!"

They saw that Garp had ordered more cannonballs as he took off his jacket.

"This is bad! This time many more are coming!" Franky in the memory yelled.

"Full speed ahead!" Luffy ordered as the Sunny sailed away from Water 7. "We'll smash those cannonballs!"

Garp's ship stood right behind them.

"He's here!" Chopper suddenly yelled as he ran to the railings. "Usopp came! Everyone, it's Usopp!"

All the Strawhats ignored Chopper.

They heard Usopp shouting on the cliff, but no one paid him any attention except Chopper.

Even as the Strawhats watched the memory, they couldn't really hear what's Usopp was saying.

"I can't hear him very well," Nami said as she attempted to listen to her crewmember's shouts.

"Strange, I remembered hearing every word he spoke back then," Chopper said in bafflement. "I'm certain Luffy could hear him too."

"This is Luffy's memory, so he most likely tuned Usopp out until he heard the apology," Robin surmised.

"Make sense," Sanji said.

"As it should be," Zoro stated with a small nod.

Luffy and most of the other Strawhats were defending the back of the ship from the cannon fire.

"Usopp came, Luffy!" Chopper yelled to his captain. "Usopp's here!"

"Protect the ship!" Luffy ordered.

Usopp's yells got closer, but they were still impossible to understand.

Usopp knew exactly what he was saying on that beach. It was him being an egotistical jerk. It wasn't until this moment that he realized how his behavior had not only hurt Luffy, but disrespected the title of captain. Eating that chuck of humble pie was still a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Luffy, Usopp is calling for us!" Chopper yelled again, sounding extremely impatient.

"I don't hear him," Luffy answered coldly as he concentrated on defending the ship.

Chopper turned towards the swordsman. "Zoro!"

"I can't hear anything!" Zoro answered bluntly.

"Liar, you can hear him!" Chopper screamed.

Water 7 was getting further away and it was getting harder to defend the Sunny against the merciless onslaught of cannonballs. One hit could badly damage the new ship, making escape impossible.

Still, the Strawhats waited. Even if it meant facing a vice-admiral, they waited for Usopp to admit that he was wrong. Despite their coldness and indifferent attitudes to their former crewmate, not one of them ever considered actually leaving him.

Then, without warning...

"I'M SORRY!" Usopp's voice echoed across the sky.

Luffy stopped defending the ship and looked towards his friend.

"I'm sorry for my stubbornness!" Usopp continued to scream in tears. "I was wrong! Even though I have been stubborn until now! Even though I said I was leaving the crew... I want to change all that, but I _can't_! I can't…so I beg of you please take me back with you guys! Just one more time...LET ME BE YOUR CREWMATE!"

That was all Luffy needed to hear and even Zoro smiled in relief behind him. Without a second thought, Luffy stretched his arm towards the shores of Water 7. When it reached Usopp, he offered him his hand.

"You idiot!" Luffy screamed through tears. "Hurry up and grab on!"

Usopp also cried as he took his captain's hand.

Luffy couldn't control himself as broke down into uncontrollable tears along with Sanji.

"You're the idiot," Zoro said with a big happy grin on his face.

Luffy pulled Usopp onto the Sunny. He was so eager to have his friend back that he actually pulled Usopp until they bumped heads. Neither one of them minded as they fell onto the deck of the Sunny and sobbed happily. It was like none of the hostility, bad words, or fighting had ever happened.

"We're finally complete!" Luffy yelled joyously. "Let's hurry up and get out of this bombardment to go for more adventures!"

The crew yelled in agreement, ending the memory.

Not even a moment later the next memory appeared and all the Strawhats were on the deck of the Sunny with beer mugs in their hands surrounding a small table with many different types of foods.

"Everyone!" Luffy yelled as he raised his mug. "Ready!?"

"Yeah!" everyone exclaimed.

"Then, for the return of Robin and Usopp, and our new crew members, Franky and the Pirate Ship Thousand Sunny! Kanpai!" Luffy shouted as they all slammed their mugs together.

The party went on and the reunited Strawhats enjoyed their time together, finally reunited after days of being separated. Truly, their bond had become even stronger. For this was a bond that has been forged in fire.

* * *

Going Merry, first ship of the Strawhat Pirates, (Chapter 11 - Chapter 25)

_And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity._

-Colossians 3:14


	26. Omen

When the memory faded, all the Strawhats were near tears by the touching reunion. It seemed so long ago, but they remembered all too well the pain they went through in Water 7. Being together, but separated was one of the most challenging huddles the crew had ever gone through. The thought that they had also lost Usopp weighed heavily on their mind. However, they got through it and became stronger than ever before. Now nothing in this world could ever shatter their bond again.

"I never knew the details," Brook whispered. "I read some of the details of your adventure from Nami's logs, but I feel closer to all of you by what I have witnessed. My only regret was that I wasn't with you."

Franky put a heavy hand on Brook's shoulder. "You're here now, bro, and that's what counts."

"Where's next, Thriller Bark?" Nami asked she wiped her eyes.

"Most likely, but I do not think there will be much for us to see since all of us experienced the events of Thriller Bark," Robin answered.

"Still, there could be something to be learned. We're all looking at things from our shitty captain's point-of-view, after all," Sanji said.

Zoro nodded. "Never assume we know everything."

The mist came and engulfed the Strawhats into the next memory. The Strawhats stood on what appeared to be a winter island. At least, it had been a winter island. For some reason, the section where they stood was melting. In fact, it had melted to the point where the Strawhats could see lava flowing around the ice.

"What happened here?" Brook asked in confusion. "Did a volcano erupt?"

"Oh, I remember this," Usopp said. "This is when we got caught by those bounty hunters just before we got to the Florian Triangle. The Ice Hunters if I recall correctly."

"Yeah, you're right," Sanji said as he looked around. "Sure wasn't expecting this memory."

Clashes of a battle could be heard in the distance and the Strawhats walked toward its source.

In a pit filled with lava stood Luffy and some naked man who was burning a bright red that could match Luffy's Second Gear. They were staying above the lava by standing on some surviving pieces of ice that was rapidly melting under their feet.

Luffy was hurt, with a huge burn to his chest. The heat of the lava also affected him since he was sweating heavily.

The naked man looked perfectly fine and mocked Luffy for foolish pirate dreams and caring so much about a 'stupid' flag.

Needless to say, that last comment really pissed Luffy off.

"Why is that man talking about the Jolly Roger?" Brook asked.

"This group of bounty hunters trapped pirates by stealing their Jolly Rogers," Franky said, remembering the pain they went through to get their own flag back. "They then hold the flag hostage to keep the pirates from escaping and leading them to this ice hole."

Brook scowled. "That's low. Stealing the pride and joy of a pirate."

Luffy agreed with his future crewmate and swore to send the 'Naked Balloon' man flying.

The bounty hunter thought Luffy's proclamation was a bluff, given that Luffy couldn't touch him without his hands melting. Apparently, the bounty hunter could get so hot that falling into lava was like a hot bath to him.

Without any more talk, the naked bounty hunter charged Luffy, ready to finish the fight.

Luffy pulled his arms back and delivered a Bazooka to the man's midsection. His hands turned red as the bounty hunter's ability began to melt the skin on them.

The Strawhats started to smell the odor of burning rubber as Luffy kept pushing his attack.

The bounty hunter laughed in triumph. "Better watch out! Your hands will be melted down!"

Luffy grunted as his eyes burned in determination. "It's not hot! It's not hot! It's not hot!" he chanted repeatedly.

"Luffy-san's hands will be ruined at this rate," Brook said in concern.

Chopper shook his head. "I still wonder how Luffy only got minimum burns. That guy's ability made him as hot as lava."

"It's not hot! IT'S NOT HOT!" Luffy continued to chant like a mantra as he kept pushing against the bounty hunter.

Zoro noticed something. "Look at Luffy's hands."

Steam left Luffy's hands and the Strawhats could see faint bits of black forming over the palms.

Sanji's eyes widened in realization. "Haki! He's unconsciously using Armament Haki to shield his hands."

"It makes sense," Robin said before her eyes became downcast. "Luffy has been gradually awakening his Haki since that incident on Omatsuri Island."

The naked bounty hunter was shocked as the force of Luffy's Bazooka hit him. His dark sunglasses shattered revealing his eyes, wide with disbelief.

"That's...IMPOSSIBLE!" the bounty hunter exclaimed.

"FLY!" Luffy screamed.

As if following Luffy's orders, the bounty hunter went flying across the landscape and into a nearby building, which was obviously his base. The roof of the building collapsed on his head, ending the battle.

Luffy fell backwards onto the melting ice, tired and hot from his battle. He couldn't rest yet, however.

"The flag...our flag..." Luffy huffed. He slowly pushed himself to his feet.

"This is...!" someone suddenly exclaimed.

The Strawhats turned to see that their past counterparts had come. They were surprised to see someone floating in the middle of the lava.

"What's this!?" Usopp in the memory exclaimed. "What's going on!?"

"Over there!" Chopper in the memory pointed towards his injured captain. He was holding something, but the Strawhats couldn't really see what it was for some reason. It was most likely because Luffy didn't know what it was.

"Luffy!" Sanji in the memory exclaimed in surprise.

"Why is he there!?" Usopp yelled.

Chopper waved towards his captain. "Hey, Luffy! We got the flag bac-"

He was immediately cut off by the other Strawhats.

Luffy fully looked up from all the yelling. "It's them." He smiled at his crew and waved at them. "Hey, guys! What are you doing here!?"

If Luffy was expecting his usual greeting, congratulation for another won fight, or even a scolding for fighting so close to lava, he got none of that.

Instead, his crew stared at him for a moment before they looked at each other. They looked horrified to see him.

Brook, if he had skin or eyes, would have narrowed them in confusion. "What are those expressions?"

Nami coughed nervously. "You see..."

Nami in the memory made her appearance and she was running at full speed towards her crewmates. "Everyone! Let's hurry back to the ship!"

The Strawhats in the memory took Nami's advice and ran like their butts were on fire.

Luffy was more than a little shocked. His crew never ran from him before. It was usually the other way around. "They're...hey, wait up! What about the flag!?"

He stretched his arms and pulled himself out of the lava pit. He began to chase after his crew, who were a good distance away from him.

"Hey, wait!" Luffy yelled at his crew, who continued to ignore him as they ran. "Hey, I said wait! What about the flat! The flag!"

His crew responded by running even faster.

Zoro, who was usually the most obedient to Luffy's orders, ignored his captain as he ran at his full speed back towards the ship.

Even Robin was hauling butt in a way that Luffy had never seen before.

"Why are you guys running from Luffy-san?" Brook asked, baffled by their behavior.

Nami sighed. "You see, our flag was stolen by those bounty hunters."

"Oh, I understand. Even though you were able to retrieve it, losing one's pirate flag is a great humiliation," Brook said.

Usopp nodded. "We didn't want Luffy to know we screwed up that badly, so we went out of our way to get our flag back without him knowing."

Brook, if he had skin, would have frowned. "But Luffy-san would've forgiven you. I doubt he would have been mad at you guys for losing the flag."

"No, he would have been disappointed, which is worse," Zoro said. "The Jolly Roger is one of those things that Luffy doesn't fool around with. Us letting it be taken by some second-rate bounty hunters would have made Luffy doubt our ability."

"Plus, we didn't want to be scolded by that moron," Nami added as she puffed her cheeks.

The Strawhats in the memory were stopped at the end of an ice shore that the Sunny was close to, allowing Luffy to finally catch up with them.

"What are you guys doing!?" Luffy yelled at his crew. Despite all the running, he was nowhere near out of breath. "The flag was stolen, wasn't it!? We have to go get it back or...!"

"Eh, the flag?" Nami in the memory asked all too innocently. "I wonder what he's talking about."

In fact, all of them had innocent expressions on their faces, which was disturbing when it came to Zoro and Sanji.

Chopper was in Sanji's arms with his mouth covered with a look of horror on his face. It was an awkward scene to say the least.

"You probably had a bad dream," Sanji in the memory suggested almost nervously. He turned towards Zoro. "Isn't it?"

"Oh, that must be it," Zoro in the memory said, agreeing wholeheartedly with Sanji. The two rivals laughed with one another.

Zoro cringed at his past self. They were getting as bad as Luffy at lying.

Sanji was also disturbed. If Luffy wasn't such an idiot, he would have seen through their lie at that very moment.

Robin smiled kindly at her captain. She was the only one acting like herself. "Luffy, look over there." She pointed to the Sunny.

Luffy looked towards his ship and saw the flag where it was supposed to be, flying freely in the cold wind.

Luffy blinked in confusion. "It's perfectly safe!" He began to scowl. "Those replication technique guys lied to me." He turned towards his crew and smiled. "Sorry I doubted you."

The crew laughed nervously at Luffy. "Don't worry, don't worry."

Luffy looked at each of his crewmates and his smile faltered slightly when he looked at Zoro. It was really brief, but the Strawhats, no longer trying to deceive Luffy, saw it.

There the memory ended.

"Well, that was an interesting memory," Brook said. "Although, I wonder what's the point of us seeing it?"

"Maybe to show Luffy's shame for doubting us," Usopp suggested with a shrug.

Robin frowned. "That does not seem right."

A new memory appeared from the mist and they were on the Thousand Sunny. It was night and the Sunny sat peacefully in open waters. It was a crescent moon tonight, giving a little light to the deck.

Luffy was the only one awake and he was sitting near Sunny's head. It was obvious that Luffy was on watch, although it was odd that he was there instead of in the Observatory since one's view was limited from Sunny's head. It wasn't an ideal place to keep look out. Luffy knew this, so why was he there? He may hate watch, but it was one of the few duties he took seriously.

"Hey, Sunny, how do you like the crew so far?" Luffy asked the ship. "Hard to believe, but you have been with us for a week now. Still, so much has happened already."

The Sunny remained silent.

"We can be a little rough with you at times, but we all really love you, Sunny," Luffy said. "I'll do my best to take care of you. I don't want you to end up like Merry. Too bad you couldn't meet her. She was a great ship."

Franky was touched that Luffy was speaking to Sunny so fondly. He knew that the Sunny could never replace the Strawhats' precious Merry, but it thrilled him to hear from Luffy's own mouth that he saw the Sunny as Merry's spiritual successor.

Usopp also felt tears build in his eyes being reminded of Merry.

There was a long pause as Luffy sat on the railings. "Sunny, you can see and hear everything, can't you? You hear what we say when we don't speak to one another. You know our secrets and our doubts."

Sunny still said nothing.

"Tell me, Sunny, am I a good captain?" Luffy suddenly asked.

The Strawhats were startled by the question. The question was somber and filled with doubt. At that moment, Luffy sounded like a different person. Where did the question even come from?

"I know that I'm not the best captain. There're many captains who are better than me," Luffy said. "Shanks or even Whitebeard. I mean, Whitebeard got Ace and Ace follows no one."

The Sunny didn't speak.

"You probably want to know why I ask," Luffy said as he looked up. He was staring at his pirate flag. "You probably already know this, but my crew lied to me."

The Strawhats felt their stomachs drop.

"I'm not completely sure what they're lying about, but I can tell. On that ice island, they pulled some kind of trick on me," Luffy said. He didn't sound angry or upset. Just sad and confused. "They all stood together and told me a lie."

Sunny continued to be silent as she listened to her captain.

"How do I know?" Luffy asked as if Sunny had spoken to him. "I know because I can tell when Zoro lies."

Zoro felt like he was punched in the face.

"Huh, he can tell when Zoro lies?" Nami asked in disbelief as she glanced at Zoro. "He can't see through Usopp or anyone else's obvious lies, but he knows when you lie to him?"

"Hey, I tell great lies!" Usopp exclaimed.

"I think it is because of the type of bond Luffy and Zoro share," Robin surmised. "Their ability to communicate with each other without words also seems to allow them to see through each other's deceits."

"You make it sounds like they're psychically linked or something," Franky said.

"I think it is more of a feeling than a mental state," Robin said.

"Zoro never lies to me. He _always_ tells me the way things are, even when I hate him for it," Luffy went on. "What happened that was so terrible that they couldn't tell me? Or, was it because they don't trust me anymore? Maybe...they don't see me as worthy of being their captain."

"Don't even think that!" Chopper yelled instinctively as tears built in his eyes.

Sanji growled to himself. He didn't think their little deceit could provoke this kind of reaction within their captain. At the same time, he shouldn't be surprised.

Luffy laughed humorlessly. "It sounds silly, doesn't it? That I could ever doubt that my crew loves me. Maybe you're right. It does sound silly. My crew would never lie to me out of malice. If they lied, it was to save my feelings."

Sunny said nothing.

"But...I could be wrong," Luffy said as he stopped laughing. "I didn't expect Usopp to suddenly leave either." Memories of Usopp and his fight flashed through the memory.

Usopp once again felt a pang of guilt pulse through his chest.

"If I was a better captain, I could have prevented the whole thing. If I had protected him better, then he would have never left," Luffy said softly.

Usopp shook his head as he walked towards Luffy. "It was never you, Luffy. What happened with the Merry happened because of my pride and insecurities. Please, don't blame yourself for my selfishness." He attempted to place a comforting hand on Luffy's shoulders, but he passed right through his captain.

"I guess I shouldn't be one to talk about lies," Luffy suddenly said, breaking Usopp out of his self-pity. "Even if they did lie to me about what happened on that island, I deceived them first."

Before the Strawhats could contemplate what Luffy was talking about, they saw flashes of Omatsuri Island. They saw themselves die again before Luffy's eyes as he cried in anguish with each of their deaths.

They heard the Baron's cruel taunts and cold laughter as Luffy broke down in grief. They saw themselves in that twisted, deformed state as the Lily loomed over Luffy, almost like it was mocking him about eating his friends.

"They died, Sunny," Luffy said bluntly as the terrible memory faded. His voice was tight, like he was fighting back tears. "They died and I could do nothing to stop it. They remember none of it. They don't even dream about that island. I'm...thankful for that. I don't want to imagine the pain they were in when...that flower ate them..."

Sunny remained quiet as moonlight bathe the deck.

"But...it's a lie if I say that I wasn't happy because...they don't remember that I'd failed them," Luffy said softly.

" _It's a trap,_ " Usopp's voice said across the memory.

" _You're the one who got us into this. You're the one who decided to come to this island!_ " Sanji's voice screamed in anger across the memory like thunder. " _That's what caused all of this! Luffy...this is all your fault._ "

Sanji shook as he listened to those words being repeated with such cruelty and intent that it was equal to the Baron's mental torture. To think, those words have been eating away at Luffy's soul for over two years.

"If I was a better captain, none of them would have died," Luffy said so softly that the Strawhats could barely hear him. "If they learned what...if they learned what happened on that island, how will they see me? Will they still see me as their captain?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Nami yelled at Luffy. She knew he couldn't hear her, but she didn't really care at the moment. "You think we would abandon you because of that!? How stupid can you be!? Have you just forgotten how many times you _saved_ us!?"

"Do you think, Sunny, that they'll mutiny against me one day?" Luffy asked in an emotionless voice.

Now Zoro was the one growling in anger. He wanted to smack Luffy across the face and shake some sense into him. What the hell was wrong with him? Did that moron honestly believe that after everything they went through that they would actually mutiny? Did Luffy think that little of them?

After shaking in rage for a couple of seconds Zoro realized why Luffy was thinking like this. At Omatsuri, the crew did all but mutiny. They blamed him for everything that had happened and abandoned him in a fit of anger. Because they didn't remember and Luffy never told them, none of their words or actions were taken back. Unlike with Water 7, they were no amends or apologies. Instead, Luffy had buried everything deep within his heart. It was a wound that was never allowed to fully heal.

Sunny said nothing as she stared into the open sea.

Luffy sighed as he looked at his flag again that waved peacefully in the wind. "Am I a good captain...Sunny...?"

Sunny didn't answer as the memory faded.

"That shitty, rubber brain," Zoro growled angrily.

"How can he even _think_ those things?" Chopper asked with tearful eyes. Did Luffy really lose faith in them?

"He obviously feels a great deal of guilt for what happened on that island," Brook said somberly. "The loss of one's crew is the most painful experience that any captain can ever have. The fact that the Baron slowly killed you and made you suffer intensified his pain. What happened with Usopp and then Robin only added to that guilt."

"This is why he should have told us about that damn island," Sanji said as he bit down on his cigarette so hard that it broke in half. "If he was honest..."

"Like how we were honest about the flag," Nami suddenly said, cutting off Sanji.

"But Nami-san, that's completely different," Sanji said.

Nami shook her head. "No, it isn't."

Robin also had a somber look. "We lied to Luffy about the flag being stolen because we were ashamed of ourselves for letting Luffy down. Luffy never told us about what happened on Omatsuri Island because he was ashamed of letting us down."

There was a long silence among the crew.

"I guess none of us were very honest," Franky finally said as he rubbed his head.

"We lied to each other to protect one another, but we only managed to cause each other more pain," Chopper said somberly.

"Well, that changes once we've saved Luffy," Zoro said firmly. "When all of this is over, we're going to clear the air. I don't want this kind of doubt and guilt to linger around the crew anymore."

They all nodded in agreement.

The mist engulfed the crew again and they stood in what appeared to be a thick fog. The fog was so heavy that the crew could barely see in front of them. It looked like it was night.

"The Florian Triangle," Brook whispered in dread. He would always remember this place.

"You're right," Usopp muttered. He had forgotten how frightening this place was. It was like a grave.

"Why are we going?" Nami in the memory cried. The Strawhats saw her kneeling in a row boat. She was shaking badly and was crying fairly hard.

"Nami-swan, don't be sad. Your prince is here!" Sanji exclaimed as he rushed to memory Nami's aid. Of course, he couldn't comfort her.

"I'm going back!" Nami in the memory yelled.

"Nami, not yet!" Luffy yelled. He was currently climbing a long, old looking rope ladder up to the ship. "Hurry up and climb!"

Nami shouted several incomprehensible words at him.

"I told you I would be fine alone," Luffy yelled with an air of annoyance.

Climbing behind him was Sanji. "No! If we let you do that you would do something stupid and get us all cursed!"

"Which you both failed spectacularly at," Zoro said dryly.

"You don't have to remind me of that, moss head!" Sanji yelled at his rival.

It wasn't his fault anyway. He didn't expect Luffy to randomly invite some skeleton he just met to his crew. Despite the 'diversity' of the crew, Luffy was particular to who he extended an invite to. He had no idea as to why Luffy was in such a generous mood during this time; especially to the point that he was going to invite zombie trees of all things.

"So, we're at the place where we met Brook," Chopper said softly as he looked over the broken and darkened ship. Now that he knew its history, the ship now had an air of sadness instead of fear.

Brook began to laugh. "At last, my big scene is coming!"

"I had terrible luck!" Nami in the memory yelled as she finally started to climb the ladder.

"Nami-san, it's alright!" Sanji in the memory shouted with hearts in his eyes. "I'll protect you!"

Nami didn't look convinced. "Even if you say so..."

"Nami, didn't you want a treasure ship?" Luffy asked.

"This isn't a treasure ship!" Nami screamed.

"Well, they do say treasure is in the eye of the beholder," Franky joked.

"This would only be a treasure ship to a tomb keeper," Nami muttered.

"You saw it, didn't you!?" Nami in the memory continued to shout. "That moving skeleton!"

Luffy smiled. "He's the guard! Let's go find him!"

Brook tilted his head. "Guard?"

"That idiot believed that you were a skeleton guard posted to protect a treasure or something," Nami sighed while rubbing her forehead. "Most likely some made-up story created by Usopp."

"Hey, don't blame this one on me!" Usopp yelled.

Before Luffy reached the railing of the ship, he looked up and saw Brook staring down at him with teacup in his hands. In the shadow of the fog, he looked very frightening.

Brook nearly jumped back upon seeing himself. No wonder his future crew was so scared of him.

Nami in the memory screamed in horror when she saw Brook. Even the normally calm Sanji was shaking.

Despite two of his crewmates being scared witless, Luffy kept climbing until he was on-board the 'ghost' ship. There Luffy, Sanji, and Nami stared at Brook for several seconds. Neither party knew what to say. Especially Nami who was hiding behind Sanji.

"How do you do!?" Brook in the memory greeted loudly, breaking the awkward silence. He started to laugh loudly. "I'm sorry about earlier! I wasn't able to greet you properly! I'm simply so surprised! It's been so many years since I've seen people!"

"Dude, where's your indoor voice?" Franky asked as he rubbed his ears.

"Well, it has been awhile since I had to use my voice," Brook said. He honestly didn't know that he was close to shouting.

"All I ever see is ghost ship after ghost ship," Brook in the memory said. "It's terrifying."

"Not as terrifying as you," Sanji joked, making their Brook laugh.

"Well, make yourselves at home and come inside," Brook said. "We'll be able to relax more."

"Among the cobwebs, I'm sure," Zoro said with a note of humor. Not to mention the fifty caskets that were hidden at the bottom of the ship.

"Look, he's talking!" Luffy pointed and shouted in excitement. "The skeleton's got an afro and he's talking!"

"Unbelievable," Sanji in the memory breathed in shock.

Brook looked past Sanji and directly at Nami. "Oh! My lady, you're a sight to behold. Beautiful!"

Nami in the memory blushed. She was not and never would be a modest person. But being complimented by a walking skeleton would leave any normal person tongue-tied. "Oh n...no, I'm not..."

"Oh, I only have eyes for beautiful women," Brook in the memory said. "Although, as a skeleton, I have no eyes." He laughed at his skull joke. He tidied himself up and walked towards Nami. "Would you, perhaps, show me your panties?"

The current Strawhats saw it coming, but that didn't stop them from laughing. The blunt nature of the question was funnier than the question itself.

"Why would I?!" Nami shouted as she high kicked Brook in the face.

"Well, you weren't so scared there," Zoro said with a chuckle, causing Nami to scowl at him.

"Aw, my first kick from Nami-san. This brings back so many memories," Brook said fondly.

"Oh, that's harsh!" Brook in the memory yelled as a giant bump formed on his head. How was that possible? Only the gods knew. "I'm afraid you caused my skin to fall off! Although I am a skeleton."

"Shut up!" Nami yelled.

Luffy burst into laughter. He was nearly doubled over.

"How come this skeleton is a simpleton?" Sanji in the memory asked under his breath.

"Hey, can you poop?" Luffy asked bluntly after he had stopped laughing.

"Why do you keep asking people that!?" Usopp yelled at Luffy.

"There are a lot more important questions than that!" Sanji in the memory shouted, voicing Usopp's thoughts.

Brook stood back up and walked towards a table to grab his cane and tea. "Yes, I can."

"Don't answer him!" Sanji in the memory screamed.

"How exactly do you poop, Brook?" Chopper asked.

"Well..." Brook started.

"Don't answer that," Nami muttered.

Robin nodded in agreement. "There are some things that we are better off not knowing."

"Almost everything about Brook is best not to think about," Zoro said. Truthfully, Brook's very existence made no sense, Devil Fruit or not.

Sanji in the memory pointed at Brook. "First, if you're just a skeleton how can you be alive and talking!? Who are you? Why're you here? What happened to this ship? What kinds of things happen in this sea? Answer all these questions now!"

"Sheesh, why not just give him an essay to fill out, love cook?" Zoro joked.

"Like you wouldn't ask these questions," Sanji scolded his rival.

"Wait!" Luffy yelled as he walked passed Sanji. "But more importantly. You, join our crew!"

Sanji and Nami in the memory gasped in shock. They weren't completely surprised by the question, since they knew Luffy could be whimsical. They were more shocked by how suddenly he asked it with no forewarning. He had only known Brook for less than five minutes, had no idea what his skills were, and barely built a relationship, yet he asked him to join his family.

Still, since Luffy had asked, there was nothing they could say. He was the captain. They could only hope that Brook would reject the offer.

Brook stood silent for a short moment. "Alright, then." He took a sip of tea.

This made Sanji and Nami in the memory's mouths drop in horror.

Luffy laughed happily as the memory faded.

"And that's how we got stuck with a talking skeleton," Sanji said in a deadpan voice.

Zoro sighed. "This is why we should never send you or Nami with Luffy again. You guys can't control that idiot."

Nami and Sanji nodded in agreement.

Robin just chuckled at the whole thing. Luffy knew what he wanted and often got it despite his crew's best efforts.

The next memory appeared at that moment and the Strawhats were at Thriller Bark, but it was obviously after the battle with Oars given how messed up the place was. The castle was in ruins and the ground was broken and shattered. It was close to daybreak with the sun slowly beginning to rise in the distance.

The Strawhats saw their past selves and Luffy standing in front of a battered and bloody Moriah, who was standing on top of a paralyze Oars. The Warlord was strangely calm given that his ultimate zombie was just defeated. He looked almost insane as he glared at the Strawhats and the Rolling Pirates.

"Oh, we get to see this again," Sanji said almost dryly.

"I wonder why?" Usopp asked. "I mean, we've all seen this before."

"There's a reason. We have been shown nothing that was without cause," Zoro stated.

"I...if you're awake, that's just fine," Lola said as she glared at Moriah. "Now, if you don't want to take another beating from the Strawhats, return our shadows at once!"

"That's right!" one of the Rolling Pirates yelled.

"Give 'em back, ya bastard!" another pirate yelled.

Moriah laughed at them. "This isn't a playground scuffle. A true pirate does not fear death!"

Zoro nodded his head in agreement. Moriah was a lazy, annoying bastard, but he certainly was no coward.

"To think they teamed up with you losers of the forest," Moriah mused. "Now I see how Strawhat got his ridiculous power-up. How desperate of you to use my own shadow ability against me!"

"Shut up! Just return our shadows!" Lola yelled impatiently.

"That was the biggest flaw in his ability," Sanji said nonchalantly.

"That and the fact that his power required him to keep his victims alive," Zoro said. "As much as I hate to say it, Moriah and his crew could have killed us several times over."

Nami nodded. "Lucky for us."

"Although, Oars did almost killed us," Usopp said, shivering.

Moriah ignored Lola and turned his attention to a shrunken Luffy. "Strawhat, you dare wreak such havoc on my Thriller Bark! You really tore my place apart!" He sounded slightly out of breath after yelling that.

Sanji rolled his eyes. "Please. That oversize zombie of yours did more damage than all of us put together."

"That's because you guys got in the way of our journey first!" Luffy yelled angrily. "Now, give the shadows back _now_ before the sun comes up!"

Moriah grinned before he began to laugh. "Even if I did not touch you guys, death is all that would have awaited you the way you are now! You are nowhere near ready for the New World!"

All the current Strawhats flinched at his words. At the time, they thought Moriah was underestimating their power, like many before him, and took his warnings as an empty threat from someone who had lost. Now, they all knew that Moriah was correct. They really weren't ready.

"Even though you have gathered yourself some fine minions..." Moriah paused for a moment before his eyes widened. He had a completely crazed look on his eyes, "... _all_ will be lost!"

"It's like he predicted Sabaody perfectly," Brook whispered.

Sanji shook his head. "We got caught up in the fact that we defeated Moriah to the point that we ignored that he was once a New World Pirate. He knew that sea and the power it takes to survive there."

"And do you know why!?" Moriah suddenly asked, still with that crazed look.

Luffy was taken in by Moriah's words. Unlike Luffy's other opponents, het felt compelled to listen.

"Hey, Strawhats!" one of the Rolling Pirates yelled. "We don't have time to stand around chattin'! Check out the sky!"

The sky was getting brighter as the sun started to rise.

"It's getting brighter already!" the pirate yelled, close to panicking. "Hurry up and get our shadows back! THERE'S NO TIME!"

"I am speaking from experience!" Moriah yelled, ignoring all conversations. "Why did I lose all my minions, despite them being famous across the globe!?"

Although he was half-nuts at this point, there was no hiding the pain, grief, and sorrow in the Warlord's voice. There was also an edge of regret in his tone. It was obvious by his demeanor that his crew was far more than just his minions.

Luffy inhaled sharply when he heard Moriah's words. The memory flashed and a vision of the Baron appeared.

" _There are a number of regrets I suffered from suddenly losing every one of my beloved friends,_ " the Baron said in a voice strained with anger and grief.

Luffy breathed hard as he remembered himself being pinned to that rock as the Baron taunting him about killing his crew.

" _Does it hurt to be without your friends? You have lost all your friends. That reality will never change. What are you going to do now? Almost every captain has chosen death over living a life in solitude. That is a wise decision. One man cannot be a pirate alone and a captain who can't protect even one of his friends is worthless. Now, I'll ask you again. What will you choose? Life or death?_ " the Baron stated coldly as the memory returned to Thriller Bark.

Luffy started to stare at Moriah with new eyes. There was a glint of sympathy for the Warlord.

Brook lowered his head, remembering his own lost and pain.

As if reading Brook's thoughts, the memory shifted again and the Strawhats were on the Thousand Sunny. It took them a moment to realize that they were watching the first meeting they had with Brook inside the galley.

Brook was telling the crew about his Devil Fruit and how it grants one a second life. He also told them how his crew and he met their end in the Florian Triangle to a powerful foe who overwhelmed them. Everyone died, but he was allowed to come back after a year of wondering the fog. Since that time, he has been on a ship filled with the bodies of his lost crew, alone and unable to leave the cursed fog because the rudder to his ship was damaged during the battle that killed him.

To further add to Brook's misery, his shadow was stolen from him five years ago, forcing him to stay within the confines of the Florian Triangle for an eternity if he couldn't get it back. So, not only was he alone, but he was also sentenced to a lifetime in darkness.

Most of the Strawhats felt tears fill their eyes when they reheard Brook's story. At the time, it was a sad tale from an eccentric and scary stranger that they didn't know. They felt sorry for him, but their sympathy didn't extent any further than that. Now, this man was their crewmate, a part of their family. Hearing his story again after so much bonding had happened hit all of their hearts.

They were now back at Thriller Bark as Luffy continued to stare at Moriah. Although the Warlord didn't know it, there was now an aura of understanding around Luffy.

"Luffy would understand, wouldn't he," Usopp said softly before turning towards the skeleton swordsman. "As well as you, Brook. All of you experienced the pain of watching your crews die."

"It's a bond I wish to share with no one," Brook said somber voice.

With everything he had seen from Luffy, Brook wondered if his past with losing his old crew played a part in why Luffy wanted him so badly despite barely knowing him. He knew Luffy was interested because he was a walking skeleton and a musician, but looking at that last memory, something had changed in his captain's eyes when he told him about his past. Perhaps Luffy felt his loneliness and wanted to do something to ease it by giving him a place to belong.

"Like the Baron, Moriah has allowed his regret and loss to drive him insane," Robin stated. "Instead of recreating his crew, he chose to rebuild using an army of zombies that he does not have to become close to and can be easily replaced. His zombie army was not only supposed to be an immortal pirate crew able to conquer the New World, but a way to protect himself from feeling the pain of losing his friends again."

"I lost my comrades _because_ they were alive!" Moriah proclaimed after he let his previous words sink in and he regained control of his emotions. Shadow-like tentacles suddenly sprung out from Moriah's feet and started to spread. "Had they been zombies from the start, I would have had nothing to lose! Zombies are immortals! Eternal warriors that can be replaced if they fall! With my army of the dead, I will once again aim to become Pirate King! You guys should be grateful to be serving as my slaves!"

Luffy narrowed his eyes in anger, losing his pity for Moriah. He may understand Moriah and feel for his loss, but he would be no one's slave.

The shadow tentacles ran past all the pirates and attached themselves to the zombies in the area.

Moriah gave an evil grin as he began to suck up all the shadows from across Thriller Bark, making his power increase greatly and 'killing' his zombie army. "Shadow Asgard!"

"Shadows...don't tell me!" Nami in the memory yelled in panic. "He's gathering all the shadows on this ship and pumping them into his body!"

Moriah's body started to change and grow as he took in the shadows. "Strawhat, you absorbed one-hundred shadows, am I right!? Then, I will take...one-hundred...two-hundred...three-hundred.. .four-hundred...five-hundred...!" He started to transform into a giant monster as he took in more shadows. "Six-hundred...seven-hundred...eight-hundred...nine-hundred...ONE-THOUSAND!" he shouted as he turned into a fifty-foot demon who towered over all the pirates. He was almost as tall as his castle.

"That's still scary!" Usopp yelled as he stared at Moriah.

Moriah roared and stomp around like a wild beast, splitting the ground of Thriller Bark.

The Rolling Pirates nearly collectively crapped themselves when they saw Moriah's ultimate transformation. In their eyes, there was no hope of winning against such a foe. Not when Luffy with only one-hundred shadows took apart Oars who had defeated the entire Strawhat crew, twice. It didn't help their dwindling hopes that the sun's rays were peeking through the rubble of Thriller Bark and was burning some of the pirates up.

Luffy, who had finally changed back to his normal size, stared defiantly against Moriah. Even with this new form, Luffy was nowhere near ready to give up. Like all the Strawhats, he understood that Moriah was already defeated and was just running the clock.

The Rolling Pirates ran for cover, all except their captain who stood defiantly before Moriah and the rising sun. She refused to run and hide anymore. She would rather die in the sunlight than live another day in the shadows.

Besides, she had faith in Luffy and the other Strawhats who also stood by their captain's side as they prepared for the final showdown with the Warlord. For Zoro, Sanji, and Robin, this showed the faith that they had in their captain since none of them currently had their shadows. They would rather disappear than leave his side.

"Hey guys," Luffy said, not bothering to glance at his crew. "There's no time left. I'm going to be a bit reckless."

"A bit?" Usopp said somewhat angrily, knowing full well how Luffy was going to wreck his body again.

Still, nothing could be done to prevent it. Luffy was the only one who could take down Moriah with the time remaining. At that point, they were nothing but cheerleaders. And, he hated himself for it. They were forcing Luffy to carry and protect all of them again. It seemed since Water 7 the burden Luffy carried got heavier to the point that it was slowly crushing him.

"So, please take care of me afterwards," Luffy requested. He knew after this, he was going to be out for a long time.

Nami, Franky, Usopp, and Chopper could only stare at Luffy, knowing what was going to happen after Luffy lost consciousness.

Sanji couldn't stop himself from glancing at Zoro, who stood as stone-faced as ever. Regardless of everything he thought about Zoro, he certainly took care of Luffy. Although, it was in a way that Luffy wouldn't approve of.

"Alright!" Franky in the memory yelled. "Leave it to me!"

"Beat him down!" Usopp in the memory shouted.

Luffy slammed his fist down as he went into his horse stance. He pumped his legs as he entered his Second Gear.

As soon as he did that, the memory began to shake slightly and fuzzed. The Strawhats also heard a grunt of pain from Luffy.

"Huh, what's wrong with the memory?" Franky asked as the vision gradually got worse.

Chopper frowned. "Luffy is already beginning to lose consciousness just by entering his Second Gear."

"But that didn't happen before when Luffy used his Gears," Franky said as he turned towards the doctor.

"Luffy was already worn out from taking all those shadows earlier. On top of that, he forced himself to wake up to use his Third Gear to defeat Oars. He's already beyond his limit. He's literally running on willpower at this point," Chopper said in a tight voice.

Usopp growled. "Dammit..."

Luffy took several deep breaths as he attempted to regain some of his senses and control the pain pulsing through his chest. The memory cleared a little, but not by much.

Moriah made the first move and attempted to punch Luffy with his huge fist.

Luffy easily dodged the sloppy punch and Moriah attempted to follow up the attack by grabbing the boy captain. Luffy was too fast and easily avoided Moriah.

Luffy bounced off some of the rubble and grabbed Moriah's belt. He stretched his arms back and launched himself at the Warlord, ramming him in the neck.

Moriah fell back as pain filled his body. He screamed in agony and as he did so, shadows started to spew out of his mouth. Luffy used this time to nail Moriah with a Bazooka to the stomach, causing him to lose even more of his shadows. Luffy mercilessly hit Moriah with two more Bazookas, making the Warlord reel back.

Moriah could do nothing as shadows flew out of his mouth at a rapid rate.

Luffy landed against a nearby wall, ready to smash into Moriah again.

Despite losing much of his power, Moriah was far from done. He used his Brick Bat to encase Luffy in box made of shadows.

The memory went dark, keeping the Strawhats from seeing anything.

"He trapped me!" Luffy exclaimed with an air of annoyance.

"I'LL CRUSH YOU!" Moriah screamed.

There was suddenly a booming, crunching sound as Moriah proceeded to smash the shadow box. The crunching noise was unnerving to some of the Strawhats, despite knowing that Luffy's rubber body would protect him from being crushed.

"THIS IS BAPTIZING!" Moriah roared. "This is what you amateurs get for pretending to be big shots in this huge world!" There was another crashing sound.

"He sounds like Crocodile," Nami noted.

"Are all Warlords made up of disillusioned pirates?" Usopp asked.

"It seems so," Robin mused.

"This is what happens when you dare oppose the Severn Warlords of the Seas!" Moriah continued to rant as the crunching sound got louder.

"If Moriah was thinking straight, he would know how pointless his attacks are," Franky said.

"He knows to some extent. He's just keeping Luffy busy," Zoro said with his arms folded.

"People should know their own limits!" Moriah yelled as he crushed Luffy further. "Otherwise they perish in vain!"

Moriah finally stopped smashing the box as he attempted to catch his breath. The Strawhats could hear their past selves screaming Luffy's name in horror.

Luffy finally managed to break out of the box, without any sign of injury.

Moriah was surprised that Luffy didn't even get a scratch from the merciless assault.

Even so, the memory was darker, showing that Luffy was close to passing out from exhaustion. At the edge of the memory, the darkness was beginning to close in.

"Whether we're amateurs or not...whether we perish in vain...no one will take me down!" Luffy yelled.

Moriah grinned at the cocky proclamation. "No one will take you down? On what ground do you make such a baseless claim? You simply make yourself appear more inexperienced!"

"Cause I'm rubber," Luffy answered in his simple manner.

This made Moriah growl in anger and for some of the Strawhats to chuckle.

"Just you watch," Luffy said as he got into a horse stance. "I'll make you spit them all out!"

Pirates began to scream in the background as more rays of sunlight broke through, burning them. There was truly no time left.

Luffy put his thumb in his mouth and bit down hard. "Gear Third, Bone Balloon!" He inflated his arm to the size of a giant and pushed the air into his chest.

There was a noticeable cracking noise that almost sounded like bone breaking and veins popping. The memory fuzzed and darkened and turned a light red, almost like blood was covering Luffy's eyes.

"What...!?" Usopp stuttered in horror.

Chopper was left horrified by what he was seeing. He didn't know that Luffy had pushed himself this far. It looked like he may have torn veins in his eyes from the pressure of using both Gears. "He's really tearing his body apart!"

"Is this what happens when Luffy uses both of his Gears at once?" Nami asked in disbelief.

Knowing how Luffy's Gears work better, she half imagined his heart working overtime just to keep up.

"Hey, he's using both at the same time!" Franky in the memory yelled. It sounded like Franky was talking through water since the yells were so muffled.

"There's no way he can!" Usopp in the memory yelled in terror and worry. "Don't you remember what happened to you in the last fight!?"

Luffy said nothing, but a gurgling noise did leave his throat, almost like he wanted to spit out some kind of fluid.

"Don't be so reckless, Luffy!" Chopper in the memory screamed at his captain. "Your body is going to be torn apart!"

Luffy ignored all their warnings and concerns and prepared for his attack. Stream rushed out of his body. "Gum Gum Giant Jet Shell!" he yelled as he launched himself at Moriah like a bullet.

With the increase speed granted to him by his Second Gear and the pure power of his Third Gear, he nailed Moriah right in neck, making the Warlord's eyes roll back. He was practically vomiting shadows. Moriah quickly covered his mouth to keep anymore from escaping.

"Think I'll let you escape!" Moriah yelled at the shadows. "The source of my power!"

Luffy fell to the ground and bounced for a moment. The memory became redder and began to pulse violently. It was nearly impossible to see anything save for the silhouettes.

The Strawhats could also hear Luffy's heart pounding in their ears like a humming bird along with his labored and strained breathing. Both were so frantic it sounded like either could stop at any second. The edge of darkness grew closer and it was obvious that Luffy was seconds away from completely losing consciousness, much like Moriah.

Zoro winced as he looked and listened to the memory. He knew the pain Luffy went through in this fight better than anyone. He experienced it first-hand. Still, it was terrible to witness what Luffy's Gears did to his body, especially so soon after his battle with Lucci. Does Luffy still experience this even now?

Sanji bit down on his cigarette as he took in everything. He didn't even want to imagine the pain Luffy was in, especially since that pain would soon be passed on to Zoro.

Robin felt much the same as she frowned, not happy at all at how Luffy was hurting himself. Although, she found it kind of ironic that both Luffy and Moriah were fighting each other when they were half-conscious.

"Shadows, I am your master!" Moriah screamed.

Lola started to coax her shadow to come back to her, but Luffy was too out of it to catch everything as he fought to stay awake. He heard enough, however, to understand what Lola was saying. The other Rolling Pirates also started to scream for their shadows to return to them. It became almost like a chant.

"I also have something to tell my shadow," Luffy said as he gathered himself for one last attack. "If you really want to become Pirate King, you've got to get the hell back to me!" he yelled with a grin as he launched himself at the Warlord, who was still covering his mouth.

Using the last of his strength and will, Luffy slammed into Moriah stomach, pushing him into one of the castle's towers.

Luffy lost control of his breath and released all the air from his body. He fluttered back like a deflated like a balloon. As he flew back, blood came gushing out of Luffy's mouth and his eyes rolled back into his head. The darkness around the edge of the memory completely engulfed the Strawhats and everything went blank.

"Strawhat, you...you bastard!" Moriah yelled over Luffy's fading hearing. "Then go see for yourself! In the New World! What a _true_ nightmare there is...in the New World!"

Everything from there went silent and there was nothing.

None of the the Strawhats spoke as they took in the events shown to them. The battle with Moriah was something they had all seen, but they didn't know how much pain Luffy had caused himself in those final seconds before the sun rose. Luffy could have killed himself if he had not blacked out when he did. In all honesty, Luffy did more damage to himself than Moriah and his entire crew.

Chopper was practically shaking in anger. He knew that Luffy really overdid it by using his Gears like that. There had only been a couple weeks that passed since Water 7 and Luffy went and did this, causing himself great harm. He shouldn't be so careless with his life.

Within seconds, the memory started to return. Thriller Bark was even more in ruins and it looked like a bomb had gone off in the area. Of course, all the Strawhats knew that was exactly what happened.

Around the wrecked pirate ship, everyone was scattered across the ground and was hurt to some degree and were only now regaining consciousness.

Luffy was one of them as he slow sat up from the rubble, looking a little dazed and confused. He also seemed surprised as he patted his body, as if looking for damage. He had a baffled expression on his face. That bafflement didn't last long before he jumped to his feet and began to dance happily.

Luffy's happy dance caught the attention of some of his hurt crewmates, who were just now peeling themselves off the ground.

"You're kidding right!?" Franky in the memory exclaimed as he looked at his captain in shock. "What the heck is going on with you!?"

"Hey check it out, my body feels great!" Luffy cheered as he clapped his hands. "What happened!?"

"You know, I still want to know that too," Nami said as she watched the memory.

After seeing what just happened in the memory, how the heck was Luffy okay? He was dead as a horse when Kuma was fighting the crew. Not to mention he slept through a freaking bomb.

Chopper nodded, still not believing what happened. "Given the extent of Luffy's injures on top of the stress of using both of his Gears at once, he should have been unconscious for at least two days and require another day of bed rest. Even stranger, his body was actually in better condition than it was when he arrived on Thriller Bark. It's like none of his fights happened."

"That is strange," Usopp muttered. "What exactly happened?"

Chopper sighed. "I have no clue. Luffy had a lot of muscle and nerve damage. Those kind of damages shouldn't just heal in a few minutes. I was kind of hoping these memories would shred some light on what happened."

Franky shrugged. "Guess it's one of those mysteries. What matters is that Luffy is healthy."

Chopper nodded in agreement, but he still wanted to know what happened.

Sanji and Brook became very uncomfortable while Robin's expression remained blank.

Zoro stared at the scene silently. Although he tried to hide it, he was happy to see that Luffy was not only unharmed from his ordeal, but also completely revitalized.

After witnessing the damage Luffy did to himself fighting Moriah, he was glad that he was able to take that pain away and bear some of his captain's burden. After everything Luffy has been put through, it was a small mercy for him to have.

"Lair, there's no way!" Usopp in the memory exclaimed, not believing what he was seeing.

"Did he take so much damage that it canceled out the pain and gave him a high?" Robin in the memory wondered out loud.

"No way, that can't happen!" Franky in the memory exclaimed.

Brook in the memory stood some distance away from the crew. He had a forlorn expression, despite having no skin. It looked like he wanted to say something, but chose to remain silent.

Luffy was so lost in his revitalized body that he didn't notice that Zoro and Sanji were missing.

The euphoria ended, however, when Sanji's screams echoed across the battle torn ship.

"Everyone, get Chopper!" Sanji yelled. He sounded closed to panic. If Sanji was scared, then something was very wrong.

The Strawhats rushed towards their distress crewmember and were completely shock at what they saw. They saw Zoro standing in a puddle of his own blood. His eyes were blanked, showing that he was either unconscious or dead.

All the Strawhats had seen Zoro bleed before. It was actually an on-going joke among them about how many pints of blood Zoro could lose in any given battle. This, however, was different.

"ZORO!" Chopper in the memory screamed in horror as he ran towards the swordsman. "What happened!? Did the Warlord do this!? Where does it hurt!?" he asked in rapid succession.

"Chopper, calm down," Sanji in the memory said harshly. "The stupid moss head isn't even conscious."

Chopper took several deep breaths as he went into his professional mode.

Luffy couldn't speak as he stared at his injured swordsman. His faced was drained of all color and it looked like he was actually going to faint. "What...when...how did this happen!?"

"Kuma must have done this," Nami in the memory said, never taking her eyes off of Zoro. She too was shaken by all the damage over Zoro's body to turn away.

"Kuma?" Luffy repeated in confusion. "Where did a bear come from?"

"Not that kind of kuma!" Nami yelled as she slapped Luffy upside the head.

"Luffy, after you defeated Moriah, another Warlord came to the island," Robin explained in a gentle voice. "The Warlord was Bartholomew Kuma, a pirate with a former bounty of almost three-hundred million."

Luffy's eyes widened in disbelief. "What...but we defeated the leek and his giant zombie! Where did the other Warlord come from!?"

"According to Nami, he was on the island for a while. Luckily, he did not interfere with our battle with Moriah," Robin said.

Luffy was in shock, still not believing what he was hearing. "Why...why didn't any of you wake me!?"

"You were out of it, bro," Franky answered. "I think nothing could have woken you even if we tried." It looked like he was going to say something else, but he quickly stopped himself.

"You were also badly hurt," Nami added in concern as she glanced over Luffy. "That Warlord was strong, Luffy. As you were, you couldn't have done a thing. That Warlord beat Sanji and Zoro like they were children."

"I still could have tried!" Luffy yelled as he watched Sanji and Chopper work on Zoro. "Could a single Warlord really do this to Zoro?"

The swordsman was now on the ground as Chopper assessed the damage and began treatment.

"Will he be okay?" Luffy asked softly.

"I...I'm not sure," Chopper answered honestly. He was fighting to keep his voice steady. "His entire body has been shredded and I can tell just by looking that he has a number of organ damage. He's going to need surgery and a blood transfusion. ...I'm not even sure how he's still alive."

Luffy was silent for several seconds. "Why is Zoro hurt so badly but no one else?"

Sanji in the memory flinched, but said nothing.

"I don't know," Usopp in the memory whispered. "Kuma was after..."

Before he could finish, Robin used her powers to close Usopp's mouth.

Zoro side-eyed their Usopp in annoyance. Like Luffy needed to know about Kuma willing to spare the crew for exchanged for his life.

Usopp blushed as he watched the memory. He almost caused Luffy an unbearable amount of pain. If Luffy knew the truth about what happened, he would undoubtedly blame himself.

"After who?" Luffy asked.

"He was after the entire crew," Nami in the memory answered quickly and glared at Usopp. "He focused on Zoro first. He must have done this after he knocked all of us out."

"That bastard!" Luffy yelled angrily. He was shaking in rage. "I'll kick that bear's ass the next time I see him!" He quickly calmed himself down as he stared at Zoro as Chopper worked to save his life. "Zoro...I'm sorry. If I was stronger, I would have been awake."

Zoro remained unconscious as his breathing became shallower, ending the memory.

The Strawhats were left in silence.

"We never did figure out what happened to Zoro," Nami whispered.

What ability did Kuma used to cause so much damage? His Devil Fruit was powerful, but she couldn't think of a technique he could have done to hurt Zoro that badly. Also, why was only Zoro mortally injured? Didn't Kuma intend to kill all of them for not surrendering Luffy? Even if Kuma did end up being an ally who saved them, he seemed pretty committed on killing them. Nothing made sense.

"Kind of wish we could go into Zoro's memory and find out," Franky half-joked, lighting some of the tension.

Zoro lowered his head. He knew Luffy would feel guilty. That's just the way his idiot captain was, especially with Luffy still blaming himself for the Baron incident.

He had no regrets. He would do it all over again, a thousand times if necessary. He didn't want Luffy to protect him. He wanted to be the one protecting Luffy. As Ace said, it was the crew's duty to lay down their lives for their captain.

Sanji glanced at Zoro, but remained silent.

The next memory appeared and the Strawhats were in a large room. The room was filled with the Rolling Pirates, who were drinking and celebrating having their shadows back and surviving two Warlords. Some of the Strawhats were also celebrating their traditional after battle party.

One of the few who were not partying were Chopper and Nami. They were both by Zoro's side as he slept deeply on a mattress on the far side of the room. He was covered in bandages and didn't stir at all despite all the noise.

"Hey, Chopper!" Luffy yelled as he slammed a giant barrel of sake on the floor. He had a huge grin on his face as he greeted his crewmates.

"Luffy!" Chopper exclaimed.

"This is for Zoro!" Luffy yelled as he lifted the barrel of sake with the full intention of pouring it down Zoro's throat. "Now drink up!"

Nami quickly stopped him by bashing him on the head. "Lay off!"

"What the hell!?" Luffy yelled as he glared at Nami. "Zoro loves this stuff!"

"What kind of theory is that!?" Chopper screamed in horror.

Sanji snickered. "Luffy was trying to drown you, moss head."

Zoro was a little sad. He did love his sake. Although, he did prefer to be conscious when he drank.

Franky chuckled. "I guess Luffy figures since he heals from eating meat, Zoro can heal by drinking booze."

Chopper sighed. "He has good intentions, but Luffy has no understanding of medicine."

While they were arguing, someone started to play a piano.

"No good?" Luffy questioned with a frown. "Then, how about meat?"

"Meat doesn't cure everything," Usopp mumbled.

Chopper in the memory nodded his head. "Alright, alright, just having your sentiment will be enough!"

"Just your sentiment, please!" Nami in the memory added.

Nami nodded in agreement with her past self. "For everyone's sake, don't play doctor."

The three Strawhats finally noticed Brook playing the piano in the back of the room.

"So, there's a piano in the room?" Luffy asked.

Nami smiled as the pirates danced happily to the music.

After a few minutes, Brook suddenly changed the song. The musician was now playing and singing Bink's Sake.

Luffy stopped and listened with wide eyes before a huge grin broke on his face. He hadn't heard that old pirate song since Shanks was in his village. He walked over towards the piano and laid comfortably on top of it. He listened to the song for a few more minutes before talking.

"Hey, Brook, I know this song!" Luffy exclaimed. "Shanks and his crew used to sing it to me!"

"All olden pirates know this song," Brook answered while still playing. "In times of both joy and sorrow."

"Hey, you want to join us?" Luffy asked bluntly. "You got your shadow back now. You can sail the open seas now."

Brook didn't speak for several seconds. "Well you see...there's something I haven't told you."

"What's that?" Luffy asked.

"I made a promise with my friend. If I don't fulfill that first, then I'm not qualified to be a man," Brook said somberly.

"Ah, you're talking about Laboon, right?" Luffy asked in a cheerful voice. "I know, I've heard about it from Franky and Robin."

Brook was surprised to hear this. "Is that so? Laboon...that's the name of a certain whale at a certain cape..."

"It's what I'm trying to say, Brook!" Luffy exclaimed, cutting Brook off. "We've already met Laboon at the cape!"

Brook slammed his hands onto the piano in shock. After a moment, he then started to play again, but this time much slower.

"I know Laboon has been waiting fifty years there for his friends," Luffy said.

Brook was left speechless.

"Hey skeleton, what's wrong with ya!?" one of the Rolling Pirates yelled. "Your tempo is staring to slow down!"

Luffy and Brook, however, were in their own world. Luffy couldn't stop himself from smiling as he stared at Brook. The boy captain began to tell Brook the tale about how they came upon Laboon and the promise they made to the whale before they departed.

"And we sure were surprised! I can't believe that you were one of the pirates he waited fifty years for!" Luffy concluded the story.

Brook started to play Bink's Sake faster throughout the story.

"And he still remembers that promise clearly," Luffy said. "If he learns this, Laboon is going to be thrilled!"

"P...please wait a moment," Brook stuttered in shock. "What a surprise! You're saying that you guys really met Laboon!?"

"Yeah," Luffy answered.

"And it has already been fifty years!?" Brook exclaimed. "And Laboon is still waiting for me at that cape!?"

"Yeah," Luffy answered cheerfully.

"We're proof of that," Sanji in the memory said as Usopp and he walked towards the piano. "We really met him."

"Yeah," Usopp said.

"And how's he doing?" Brook asked eagerly.

"He's great!" Usopp exclaimed.

"He's as big as a mountain," Sanji added.

"I want to see him!" Brook exclaimed. "When I first met him, he was only the size of a small ship. Even though he was not well tamed, he loved music! He's a good boy! He's still waiting for me at that cape...I still think of him." He suddenly slammed his hands onto the piano again. He began to sob into his bony hands. "I see now! So, he's doing just fine!" He cried loudly.

Luffy just smiled at Brook, knowing that they were tears of happiness.

There, the memory concluded.

Brook was nears tears as he watched Luffy's interaction with him. Learning that Laboon was well and still waiting for him after so many years warmed his heart, despite not having one. He couldn't wait for the day he got to see him again. And, he needed to thank Luffy personally for saving his life.

The Strawhats didn't have long to reflect on the memory before the next scene appeared. They were back outside Thriller Bark and their past counterparts were standing near the Sunny talking to the Rolling Pirates.

They were discussing things like Fishman Island and Lola's mother. During Lola's conversation with Nami she tore off a piece of paper.

"This is mama's Vivre Card," Lola said cheerfully as she handed Nami the piece of paper. "You can have it."

Nami took the paper and stared at it in confusion. "Paper?"

"That's great for you!" one of the Rolling Pirate's yelled. "Captain Lola's mama is an amazing pirate, you hear!? Take good care of it! It'll surely help you later!"

"What's a Vivre Card?" Nami asked.

"You don't know?" Lola asked in shock.

"Captain Lola, they only make Vivre Cards in the New World!" one of the Risky Brothers said.

"Oh yeah!" Lola exclaimed before pointing at the paper. "This isn't ordinary paper. You can wet it or burn it and it remains unscratched. If you take a piece of your fingernail to a certain shop, they can add in a mix and create a special piece of paper for you. And that's the Paper of Life, the Vivre Card! You tear off a piece and give it to a friend or family member that will be going on a journey."

"And so?" Nami questioned.

"Take a look," Lola said as she placed the paper on the ground. "This is a Vivre Card I got from my mama." The paper began to slowly move across the ground.

"It moved!" Nami exclaimed in surprise.

"This paper will allow you to meet with the one who also has it no matter where in the world they are. So, I'll always know which direction my mama is headed," Lola explained. "Though, it doesn't tell the distance."

"We should get a Vivre Card for Zoro," Sanji humored. "That way, the stupid moss head won't get lost anymore."

"I'm sure he'll find a way regardless," Nami said dryly.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Zoro growled.

"How strange!" Chopper in the memory exclaimed in wonder. "So, there's a load of things like that in the New World?"

"Handy, isn't it," Lola said as she wrote something down on the Vivre Card. "Since I signed this Vivre Card mama gave me, if you ever have a problem, you can use it to find mama." She handed the paper back to Nami. "If that ever happens do you think you could tell her I'm doing well?"

"Thank you, Lola," Nami said as she gracefully took the paper.

Luffy furrowed his eyes in thought. "I think I have one of those."

"I was thinking the same thing," Nami said. "Wasn't that white paper Ace gave you the same thing?"

After thinking about it for a moment, Luffy removed his hat and reached for a piece of paper that Nami had sewed into it. "So, that's what it was."

"I wonder why Ace didn't just tell him from the start," Chopper wondered out loud.

"He probably figured that Luffy would find out on his own as he moved further into the Grand Line," Zoro said.

"This is it," Luffy said as he held out the paper. It was much smaller than the last time the Strawhats saw it and it was burning around the edges. "It's burning a bit and getting smaller."

The sight frightened Lola and her crew and left the present Strawhat feeling very uncomfortable.

"Wait!" Lola exclaimed. "Show me that!"

Luffy gave the female pirate the paper and she examined it closely. Her face paled as she realized what it meant.

"This certainly is a Vivre Card," Lola confirmed. "But I haven't told you yet that this paper represent the life force of its owner. This belongs to somebody important to you, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it's my big brother's!" Luffy exclaimed happily.

Lola stared at the paper for a moment longer.

"Lola?" Nami questioned in concern.

"I'm sorry to say this, but this person's life...is vanishing..." Lola said softly.

Nami gasped in surprise and Luffy's eyes widened in shock.

"Vanishing? What do you mean?" Luffy asked.

Lola said nothing for a second. "It means that something's happening to the person that is causing their life to fade. Like a sickness, or maybe a battle."

"A battle?" Luffy repeated before he calmed down. "Oh, if Ace's fighting, then he's okay."

"Luffy?" Nami questioned.

"Ace is strong. He wouldn't be happy with me doubting his strength and coming to help him," Luffy said as he laughed.

"Well...if you have faith in his strength, then...I guess he could be okay," Lola said as she handed the Vivre Card back to Luffy. "A Vivre Card not only shrinks when a person is ill, it also grows when they get better. If your brother pulls through his current difficulties, then the Vivre Card should reflect that."

Luffy nodded. "So, there's no need to worry."

Nami didn't quite believe him. "If you're sure."

"Let's get ready to set sail!" Luffy exclaimed as he walked towards the Sunny.

He wasn't concerned. He had absolute faith in his brother's power. He didn't need his weak little brother to save him.

As Luffy boarded the Sunny, the memory faded away.

A long somber silence overtook the Strawhats as they took in what had happened.

"I can't help but wonder how things would have changed if Luffy-san had checked on his brother," Brook said somberly. "If he had, we would have been there to help Luffy save him."

"The evidence that Ace was in danger was right in front of us and we completely ignored it," Usopp said bitterly.

"No point of worrying about what-ifs. What's done is done," Zoro said harshly, although he secretly wondered the same thing.

Nami felt a pang of guilt go through her chest. She knew something was wrong. That Ace wasn't just sick or in a tough fight. She should have been more insistent on Luffy checking up on him. If he had, maybe they all could have done something. If nothing else, they could have given Luffy moral support. It may be all in the past, but it didn't stop her from wondering if something could have changed Luffy and Ace's fate.

When the mist reformed, they were back on the Sunny. Much like the memory before Thriller Bark, it was night, but there was no moon. What really made the scene different was that someone was playing in the distance. It didn't take the Strawhats long to figure out that it was Brook, happily playing his violin in the middle of the lawn.

Luffy could be seen leaving the men's quarters when he spotted the musician.

"Brook, you're still awake?" Luffy asked.

Brook stopped playing his violin as he turned towards his captain. "Luffy-san, sorry if I woke you. I was just doing some midnight melodies. Just an old habit I picked up while I was in the Florian Triangle."

Luffy chuckled. "You didn't wake me. I was just going into the kitchen for my snack." He suddenly pouted. "Although, Sanji's a jerk. He put a lock on the refrigerator so I can't get the really tasty food."

Sanji growled. "That because you would eat us to death, shitty captain."

Brook in the memory laughed. "Well that's certainly mean of him. The kitchen should be open to everyone."

"Not my kitchen!" Sanji yelled, causing their Brook to laugh.

"By the way, what were you just playing? I've never heard it before," Luffy asked.

"Oh, it's just an old song I used to play for my crew," Brook said as he became somber. "It was one of Laboon's favorites."

Luffy lost his cheerful demeanor as he listened to Brook talk. "You miss them..."

Brook became silent as he stared at the lawn. "Every day that I draw breath... Although, I have no lungs to draw breath!" He laughed.

The Skull Joke didn't really lighting the mood. Instead, Luffy looked even more serious.

"Brook...you were captain..." He hesitated for a second. "You were captain when...your crew died, right?"

Brook stared at Luffy. "Yes. When my captain fell ill along with most of the crew, I took over when he left."

"Then..." Luffy didn't want to complete the question.

Brook seemed to read him. "Yes, Luffy-san. I was captain when my crew met its end in the Florian Triangle. They all died on my watch."

There was a long silence.

"How?" Luffy asked.

Brook was confused by the question. "How what?"

"How did you...how did you stay alive?" Luffy asked slowly. "Your crew died before your eyes and you were forced to keep sailing among their remains for fifty years. You were alone. How could you take that? If it was me..." He couldn't finish the sentence.

Brook said nothing for a moment as he walked over to the swings and took a seat. "Honestly, I wonder that myself. It was hard. There were days that I thought for certain that I would sink into despair. That...my second life was nothing but a curse. But I think what kept me going even on those dark days was the desire to see Laboon again and keep my promise to my comrades. If I had given up, I would have dishonored them all."

Luffy stared at Brook. "You're strong Brook. Stronger than I can ever be."

"But you're strong, Luffy-san," Brook said.

Luffy shook his head. "No, I'm not. If I lost my entire crew... If they died before my eyes...I would simply give up."

Flashes of Omatsuri Island appeared across the memory along with the Baron's face as he laughed at Luffy as he killed his friends, one by one.

"I couldn't live with myself if I failed them," Luffy said in a tight voice.

Brook stared at Luffy for several seconds as he leaned into the swing. "Something really bad happened."

Luffy didn't say a word.

"Luffy-san, if I truly had lost everything, I would not be alive," Brook said. "I would have flung myself into the sea and joined my friends in death. I'm not a strong enough man to survive on my own."

"But..." Luffy started.

"The reason why I live is because I wasn't alone. I still have Laboon." Brook looked directly at Luffy. "I wasn't left with nothing in the world."

Luffy could only stare at the skeleton swordsman.

"Luffy-san, if you do find yourself in a moment of despair, you must remember the things you still have," Brook said as he stood up. "And...you must remind yourself that it wasn't your fault."

Luffy was stunned to hear this. "What...?"

"Goodnight, Luffy-san," Brook said as he walked towards the men's quarters.

There, the memory faded.

The Strawhats were left speechless for a few seconds.

"Brook, did you know?" Usopp asked.

Brook shook his head. "No, I knew nothing about Luffy-san's experience. That he...actually lost all of you. I just sensed that he understood somehow."

"Regardless, thank you, Brook," Zoro said.

"I did nothing," Brook said to the younger man.

Zoro shook his head. "You did. You told Luffy that it wasn't his fault and you connected with him in a way that we couldn't. It may have been a small gesture, but I'm certain that it helped ease some of Luffy's guilt."

Brook sighed. "I only wish we could have done more."

The mist returned and the Strawhat were taken into the next memory. They were standing in what looked like a village that was under construction. The Strawhats immediately recognized the village. They could never forget it.

"This is Zizu's island!" Sanji exclaimed. He feared that they would be shown this memory. This shitty mist loved showing them Luffy's worst memories.

"Why are we seeing this?" Nami asked as dread built in her stomach. "We all know what happened here." She didn't want to be reminded of this place.

The sounds of fighting caught the Strawhats' attention. Luffy was charging through a crowd of people, knocking them away with little effort. While Luffy was fighting, a giant whitish-orange lion attempted to maul him, but Luffy sensed it at the last moment and dodged the beast.

"What's a lion doing here?" Luffy asked in confusion as the lion glared at him.

"You're rusty, Timber," a man with a long sword stated as he approached Luffy. "You didn't even scratch him."

Luffy looked between the two in bafflement. "Who are you people?"

"That is no concern of yours," the swordsman answered coldly. "You came to this island at the wrong time. Now, you and the others you have brought with you will have to die."

Luffy narrowed his eyes in anger and the two fighters engaged each other. They were evenly matched with neither of them landing a solid hit.

"Hm, Thomas is better than I expected," Sanji noted as he watched the scuffle.

"Now that I think about, we never actually saw that guy fight," Franky said as he rubbed his chin.

"That's a good point," Usopp said after a second of thought.

"If the situation was different, I wouldn't have minded crossing swords with him," Zoro said as he watched Thomas and Luffy's battle.

"You're very agile," Thomas praised with a smile.

Luffy returned the smile. "You're not too bad yourself, old man."

"It's a shame that such talent must be wasted. If the master had the time, you would make a worthy vessel," Thomas stated, causing all the Strawhats to cringe.

"Vessel?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Well, you have been causing some trouble around here," someone suddenly said. All the Strawhats knew that hateful voice.

"Zizu," Zoro growled when he saw the pale man.

Thomas and Timber bowed before the hooded man as Luffy stared at Zizu with interest. Luffy was noticeably nervous. He could sense something dangerous about this frail looking man.

"Master, we can handle this intruder. There is no need for you to be involved with this pirate," Thomas said in a humble voice.

"Hey, you're the chief of this village?" Luffy asked in his normal rude manner.

"Don't you dare speak to the master like that!" Thomas yelled angrily.

"There is no need to be angry. It is to be expected from a savage pirate," Zizu said nonchalantly as he looked at Luffy. He seemed unimpressed by the young captain. "Yes, I am the leader of this group and you are intruding on my island."

"We didn't come to cause harm," Luffy said as he put his hands up.

"Regardless, I need you to forget everything you have seen here," Zizu stated as his right eye began to glow.

Luffy looked at the eye in curiosity before the entire memory started to shake and turn a blood red. The images around Luffy warped and twist as Luffy grunted and stumbled in pain.

"What the...!?" Franky exclaimed in shock. He was starting to get motion sickness.

"The Mind's Eye is warping his mind," Chopper said fearfully. Was this what Luffy experienced on that terrible day?

"What a weak defense; is your mind already broken? You are either stupid or extremely innocent," Zizu's voice rang out as the memory twisted. "Hm, your mind is almost like that of an animal. Well, since I am here, might as well take a look."

Luffy was too busy trying to clear his head to say anything. The memory flashed, showing scenes of the Strawhat's previous adventures rapid succession. They also saw parts of Luffy's childhood. They were mostly images of Shanks and his brothers.

"I see, you're no ordinary pirate," Zizu said as his voice pierced Luffy's thoughts. The memory cleared a little and the Strawhats could see the Revolutionary approaching Luffy in an easy manner. He had a small smile on his face. "I can use a powerful boy like you in my army."

Luffy opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He then grabbed his head in agony.

"From this day forward, you shall serve me," Zizu stated.

Luffy looked at Zizu with bloodshot eyes. "I...I don't serve... _anyone_..." He winced in pain. "What...what the hell did you do to me!?"

Zizu was unmoved as his right eye glowed brighter; causing the memory to pulse slightly. "I see. So, you do have some fight in you after all. Good, it would be no fun if your mind was that easy to break."

Luffy growled at him. He attempted to will his body to move, but it refused to budge.

"A weak mind, but a strong will. What an interesting combination," Zizu mused. "I wonder, where did this strong will come from?" His eye glowed.

The Mind's Eye pierced into Luffy's mind again, causing him to reel in pain again and the memory to shake more violently.

The Strawhats could only watch helplessly in horror as their captain was all but mentally raped before their eyes.

The memories began to flash before them again, but this time they focused on Luffy's childhood.

"Hn, so it is these people who inspired you and gives you strength," Zizu said as he watched Luffy's thoughts through the Mind's Eye. "Freedom, what a precious idea."

"Stop...stop it..." Luffy demanded as tears ran down his eyes. The Strawhats had never seen so helpless. "Those are...my memories…Stop looking...you bastard!"

"Tell me, Strawhat, what do you know about the term core memories?" Zizu asked through the shaking memory.

The Strawhats could hear Luffy grunt.

"Well, I guess you wouldn't know," Zizu humored. "In a nutshell, core memories are the key memories that make us who we are. It is those memories that define us and our actions. I guess you could say, it is your core self."

Luffy didn't say anything.

"For you, your core memories are those of your _precious_ brothers and the Emperor Red-Hair Shanks. It was that time with them that has made you who you are," Zizu explained. "That pirate emperor encouraged you to become a pirate and gave you your dream. Your brothers gave you a family and the idea of freedom on the sea. These simple concepts are the very core of your being and influence all your decisions and actions."

The Strawhats looked at one another. From what they had seen, that was very true. Other events had shaped Luffy into the man they know, but it was his childhood that set the foundation for everything else.

Zizu chuckled sadistically. "So tell me, what do you think will happen if those memories suddenly disappeared?"

The Strawhats felt a pang of terror hit them.

Luffy's eyes also widened in horror. He tried to move again, but his body remained frozen in place.

Zizu chuckled harder. "You will largely become an empty slate since your values and philosophies will be gone. Without those core memories, a strong will no longer matters. After all, what good is willpower if one has no beliefs."

Luffy grunted in terror at the thought. His eyes were wide and sweat formed on his face. He looked like trapped animal.

Chopper's eyes widened. Is that how Zizu was able to manipulate all those people? By erasing who the person was from their very being. How can anyone be that heartless?

"...Stop..." Luffy said barely above a whisper. It sounded like he wanted plea, but could barely get his voice to work.

"Did you say something, Strawhat?" Zizu asked. He heard Luffy, but he was clearly mocking him.

"If...if you do that...I'll die..." Luffy said softly.

"Oh, I suppose you could call it that," Zizu mused as he rubbed his chin. "I call it behavior therapy, personally."

"That bastard," Sanji growled hatefully. What he wouldn't give to kick a memory.

Zoro growled as he touched the hilt of his sword.

"Stop..." Luffy pleaded weakly.

"Just relax. You can't miss, after all, what you cannot remember," Zizu said before he smiled and his right eye glowed. "Besides, you will enjoy being my slave."

Then, the memory shook again as a bright red light pierced the scene. The images of Luffy's childhood were destroyed by light and shattered like glass.

Luffy's screams overwhelmed everything, causing the Strawhats to cover their ears. It sounded like he was being murdered. It seemed to last for an eternity.

Eventually, the memory cleared and the normal color returned. Luffy's screams also, mercifully, had stopped. There was, however, a strange fog like edge around the memory, like the Strawhats were looking at a daydream.

Luffy was on his knees and was breathing hard as if he had run marathon while wearing weights and his eyes were rolled back.

Zizu stood over Luffy with impassive eyes.

Thomas stood nearby and stared at Luffy with what a of look pity.

Timber even in his lion form seemed upset.

Slowly, Luffy lifted his head to look at Zizu. When his eyes unrolled they were glazed over and fogged, like he wasn't really aware of what was going on.

"Strawhat, do you know who I am?" Zizu asked in a somewhat gentle voice.

Luffy said nothing for a moment. "You...you're master. Master Zizu," he answered in an emotionless voice.

Zizu smiled smugly at his new servant. "Tell me, do the names Fire Fist Ace and Red-Hair Shanks mean anything to you?"

Luffy paused as he stared at Zizu with blank eyes. "Who?"

Zizu's smiled grew wider. "How about the name Sabo."

Luffy looked even more lost. "Who's Sabo?"

Zizu laughed. "No one of any importance, Strawhat," he assured as the memory faded.

The Strawhats were left numb by what they had seen. It felt like they had just witness a murder. In many ways, they had.

"That rat bastard. I'm glad that asshole's dead," Franky growled hatefully as he pounded his fists together.

"Couldn't agree more," Zoro sneered. Damn, if only he could cut a memory. No wonder Luffy was so messed up when he was under that bastard's control.

"He...he actually took Luffy's memories of his love ones to make him easier to control," Nami whispered numbly.

Usopp shook his head. "Was that why Luffy was so…out of it? Because he was missing a part of himself." Luffy's fogged, dead eyes were burnt into his memory.

Brook tightened his fist around his cane. "It was as Luffy said. Zizu had all but killed him."

Robin said nothing, but she was also very upset. She was literally shaking in rage.

It was because of Zizu that she did not trust the Revolutionaries or Dragon when she was brought to Baltigo, despite Dragon being Luffy's father. It took almost a year before she could speak to Dragon candidly about what had happen with Zizu, the Mind's Eye, and the damage they did to her captain.

Dragon, for his part, was apologetic about Zizu's actions and assured her that he had cut all ties with the man before he died. Yet he refused to say _why_ he had given Zizu the Mind's Eye to begin with; especially since the crazy Revolutionary was heavily disliked even among his own allies.

He also refused to explain why he had condoned the use of such an immoral device, which greatly bothered her even now. Dragon came across as an honorable man for the time she knew him, but there were many layers to him. She was never completely sure what to make of the man. He was much like his son in that respect.

The next memory appeared and the Strawhats were in the Observatory on the Sunny. It was late at night given the position of the moon. From the looks of it, there were only a couple more hours until sunrise.

Luffy was standing by himself in the empty room and seemed to be scanning the area to make sure he was alone.

"I'm here, master," Luffy said in a hushed voice.

" _Are you alone?_ " Zizu asked as his voice resonated through the memory.

"Yes, everyone's asleep," Luffy answered.

"Where's Zizu's voice coming from?" Chopper asked as he looked around.

"Remember, Zizu was able to communicate with his slaves through their minds," Robin said.

Zoro narrowed his eye. "This must be when Zizu planned that ambush for us in that village."

" _Ivy's arrival was unexpected. I did not anticipate her to follow me to the Red Line,_ " Zizu said in what sounded like mild irritation. " _She told your crew a lot about us. Now, for certain, they can never leave this island._ "

"What do you want to do?" Luffy asked.

" _We need to get rid of them,_ " Zizu said bluntly.

Luffy's eye twitched, but otherwise showed no emotion. "I thought you intended to test them? To see if they were worthy of joining us."

All the Strawhats cringed in disgust. The thought of working for Zizu made all of their blood run cold, especially seeing first-hand how the Mind's Eye twisted and even erased memories.

" _Since we lost the element of surprise, it would be too much trouble to bother testing all of them,_ " Zizu stated. " _I may be interested in the Pirate Hunter given his reputation. Nico Robin is not much of a fighter, but she would be nice prize to take back to Dragon. I, however, have no real need for anyone else from your crew._ "

"I suppose I should be honored," Zoro said sarcastically.

Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "Why not take all of them? They're all very strong. At least consider Sanji. He's equal in strength to Zoro and is very smart when it comes to tactics and stuff. Plus, he's a great cook."

"You got that right," Sanji said, oddly proud that his captain had stuck up for him. He was also surprised that Luffy acknowledged him as a strategist. He didn't think that rubber head noticed. "Although, I'm much stronger than that ball of moss."

Zoro side-eyed Sanji. "You wish, dart board."

"Are you two really arguing who would make the better slave?" Nami asked in annoyance.

"Funny seeing Luffy trying to sell us to Zizu," Usopp said humorlessly. It was a bizarre compliment Luffy was giving them.

"Given Luffy's current mental state, it is all he can do to save us," Robin said.

" _Do not try to sell your crew to me, Strawhat_ ," Zizu said in a bored voice. " _Your cook may be strong, but he has a crippling weakness. He cannot hit a girl, right?_ "

Luffy could say nothing to counter that.

Sanji also looked annoyed.

" _I have no need for such a pathetic person. As for the rest of your crew, they are not really worth talking about. Your navigator is good at her job, but is not much of a fighter. Your doctor is much the same. The cyborg is interesting, but he is pretty much a poor man's Pacifista_. _The skeleton is weaker than Roronoa Zoro and your sniper, need I say more,_ " Zizu said in a dismissive tone.

Usopp was struck by Zizu's words. The pure dismissal that Zizu gave him hurt. It wasn't that he wanted to ever work for the guy, but to be told he wasn't even worth considering was a low blow to his fragile self-esteem.

"Don't be saddened, Usopp," Brook said in a soft voice. "Zizu's words aren't worth considering."

Franky growled. "Poor man's Pacifista? I wish that bastard was alive to see me now so I can shoot a laser up his ass."

Luffy's eyes narrowed, showing real emotions for the first time. "Don't talk about my crew like that. They're all strong and you shouldn't discount any of them. None of them are useless!" he screamed the last part as his anger built.

The Strawhats were taken back by their captain's sudden rage. It touched them that even in this state, Luffy was still very protective of them and wouldn't let anyone talk badly about them.

Zizu was silent for several seconds. " _First, do not shout, you idiot. You will wake your crew. Second and more importantly, do not ever talk to me like that again!_ "

Luffy jumped at Zizu's changed in tone. He looked like a frightened child who was being scolded by his parent. Looking at it closely, it was the same expression he gives when Nami scolds him for being especially stupid.

" _Do not forget who your master is,_ " Zizu said in a hushed voice. " _If you ever do that again, Strawhat, there will be punishment._ "

Luffy shivered at the thought of what Zizu had in mind. "Yes...I understand. I'm sorry, master." His eyes returned to the glazed, almost dead state.

"That bastard," Sanji growled. It was bad enough seeing this the first time. To witness this from Luffy's point-of-view was close to torture.

" _Getting back on subject, we need to make plans to take care of your crew. Tell me everything about each of your members. I want to know everything from their strengths to weaknesses. From there, I will make a strategy to best deal with each of them,_ " Zizu stated once he had calmed down.

Luffy looked deeply troubled. He obviously didn't want to tell Zizu anything.

" _Are you disobeying an order, Strawhat?_ " Zizu asked in a calm voice. The Strawhats, however, could hear the barely suppressed anger behind it.

Luffy closed his eyes in resignation. "No, master."

The memory faded at that point.

"Wait, why did Luffy need to tell him anything?" Usopp asked in confusion. "Couldn't Zizu find out that information himself by just reading Luffy's mind?"

"He wanted Luffy to tell him personally. That bastard wanted Luffy to give the information in his own voice," Zoro growled as he gripped his sword handle harder.

"It was all to break Luffy's will further," Nami muttered as her hatred for Zizu grew even stronger, if such a thing was possible. "Like taking his memories weren't bad enough."

The memory resumed and the Strawhats saw Luffy fighting them in the village after Zizu had set his trap.

For the Strawhats that were there, it was just as they remembered it, except they could hear a voice in Luffy's head, talking to their captain.

It wasn't Zizu, but it sounded like him. It was most likely an extension of Zizu's will being projected by the Mind's Eye. In either case, the voice was encouraging Luffy to murder his own crew every time he showed any hint of hesitation or pity.

Sanji screamed angrily at Luffy when he saw him go after Nami and nearly break Robin's ribs when he kicked her. He knew that Luffy wasn't himself, but he couldn't stand to watch the ladies being hurt by their own captain and he wasn't there to stop it.

Nami reflexively grabbed her neck as she watched Luffy nearly choke her to death as he stared coldly down at her. Hearing the voice encouraging Luffy to kill her sent shivers down her spine.

His fight with Franky and Chopper was also violent as he viciously attacked the already injured cyborg for defending Nami and what he did to Chopper was outright brutal.

Zoro cringed when he saw Chopper have his head smashed into the street by Luffy's Hammer. Looking at it for the first time, it was surprising that Chopper was still alive and not in a coma.

Chopper rubbed his head as he watched that particular memory. Thankfully, he didn't remember much after Luffy had slammed his head into pavement. He was thankful that he wasn't in Heavy Point, or else that technique may have killed him.

When Luffy was blown away by Franky's Coup de Vent, the memory shifted and the Strawhats were now in the compound. It was obviously after Luffy had been fighting them for a while since he was kneeling in a spiky field laid out by Usopp.

Needless to say, it was hard for the crew to watch Luffy struggle under the effects of the Mind's Eye and hearing Zizu's thoughts completely take over their captain's mind and alter his personality.

By forcibly showing Luffy certain negative images of them, Zizu was able to 'convince' Luffy that he hated all of them and wanted to kill them for being jerks to him. Especially, the memory that set Luffy off was remembering how his crew lied to him about what happened to the flag and the voice within Luffy telling him that his crew planned a mutiny.

The idea was ridiculous and if Luffy was himself he would have outright rejected the notion that his crew would betray him like that. Luffy, however, wasn't in his right mind. Corrupted and twisted by the Mind's Eye, Luffy believed everything that he was told.

The idea that Luffy could only find the happiness and respect that he sought by serving Zizu as his vessel was firmly planted in Luffy's mind by the time the battle resumed.

By the end of the battle, Luffy was close to being a walking puppet, completely twisted to the point of being unrecognizable by the Mind's Eye. He was literally being eating away.

All the Strawhats were left completely disgusted. Seeing this terrible event from Luffy's eyes was worse than anything they could have imagined. The thought that Luffy could have spent the rest of his life like this if Zizu had succeeded also frightened them.

The memory concluded with Luffy using both of his Gears in a final effort to kill them. The crash of the compound falling on Luffy's head was the last thing they saw.

There was a long pause among the crew.

"Luffy-san suffered so much from that incident," Brook said softly. "I didn't know that the Mind's Eye did so much damage to him. A weaker man would've never recovered."

"His mind was nearly shattered," Nami said as she attempted to calm her rapidly beating heart. "I mean...he could barely think on his own without Zizu's influence corrupting his thoughts and planting those false ideas into his head."

"That Zizu bastard really did get off too easily," Franky growled.

Sanji puffed on his cigarette. "As bad as that was, in many ways we sowed the seeds of doubt in Luffy's mind. The Mind's Eyes just exacerbated the doubts and feelings Luffy already had for us."

Usopp sighed somberly. "That's true."

"What happened was terrible, but we must look at everything," Zoro said as he folded his arms. "Despite everything that Zizu and the Mind's Eye did to Luffy, he fought it. Luffy stood up for us, even though it should have been nearly impossible for him. Even when he was filled with Zizu's lies and mind alterations, he still hesitated to kill us."

Robin nodded in agreement. "Luffy may have a weak mental defense, but his will and love for us would not allow him to kill us, even when he believed that we were going to betray him. That is the lesson we should all take from this."

"I couldn't agree more," Brook said.

The mist formed into a new memory and they were now on some island. It was the dead of night and it was snowing heavily. At least, it looked like it was snowing.

"This snow is kind of funny," Brook noted as he held out his bony hand.

"It isn't snow," Nami said as she looked at the ground. "It's ash."

"Ash?" Sanji repeated.

There was a loud crash, catching all of the Strawhats' attention. They saw Usopp, Chopper, and Nami nearby. They were huddled together in the rubble, looking quite stunned. They were all dressed in their best clothes and Chopper was holding Nami tenderly in his arms.

Nami was sick. She was breathing hard and her skin had several green spots across it. It looked like mold was growing on her body.

Nami's eyes widened. "This is when we fought Shiki."

Zoro nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

Sanji gritted his teeth in anger at seeing Nami so sick from the Daft Green. He personally wanted to kick Shiki's ass for daring to hurt Nami.

"How's Nami!?" Usopp in the memory exclaimed in a near panic.

"She's alright," Chopper assured once he had given the navigator an once over.

They both looked up and saw Shiki floating in the air. For a lack of better words, he looked pissed.

"Shiki!" Usopp and the Chopper in the memory both shouted in fear.

"You've really done it now, girl," Shiki said softly. His voice was filled with contempt. "You must really want to die!" He snorted at Nami. "I don't need you anymore!"

"Take no for an answer next time, shitty idiot," Sanji growled.

Nami folded her arms. "Seriously. I kept telling him that I didn't want to join."

"No matter how hard you struggle, I will crush East Blue!" Shiki declared as he used his powers to make the earth around him rise. The risen earth then took the shape of giant lion heads, ready to crush the three memory Strawhats and bury them alive.

"Forgot how creepy that was," Usopp said as the earthen lions roared at his past counterpart.

"It's like he summoned the earth itself to consume," Brook said in awe.

Usopp glared at the skeleton swordsman. "Thanks for the mental image."

"W...we're surrounded!" Usopp in the memory yelled in terror.

The lions began to enclose on them.

"Die in the depths of despair!" Shiki yelled viciously.

"Damn!" Usopp in the memory screamed.

"Dammit all!" Chopper in the memory shouted as he huddled against Nami.

Before the lions could reach them, however, they were instantly destroyed by Luffy using his Second Gear.

"Huh, he arrived just in time," Franky said with some humor. For someone who didn't want to be hero, he had the timing of one.

"That was too close for comfort," Chopper muttered as he wiped his forehead. He really thought he was going to die there.

Shiki was annoyed by this development.

Luffy stood in front of his crew in a protective manner as he glared at the legendary pirate. The red tint of Luffy's skin reflected his anger perfectly. Even the steam around his body was red.

"Got to give Shiki credit," Sanji said. "Not too many people can get Luffy that mad."

"That bastard kidnapped one our crew members and then tried to kill us along with our home sea. He more than deserved Luffy's rage," Zoro said.

"Luffy!" Chopper and Usopp in the memory yelled in relief.

"You're still going to fight!?" Shiki asked in irritation.

Luffy turned his eyes away from Shiki and stared at Nami who was just opening her eyes. They were dazed from sickness and exhaustion. It was eerily similar to how she looked after leaving Little Garden. This time, however, there was something for Luffy to smash.

Luffy's face softened as he looked at his navigator. "Nami, I'm going to send this guy flying. Then we'll all go back together!"

Nami stared at Luffy. She looked like a small child in Chopper's arms. "Luffy..."

Luffy stared tenderly at his navigator for a moment longer before he turned his attention towards his other crewmates. "Leave this to me! Take care of Nami!"

"Alright!" Usopp in the memory yelled.

"Get him, Luffy!" Chopper in the memory yelled as they both ran off, giving Luffy room to fight.

"Wherever you run, you're doom to die," Shiki stated.

Luffy got into position as more steam rushed out of his body. It looked like he was surrounded by energy.

"You're not going to decide our fates!" Luffy shouted as he seemly disappeared and rushed by Shiki. The old pirate was quite surprised by the increase in speed. "Gum Gum Jet Pistol!"

He slammed his fist into Shiki's stomach, sending him flying back like he was shot out of a cannon. Blood came out of Shiki's mouth and his eyes rolled back as he screamed in pain.

"Yeah, get him!" Usopp cheered. "I bet he felt that."

"Billy, help me!" Luffy called as he twisted his body.

A yellow bird that looked like a mix between a chicken, peacock, and duck came to Luffy's aid and the rubberman jumped onto Billy's back.

"I'm not letting you go to East Blue!" Luffy yelled as he chased after Shiki, who had just regained his bearings.

"You're so annoying," Shiki hissed. "I will show no mercy to a man from East Blue."

"Did we ever figure out why he hated East Blue so much?" Brook suddenly asked.

"Not really," Nami answered.

Robin rubbed her chin. "I think it has something to do with Roger, but I cannot completely recall. Shiki was considered a legendary pirate who was rivals with both Roger and Whitebeard. I even remember reading how he nearly destroyed Marineford single-handedly when Roger gave himself to the marines."

"Does it matter?" Zoro asked dryly. "Whatever issue he had with East Blue doesn't matter. Luffy was still going to kick his ass."

The fight was on and it was a fierce battle that raged across the floating island. Shiki used his ability to fly across the air while Luffy used Billy to keep up.

Several sections of the island were destroyed during the battle. Both pirates landed several powerful blows on each other, but neither one of them could get the upper hand. Several times during their fight, flying beasts would intervene, but neither Luffy nor Shiki paid too much attention to them.

"Wow, what a fight!" Franky exclaimed in awe. "I'm sorry I missed all of this."

"It's enough to make my eyes pops...although I have no eyes!" Brook exclaimed before he laughed loudly.

"Luffy's really something. He's going toe-to-toe with a pirate that fought the Pirate King!" Chopper yelled.

Sanji snorted. "Shiki was maybe something back in the day, but he's skills are obviously rusty. If he was at the top of his game, he should have beaten Luffy a long time ago."

"Who's side are you on!?" Usopp yelled at the cook.

"Just stating a fact," Sanji said with shrug. "Think about Rayleigh. He was Roger's first mate and he could beat all of us with barely trying. This golden bastard is huffing and puffing just keeping up with Luffy."

Usopp blinked as he took in Sanji's words. "Huh...I can see your point."

"He probably stood on this floating island so long, safe from any real fighting, that he let his fighting skills go," Zoro stated. "This is not the same Gold Lion that went against Roger."

They fought evenly like this until they reached a floating lake in the sky.

"It's time to settle this!" Shiki yelled. He used the swords that were his legs to cut the floating lake like it was ice.

"Huh, he can do that with his ability," Franky asked in awe.

"His Devil Fruit was indeed formidable," Brook said. "After all, he lifted up all of these islands by using his ability."

The pieces of water floated around Luffy and Billy, stunning both of them. Before Billy could clear the water pieces, they enclosed on them. Within seconds, Luffy and Billy were trapped within a body of floating water.

Luffy was immediately knocked out as the water drained his strength and he started to drown.

Billy wasn't doing much better as he drifted helplessly in the floating body of water.

"LUFFY!" Chopper screamed in horror as the memory blurred.

Robin stiffened as she watched her captain suffer and drown before their eyes. Being trapped in water was a terrible fate for a fruit user.

"That's dirty!" Nami yelled angrily.

Zoro growled. Luffy was now completely helpless and none of them were there to save him. How did he escape? He glanced at Billy and saw that the electric bird was still out. He most likely shorted out.

Sanji also shook in anger. This is why he never wanted an ability. All of Luffy's strength and will were rendered useless before the power of the sea.

Shiki laughed at the dying boy captain. "You've met your match, kid!" A ringing got his attention and he pulled out a baby transponder snail from his robes. Luffy's hearing was too far gone to really hear what Shiki was saying.

The Strawhats could hear Luffy gurgle in pain as the water stole his senses. He struggled weakly, but it was impossible. His curse completely froze his body.

"I suppose that's pretty painful for a Devil Fruit user," Shiki mused. He had a look of sadistic amusement as he watched Luffy slowly drown. "But you won't get away that easily. East Blue and that girl, they will both die in the depths of despair! You can watch from hell!"

With his vows made, Shiki sliced the water using the air current from his swords. The water broke apart and sent Luffy falling to the earth along with Billy.

"Why did he break Luffy free?" Franky asked. "He could have just left him to drown."

"He wants Luffy to suffer," Zoro said, relieved that Shiki's sadistic nature had saved their captain.

Sanji puffed on his cigarette, also greatly relieved. "That shit head is going to regret that decision."

The memory went dark for a moment as Luffy hit the ground hard. He most likely blanked out because of the water.

It was Bill's crowing that told the Strawhats that Luffy was regaining his senses. Billy sounded upset, probably thinking that Luffy was mortally wounded from Shiki's attack.

The vision of the memory fully retuned and Luffy was laying spread out on the rocky ground. Despite nearly drowning just moments before, the fire quickly returned to Luffy's eyes. He grinned fiercely. He looked borderline demonic.

He stood up and gave a loud battle cry. "I'm going to kick his ass!" He turned towards Billy. "Carry me to the heavens!"

Billy squawked in compliance and the two were off into the sky.

Storm clouds filled the sky and thunder roared in the background. The entire island was shaking from the force of the incoming storm. Shiki was looking at the approaching storm with mild concern, but Luffy quickly got his attention.

"So persistent!" Shiki yelled as he readied himself to go after Luffy again.

"Shiki!" a female voice yelled.

Luffy glanced over and saw Nami standing on a nearby rooftop. She was still sick, but she stared defiantly at her former captor. She was using her Clima-Tact as a crutch.

"It's Nami!" Luffy shouted in surprise.

"Everything ends here!" Nami in the memory declared.

"We prepared the bombs!" Chopper in the memory shouted in the distance.

"Huh, bombs!?" Shiki exclaimed in shock.

"That's right!" Nami in the memory yelled. "Nothing will remain of your royal palace, your factory, or your island!"

"That's one way to say screw you," Franky laughed.

Nami narrowed her eyes. "That bastard deserved every bit of it."

Even if Shiki had treated her well when he held her captive, she would never forgive the man who threatened her home and family.

"We're putting an end to your schemes!" Nami in the memory shouted at the old pirate.

Shiki's eyes widened in rage. "You got to be kidding me!" He used his ability to lift several large pieces of land. He was going to smash Nami in-between them.

Nami continued to glare at Shiki without a trace fear.

"How could you be so calm?" Usopp asked as he looked at Nami's stony face.

Nami gave a bright smile. "Because Luffy was nearby."

"You're just a group of kids!" Shiki shouted. "Don't think I'm about to let you destroy the plan I've worked twenty years for!"

"Take this!" Usopp in the memory yelled as he shot Shiki with what looked like a dragon made of blue fire.

Shiki easily dodged the attack. "Enough of your fireworks!" He brought the two pieces of landmass together.

"Billy, go save Nami!" Luffy ordered as he jumped off the electric bird.

Billy quickly flew away from Luffy and saved Nami just in time before she was crushed by Shiki's ability.

"Damn you!" Shiki cussed.

"I'm your opponent, Shiki!" Luffy shouted as he stuck his thumb in his mouth. "Gear Third, Bone Balloon!" His arm grew and expanded. He then pushed the air into his chest.

The thunder and lightning grew fiercer, causing the memory to tremble a little.

Luffy pushed the air into his left leg and he lifted it up into the sky, right into the lightning clouds.

"What's that!?" Shiki exclaimed before he began to laugh. "You'll die like that! Get hit my lightning and die!"

"Rubberman," Zoro muttered.

"People do tend to forget that lightning can't hurt Luffy," Chopper observed.

"Well, in fairness, I tend to forget myself," Nami admitted.

It was mostly because she learned a long time ago, as a navigator, to always respect nature, especially lightning. It was one of the few elements that could kill a person instantly.

"You're the one who's going to fall, Shiki! I'm not letting you go to East Blue!" Luffy screamed as images of his home flashed across the memory. The Strawhats saw the faces of several people. The people they saw were Makino, Woop Slap, the people from Foosha, Dadan, and her family of bandits.

What really surprised the Strawhats, however, was that the flashes kept going. They soon saw images of everyone Luffy met in East Blue. They saw Rika and her mother from Shell Town, the mayor and ChouChou from Orange Island, Kaya, Merry, and the Usopp Pirates, Zeff and the other fighting cooks, and Genzo and Nojiko. Nami, Usopp, and Zoro were also surprised to see Gaimon among the many images passing across the memory.

For the crew as whole, they felt themselves become teary-eyed seeing these familiar people again. It showed that despite how much time had passed, and everything that Luffy experienced, he still remembered the people he met on his journey. Despite barely knowing most of them, he was still willing to protect them from this monster.

As Luffy yelled his proclamation, lightning struck his outstretched foot. Electricity flowed across his body, but no harm was done thanks to his ability.

Shiki, who didn't seem to notice Luffy's immunity, began to laugh harder. "You fool!"

Luffy's eyes seemed to light up with along with the lightning.

"I am the man who will conquer the ocean from the sky!" Shiki proclaimed.

"I will not let you touch my crew!" Luffy shouted as his eyes took on a demonic aura. He looked close to the rage they saw when he fought Arlong. "Or the sea, for as long as I live!"

Shiki seemed to finally realize that Luffy wasn't dying by the lightning. His eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

"Giant Thor..."

Shiki immediately defended himself by bring a giant rock between him and Luffy.

"Why do these idiots never dodge Luffy's Third Gear?" Sanji asked, remembering how Lucci took the attack heads on.

Zoro folded his arms. "Because these idiots seem to think Luffy's Third Gear is all show."

"That was Shiki's fatal mistake this entire time. He never took Luffy seriously," Robin said as she watched Luffy prepared to finish Shiki.

Shiki threw several bits of sharpened rocks at Luffy, trying to impale him.

"Battle Axe!" Luffy screamed as he brought his foot down. The sharpened rocks bounced off of Luffy's skin like they were pebbles and he easily destroyed Shiki's rock shield.

Shiki could only watch in horror as his plan of twenty years was destroyed by this one boy. "Is a man from East Blue really standing in my way again!?" he screamed in disbelief. "ROGER!"

Luffy's Battle Axe hit Shiki dead on, slamming him into the floating landmass below. Luffy split the land with his lightning Battle Axe, defeating the legendary pirate and ending the memory.

 

 


	27. Sabaody

There were a couple seconds of silence before the mist for the next memory appeared. Before long, the Strawhats were back on the Sunny. They were within the shadows of a huge rock face that stretched further than their eyes could see. It was a sight everyone recognized and it filled the Strawhats with both awe and dread.

Luffy laughed happily as he looked at the giant mountain. He stood on Sunny's head as his smile grew even wider. "We're here...we've finally made it this far!" He raised his arms into the air in excitement.

Chopper in the memory gasped in awe. "I can't see the top! It's huge! So, this is the Red Line!"

"It feels kind of nostalgic," Nami said softly.

Sanji in the memory carefully lit a cigarette and smiled.

Zoro had a big smirk on his face. "I wonder if we've matured since then?"

Usopp was in tears. "I kinda feel like crying! A lot of stuff has happened, huh?"

Luffy laughed again. "Anyway, now we're halfway there! The Twin Cape on the other side of the world, where we met Laboon, is connected to his spot! It's great that we've made it this far, huh?"

"Apparently, I came over Reverse Mountain from South Blue when I was just a little kid, but I guess that's a thirty year old story," Franky in the memory mused in remembrance.

"I came to this sea from West Blue, five years ago," Robin said with a soft smile.

"When we've crossed the other half of the world and see this wall again, at that time, I'll be the Pirate King!" Luffy exclaimed.

His dream was even closer within sight. There was nothing that could stop them. Truly, a new world awaited them.

The memory dissipated and the Strawhats' dread increased.

"If that was the last memory, then the next will be..." Nami started. Her mouth went dry.

"Sabaody," Sanji finished for her as he tossed his cigarette.

The events of Sabaody have been a taboo topic for the Strawhats since they reunited. They all acknowledged and were grateful that Kuma had saved them that day, but that incident was still traumatizing for them.

In the span of a few minutes, they were all ripped from each other and sent scattered across the five seas. For all the Strawhats, it was one of the most lonesome periods of their lives. Now, they had to relive that moment again inside Luffy's memory.

Franky sighed and rubbed his hair. "We knew we had to see this eventually. Since this entity feeds off of despair, it was only a matter of time."

"Do we have to see that day?" Chopper asked in a frightened voice. "We...we know how it ends so there's no point in seeing it, right?"

"We can't fear the past," Zoro said firmly. "Remember why we are here."

The Strawhats looked at each other and knew Zoro was right, whether they liked it or not. For Luffy's sake, they had to be strong.

The mist came, but this time it was different. Instead of being a bluish purple, the mist was tinted red. It was very similar to the mist that consumed them when they saw the events of Omatsuri Island. They knew only bad things awaited them.

Before they could brace themselves, the new memory appeared.

When the mist formed into a memory they were in what looked like a field filled with floating bubbles and tall trees. Not too far from them was a group of buildings that was isolated in a large field. The scene was almost serene, betraying the tragedy that would soon befall the small pirate crew. This place marked their final day.

The peace was shattered when they heard Luffy shouting. The crew saw their captain riding what appeared to be a bike with a bubble top. He was currently racing Hatchan across the field who was in a similar vehicle. The Strawhats could hear both Chopper and Brook scream in terror as they rode shotgun with their respected drivers.

The fun of the race quickly ended, however, when screams of panic echoed across the sky.

"Huh?" Luffy asked in confusion as he slowed his paddling. "What's all that commotion about?"

Allowing curiosity to get the best of all of them, the small group made their way to the group of buildings. In the middle of that part of town, a crowd was rapidly forming. There were several cries of dismay and fear.

In the middle of the crowd stood a tall man who had a haircut that made it looked like he had devil horns. Under normal circumstances, he would have looked intimidating. However, the devil man looked like a scared child as he held a young woman in his huge hands.

The young girl was crying and screaming to be released as the crowd looked on in horror, not sure what to do to help her.

"That shit head!" Sanji growled. He was more than ready to run in and kick the man. "How dare he do that to a woman!"

Robin kept a blank face as she watched the scene. Her eyes widened when she noticed something around the devil man's neck. "He has a bomb collar."

This got the Strawhats' attention.

"You're right!" Nami exclaimed as the realization hit her. "Then...he's a slave?"

Brook started to shake. "I remember this. That man was a slave to the Celestial Dragons."

Chopper teared up in remembrance. "He was trying to escape."

Zoro was silent as he stared at the unfortunate man. No matter what this man's past sins were, no one deserved to be a slave to those monsters.

"I'm begging you!" the devil man screamed as he grabbed his collar. He was completely panicked. "Hey, I'm asking you for a favor here! Anyone's fine! An axe! A saw! _Anything_ will do!"

The crowd stared at the man with a mix of fear, horror, and pity. They knew what the man was and couldn't help him even if they had the means to take the bomb collar off.

Sanji felt his previous anger towards the man lessen. He was still angry that the devil man would treat an innocent woman so roughly, but he couldn't completely blame him for his actions. From what Jimbei told them, being the slave of a World Noble was worse than death. He didn't even want to imagine the things this man was put through.

"Just give me something!" the devil man continued to beg to the crowd. "I just want this thing off my neck! I won't hurt anyone!"

"Please...let me go..." the young woman in his hands pleaded with tears running down her eyes, "I don't want to die..."

The devil man gave a scream of frustration as he roughly tossed the woman. She landed on the ground with a hard thud.

Sanji had to fight the urge not to kick the man. Pity only went so far when a lady was involved.

"I've given up on going to the New World! I've got a wife and kid back home!" the devil man screamed with tears in his eyes.

Usopp felt himself getting upset the more he watched the memory. For some reason, he was reminded of his father.

"I'm begging you! Please lend me a hand!" the devil man screamed to the crowd.

No one moved to help him.

"I want to go home!" the devil man yelled pitifully as his tears flowed more freely. Whatever pride he once had as a pirate was long gone. "Last time I saw my kid, he was still a baby... He still doesn't know what I look like! I'm _begging_ you!"

Usopp felt tears run down his cheeks and his body started to tremble.

Chopper didn't bother to hide his tears. He never wanted to remember this event.

Nami also became upset. Even if the man was a pirate, he was still a living being who didn't deserve to be put through this.

Luffy finally stopped paddling when he got closed enough to the commotion to clearly see what was happening. "He's..."

"I want to go home!" the devil man continued to scream. "Hey, please! Please help me!"

"Don't get involved," Hatchan ordered somberly as Luffy popped his upper body through the bubble of his bike. "He's probably a pirate who was caught by kidnappers and sold as a slave. His owners probably brought him to this island and he made a run for it. Even though he should know that he can't escape!"

Luffy's eyes widened. He most likely didn't understand most of what Hatchan had said, but he knew the word slave very well. Thanks to his experience with Zizu he knew what it was like to have your freedom, freewill, and sense of self ripped away. It was everything he was against in the world.

Suddenly, a chime ticking sound filled the air. The devil man's eyes widened in horror as the crowd ran from the man.

"W...what's that sound?" Chopper in the memory asked in dread.

This made current Chopper turn his head.

"Damn!" the devil man shouted as he viciously yanked on his collar, trying to tear it off to no avail.

Nami put her hands to her mouth. "He's going to blow up!"

Brook growled in anger and frustration. He wished he could have done something. Instead, he just stood there and allowed his atrocity happened.

"If I can just get this off my neck!" the devil man screamed as he kept pulling on the collar. The chiming noise continued to get louder and faster. "Dammit! No! Stop! Please stop!"

The man's desperate screams caused most of the Strawhats to look away.

"DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" the devil man screamed in tears. After a second, the collar exploded, engulfing the man in flames.

Zoro grunted as he watched the man burn in the fire. To think, the marines protected scumbags who would do this to another person.

Robin managed to keep a blank expression throughout the entire memory. This was the world that the World Government created and she had become somewhat numb to such atrocities. Sadly, she had seen far worse.

Franky gritted his teeth in anger. For whatever reason, he was reminded of Goa and how the nobles and outlaws got away with murder. They were all worse than pirates. At least pirates didn't go around claiming that they fought for justice.

When the smoke cleared, the devil man stumbled across the ground. Amazingly, he was still alive. He was, however, badly burnt across his body and was bleeding heavily. His eyes were rolled back as he reached for his neck. It looked he was trying to talk, but only whimpers and moans left his lips.

Despite being a memory and seeing this event once before, Chopper wanted to run and help the man. He was critically injured and would die without treatment.

His past self was much the same. Chopper within the memory was pale and shaking in horror at what he had just witnessed.

Luffy's eyes and mouth were widened in horror at the scene.

Hatchan lowered his head. "Slaves always have those chains attached to their necks. If they try to take them off or run away, they'll explode."

"Who...who would invent such horrible things?" Nami whispered through her hands.

"People who are just as dirty as the government," Franky growled, clenching his huge hands.

"Just...let me buy some souvenirs and go home..." the devil man whimpered, "I've given up on being a pirate..." He collapsed onto the ground. There he remained unmoving.

"L...Look at that!" Brook in the memory yelled, snapping out of his stupor. "We have to help him!" He was ready to run to the man's side.

"Idiot! You promised not to get involved, no matter what happened!" Pappug scolded as he jumped on Brook's shoulders, stopping him from going anywhere.

"What's with this city!?" Chopper in the memory screamed.

Usopp shook his head. "I wonder the same thing." How could a place so pretty hold so many dark secrets?

"Hatchi, what are we going to do!?" Caimie asked in distress. "The Celestial Dragons are nearby!"

Luffy glanced at Caimie, but he still appeared to be too numb to take much in.

Hatchan put a comforting arm around Caimie. "It's alright. Calm down Caimie." He turned towards Luffy and gave him a firm look. "Strawhat, get out of the bubble bike!"

"Huh?" Luffy asked. "Why?"

"Just hurry up and do it!" Hatchan yelled.

"Uh, sure..." Luffy said rather numbly, not used to seeing the fishman so serious.

Just as Luffy left the bike, the crowd that was still surrounding the fallen pirate began to fall to their knees and bow.

The Strawhats looked up to see a dog with a bubble helmet walk towards the devil man.

"Are those the Celestial Dragons?" Luffy asked with interest.

"You have to bow your heads too!" Hatchan yelled as he pushed Luffy down. He was on his knees along with Caimie.

"Why?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"No matter what, don't look them in the eyes!" Hatchan ordered as he turned towards Brook and Chopper, who were still standing. "You too!"

Both Chopper and Brook immediately fell to their knees.

Zoro had to keep himself from growling. He hated that Luffy, Brook, and Chopper had to lower their head to those scum.

Once the dog reached the fallen pirate it lifted its leg and proceeded to pee on him, leaving behind a stream of steam.

"Even the dogs..." Usopp muttered.

Nami scowled. "Slaves are even lower than animals."

"My, how vulgar. Saruu," a female voice said.

Luffy glanced over towards the source of the voice. "Them, huh?"

"Yeah..." Hatchan growled softly, not bothering to hide his hatred.

Several people were walking towards the fallen pirate. One of the people was a huge man who was also in chains being led by a man wearing a white robe. He also wore a bubble helmet and walked with a slight limp with a cane. With them was a female who was also wearing a long white robe. Just like the man beside her, she was wearing a bubble helmet.

They two World Nobles were being escorted by one armed guard who held a long spear in his hands. His face was covered with a steel mask.

"It's those bastards from the auction house," Franky growled.

"Oh no, father, yet another one has been broken," the female World Noble said in humor.

"This...this isn't the first time?" Usopp sneered. How could a group of people be so heartless?

"Did you make sure to give him his tranquilizer every day?" the father asked.

"Why, yes I did," the female World Noble said as she approached the half-dead pirate. "However, it appears it does not work on fools like this one."

Franky tightened his fists. "That..."

Sanji narrowed his eyes as he felt his blood boil. This was one of the few women he had met in his life that he wanted to kick. There was another one, but he couldn't quite remember who she was.

The female World Noble looked down her nose at the pirate. "Will you buy me a new one?"

That question made Nami bite her lips in anger. She got off too easy just getting knocked out by Rayleigh's Haki.

"Your discipline skills are truly terrible," the father scolded. "You keep destroying my captain collection one after another."

"He has a captain collection?" Usopp asked in horror. The thought that people were collected like action figures made him ill.

"Not surprising. I have heard that most Celestial Dragons have a 'collection' of some type," Robin said, barely hiding her contempt. "Pirates and fishmen are the most common."

After being with the Revolutionaries for two years, her hatred towards the World Nobles and the World Government has grown. What happened at Tequila Wolf did not help.

"This one is certainly useless," the female World Noble said dismissively as she kicked the poor man repeatedly. "So you meet your end amidst crying families and grown men. You are just a mere human!"

The devil man didn't even flinch as he was ruthlessly beaten.

Brook's rage grew as he reached for his cane, ready to pull out his sword. Zoro also had to fight the urge not to reach for his swords. Now he really regretted not cutting these bastards.

Luffy shook and growl as he watched the cruel scene. "He can't even move anymore."

Hatchan was also angry, but made no move to intervene.

Once she had finished kicking the man, the female World Noble took out a pistol.

Nami's eyes widened. "She's not..."

"You disgust me!" She shot the pirate point blank in the head.

Nami, Usopp, and Franky's mouths dropped in horror.

Chopper cried into Zoro's legs. To this day he still regretted not helping that man. As a doctor, he sat back and watched someone get hurt, possibly killed.

Zoro put a comforting hand on Chopper's head and allowed him to cry onto his pant leg.

"Why, that..." Luffy started to yell as he stood up. He was ready to knock that female Celestial Dragon across the Grand Line.

Hatchan quickly grabbed Luffy and covered his mouth. "Please, wait!"

"I would like a giant slave next," the female World Noble said as she and the others began to walk away from the scene.

"You should start with a human child slave," the father remarked.

"That asshole!" Franky yelled. The thought of a child living under a Celestial Dragon made his blood boil.

"But I detest the weak," the female World Noble whined.

Zoro snorted. "This coming from someone weak."

Luffy continued to struggle against Hatchan. His eyes burnt with fury as he watched the Celestial Dragons walk out of sight.

"Please don't do anything rash!" Hatchan yelled firmly into Luffy's ear.

"It's the marines!" someone yelled.

Several marines ran towards the seemingly dead pirate and quickly got him onto a stretcher. Whether he lived or not, it really didn't matter. He had left one hell and would be put into another.

Luffy continued to growl, his anger not dissipating in the slightest.

The memory shifted and Luffy and the others sat over the edge of a lake. Everyone was clearly upset.

Brook carefully poured some tea and attempted to hand Caimie a cup to calm her down. She was, however, in no mood.

"Think that guy will be alright?" Luffy asked somberly.

"He was a pirate, so even if he was saved, he'll be sent to prison," Hatchan answered.

"It's so cruel. After all that torture to only be thrown into a cage and most likely await execution...it makes my heart weep," Brook said. He didn't have the energy to make a skull joke.

"To think that being executed is a better fate for him," Nami whispered.

Chopper in the memory stood up in anger. "A pirate should be able to beat that old man and woman, right? Why?"

Pappug crossed his arms and stared into the distance. "If you hurt one of the Celestial Dragons, an admiral from Marine Headquarters and a fleet of battleships will come here."

This made all the Strawhats within the memory gasp in shock and horror.

"Which is why those bastard nobles are pretty much untouchable," Franky sneered in rage.

"Just an example of how screwed up this world is," Sanji said as he reached for another cigarette.

Robin nodded somberly.

"An admiral...!" Luffy exclaimed. The memory flashed for a second and the Strawhats could see Luffy's one-sided battle with Aokiji. "Aokiji!?"

Usopp sighed. "We're not that lucky."

"We were lucky enough," Robin said. As terrible as Kizaru was, it could had been Akainu. If Marine Headquarters had sent him, she half-expected Sabaody being reduced to a lava pit. That man was known for overkill along with his ruthlessness.

"It could be Akainu or Kizaru," Pappug said. "There is no way to know who will show up. Marine Headquarters is right next to us, after all."

"What makes those guys so special!?" Chopper in the memory yelled, completely enraged by the injustice he had just seen.

"Those guys are the descendants of the creators," Pappug answered.

"The creators?" Chopper asked in confusion.

"Eight hundred years ago, a group of twenty kings formed the organization known as the World Government," Pappug explained in a grave voice. "The Celestial Dragons are their descendants. And over the course of the years, they have come to abuse their incredible influence."

"That's an understatement," Sanji muttered.

"The Celestial Dragons..." Luffy murmured as his eyes suddenly narrowed. A strange look crossed his face.

The memory shifted again and the Strawhats were at Dadan's house.

" _Who was the person who murdered Sabo!?_ " Ace yelled as he glared at Dogra. " _I'm going to kill them!_ "

" _Th...the Celestial Dragon!? There's no way_..." Dogra said before the memory suddenly faded.

Luffy started to shake again and he gritted his teeth. The aura around Luffy was completely different from before. It almost felt murderous.

The memory ended at that moment.

"He...he knew," Nami murmured.

"I didn't think he would remember," Sanji said softly. Then again, how could anyone forgot the name of their brother's murderer.

"Do...do you think those World Nobles were the ones who killed Sabo?" Chopper asked timidly.

"It's impossible to say," Robin said. "The Celestial Dragons are broken up into several families. It could have been them, but it could also have been another Celestial Dragon."

"It doesn't matter," Zoro said harshly. "Those bastard nobles all have the same screwed up mind-set. They're all responsible."

Franky nodded as he slammed his fists together. "I agree. Every last of them have blood on their hands!"

When the next memory came the crew stood in a giant building where a crowd of people sat looking at a stage. The crowd wore fancy and expensive looking clothing as they chattered among themselves. The entire scene looked like a concert hall, but the Strawhats knew better. They all knew this place all too well.

"The auction house," Nami muttered as she looked around.

"Figures we would see this scene," Sanji said softly.

The roof of the auction house suddenly collapsed as something fell through the roof. Several people shouted in surprise and fear as a figure emerged from the wreckage.

"Luffy!" Sanji in the memory yelled at his captain. His eyes were wide in shock and surprise.

"What the hell!?" Luffy yelled, taking no noticed of the cook. "Couldn't you land any better than that!?"

Usopp sighed as he watched the scene. "Luffy can never make a subtle entrance."

"This coming from the guy who butt stomped a World Noble?" Franky teased the sniper, causing him to blush.

"No way, it's a Flying Fish you know!" one of the Rosy Life Riders yelled at Luffy. "And it was you who told me to crash into the building!"

Zoro stepped out of the debris, rubbing his throbbing head. "Anyway, you told me to get on, but why were you in such a hurry to get back to the Sunny anyway?" He began to look around. "Where are we?"

"Zoro too!" Chopper in the memory exclaimed in surprise.

"You guys," Zoro in the memory said, finally taken noticed of his other crewmates.

"It's funny how Luffy just happened to find Zoro so randomly," Chopper mused.

"I swear, those two have a radar for each other," Sanji said with a note of humor.

"It's their animal wave link," Nami said dryly.

Luffy quickly lost his anger as he remembered why he was there. "Caimie!"

He looked around for his stolen friend. It took him only a moment to find her on the stage of the auction house. She was trapped in a giant glass sphere filled with water and was up on display like a painting. Next to her was a man wearing wild clothes and sunglasses.

"Caimie!" Luffy yelled in dismay.

Caimie's mouth moved, but no sound came out.

Luffy didn't waste another moment as he ran down the stairs. "Caimie, thank god!"

Hatchan quickly grabbed Luffy before he could get any closer to the stage. "Wait a second, Strawhat! What are you doing!?"

"What do you mean!?" Luffy yelled as he kept trying to run. "Caimie's right there!"

"She's there, but she got an exploding neck-ring attached!" Hatchan shouted. "So you can't just take her! Besides, the Celestial Dragons are here!"

"Like I care!" Luffy yelled as he attempted to run towards the stage again. "Caimie!"

"Just stop already!" Hatchan yelled desperately as he took out his other four arms and restrained Luffy's movements.

That was a terrible mistake on Hatchan's part. The moment he revealed his other limbs, the people inside the auction house began to scream.

"His arms!" a woman shouted as she pointed at Hatchan like he was a sea monster. "A fishman!"

Hatchan looked down in horror as he realized what he had done. He released Luffy as the shouting from the crowd grew louder and more violent.

"That's disgusting!" someone yelled. "What's a fishman doing here!?"

"Get out of here, you monster!" another person screamed.

Nami had to turn her head away from the crowd. This moment in the auction house still disgusted her. Seeing how badly fishmen were treated reminded her of Arlong's cruelty to the humans on her island. She would never feel sorry for Arlong, but this scene made her understand him and his hatred for humans.

Usopp and Brook were left speechless by the crowds' cruel words. They weren't there to witness this the first time.

"What's going on?" Usopp asked slowly as he took everything in. He remembered Pappug saying something about this, but he had never seen it directly.

"On this island, the racial tension between humans and fishmen is at its highest," Robin explained, hiding her disgust.

Brook couldn't speak as he looked around. The unreasonable and relentless hatred he saw in the people was exactly the same as the New Fishman Pirates.

Luffy, naturally, took no notice of any of this as he continued to run towards the stage. "I'm going to save you right now, Caimie!"

"Get him!" the man on the stage ordered the security.

"Damn you!" Luffy screamed at the man. "Caimie isn't for sale!"

"Don't let him on the stage!" the man yelled as security surrounded the stage.

While this was happening, the crowd was getting louder and more chaotic.

Luffy still noticed none of this as he fought off the security guards. They were all extremely weak and were knocked aside easily by the boy captain.

When Luffy was only inches from the stage, he heard a loud gunshot. To his surprise, the shot wasn't aimed at him.

When he turned around to see what had happened, he was shock to see that Hatchan has been shot. The fishman collapsed and rolled down the stairs several times before finally coming to a stop. He was bleeding badly from his chest and it appeared that one of his lungs has been pierced given his wheezing.

Usopp and Brook gasped in disbelief.

The Strawhats who were there at the scene could only glare hatefully at the Celestial Dragon as he smiled smugly at what he had done.

"Ha...Hatchi...!?" Pappug shouted as he ran towards his friend.

Hatchan didn't move as he lay bleeding heavily on the stairs.

Luffy could only watched in disbelief as the Celestial Dragon hopped happily around the stairs. He looked like a giddy little child as he hummed cheerfully. "I hit it! I shot a fishman!"

"HATCHI!" Nami in the memory screamed in horror.

Brook growled as he watched the World Noble danced. How could such people exist?

"I'm glad he shot it," one of the women in the audience sighed in relief. The woman sat not too far from where Luffy stood. "I was afraid that if it came any closer we might get infected by it."

"He was definitely trying to cause trouble," the man next to the woman said. "After all, they only have the brains of a fish."

Nami growled at the people. Like that female Celestial Dragon, they got off too easily just being knocked out. All these people had no humanity.

Luffy's eyes were wide in disbelief as he listened to all of this.

The memory shifted for a second and the Strawhats saw Sabo's father standing with the soldiers of Goa Kingdom. " _Hey now, pirate, be careful how you handle these children! You got some of this inferior filth's blood on my face!_ "

As soon as it came, the Strawhats were back in the auction house.

"He remembers that?" Sanji asked in disbelief.

Caimie was banging helplessly on her glass prison. She was shouting something, but no one could hear anything.

"Father, please look!" the World Noble cheered happily as he sang his sentences. "I caught a fishman! I caught it myself, so it's for free! Free! An octopus for free!"

"Seeing this bastard again makes me want to shoot a laser at him," Franky growled. "He's acting like he won a prize from the claw tank game."

Zoro watched as Luffy slowly approached the Celestial Dragon. He didn't believe in revenge, but he couldn't wait for Luffy to give that noble what was coming to him. That little brat needed to be smack a long time ago.

"I got him good! An octopus slave for free!" the World Noble continued to sing, not noticing Luffy at all.

Luffy's eyes were nearly white with anger as he walked closer. This was the first time that any of the Strawhats had gotten a good look at Luffy's face at this moment. With everything they had seen within the memory, they knew it was Luffy's 'demon' look.

Some of the more timid Strawhats felt a slight pang of sympathy for the Celestial Dragon. When Luffy gave that look before he broke Arlong's nose and back, and smashed Bellamy's face in, possibly leaving a permanent indent in the man's cheek.

What that noble was about to get wasn't going to be as pleasant as one of Luffy's normal punches. Luffy was aiming to shatter bone.

Hatchan grabbed Luffy's arm before the boy captain could advance any further. "Wait...please...Strawhat," he strained to say though his damaged lung. "You can't...get upset... I was just careless...that's all."

Luffy stared at Hatchan.

Hatchan took several deep breaths. "You promise that...even if someone was killed right before your eyes that you wouldn't lay a hand on the Celestial Dragons!"

Luffy's eye twitched as he remembered his promise.

"After all, I used to be a pirate," Hatchan said with remorse in his voice. "I did so many awful things, so...I had this coming..."

Usopp gritted his teeth at he watched the memory. No one deserved to be treated this way, no matter what their past sins were.

Robin was quiet as she watched everything. Her expression was blank, but her heart broke for the fishman. She understood better than anyone what it felt like to be haunted by their sins and feeling that anything bad that happened was karma.

"Sorry...I never wanted this to happen," Hatchan said weakly. "I just wanted...to make up for the things I did to Nami. I was trying to help you, but...as always...I just screwed up, no matter what I do..." He began to cough violently.

Luffy gently removed Hatchan's hands and laid them across his chest as he knelt beside his friend.

"I really am...clumsy after all..." Hatchan said, closed to tears.

"Hachi..." Nami in the memory whispered so softly that Luffy barely heard her.

"In the end...I just caused you more trouble..." Hatchan said as tears flowed down his eyes. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Damn fish!" the World Noble yelled, breaking the tender scene. "Even after I shot you, you keep on blabbering! You're annoying!" He raised his gun to shot Hatchan again.

Brook shook in rage. He was beginning to wonder if any of the Celestial Dragons had any souls.

Luffy moved between Hatchan and the World Noble, protecting the fishman with his own body.

"Strawhat!" Pappug exclaimed.

The World Noble winced when he saw Luffy's eyes. Even he felt the aura of death within them. If Luffy was pissed before, he was completely off the charts now.

"You, what's with that look of yours!?" the Celestial Dragon asked fearfully.

Luffy said nothing as he glared at the World Noble. He slowly stood up and walked towards the noble.

"Stop it, Strawhat!" Pappug yelled desperately, although even he knew it was now no use. Luffy was beyond hearing anyone. "If you do this, you'll be in big trouble! Please stop!"

Luffy continued his walk as his eyes burnt with rage and hatred.

Usopp was taken aback by the glare. This was beyond his demon look. That was the glare he gave the Baron. "He's...going to kill him."

No one countered Usopp's statement. If this World Noble was still alive after this, it was by divine luck.

"Are you looking at me!?" the Celestial Dragon dared as he aimed his pistol. He was shaking badly and looked like he wanted to run. Most likely, it was pride and fear that kept him in place. "You're annoying too!"

The World Noble shot at Luffy several times, but the rubberman graceful dodged each bullet with no effort. He continued his walk unheeded.

The Celestial Dragon gasped in shock as Luffy threw his arm back.

With one powerful lunge, Luffy slammed his fist into the World Noble's face, busting the man's bubble helmet. The noble's face crumbled and distorted under the power of the punch. The Strawhats could hear bones shatter as the World Noble flew into the nearest wall.

The memory concluded at that moment.

"Even now, that was more than satisfying," Nami noted with a self-righteous smile. After seeing everything those nobles did at Sabaody, she wished more had happened to them.

"Too bad we got an admiral up our butts for that," Sanji said, although he wasn't sorry at all for his captain punching that asshole. He personally would have kicked that snotty bastard until every bone in his body was shattered beyond recovery.

"I still should have cut that scum," Zoro muttered as he fingered his swords.

"Still, I hope Luffy-san didn't kill that noble," Brook said with an unusually cold voice. "I wouldn't want Luffy-san's innocence soiled by killing that man. He isn't worth it."

"Much like the Baron, it wouldn't have counted," Zoro said. "That Celestial Dragon was a soulless creature and hardly counts as a life."

"I second that," Franky said with a firm nod.

Usopp lowered his head. "Do...do you think Luffy acted so violently because of what happened to Sabo?"

Robin paused in thought. "Possibly, but I think Luffy sees the system of the World Government as more of the cause of Sabo's death than a single individual or group. The Celestial Dragons are just the symptom of the world they created."

Brook nodded. "As Miss Dadan said, it was the world that killed Sabo."

The red mist returned and the Strawhats now stood outside again. The Strawhats in the memory were sitting exhausted around the remains of a broken Pacifista. Everyone looked worn out and barely able to move.

"We stopped that bastard, right?" Franky in the memory asked. He was on edge like the Pacifista could come back to life at any second.

"We must have..." Usopp in the memory stuttered in exhaustion.

"It's almost seems like he's going to start moving again...creepy," Nami in the memory said as a shiver went down her spin.

"I agree," Nami said to her past self as she shivered. Although they were much stronger, only about half of the crew could handle a Pacifista.

"If he does, we're doomed!" Usopp in the memory wheezed as he attempted to catch his breath. "I'm total beat. I can't move anymore."

Franky shook his head at the memory. "Hard to believe that one of those Pacifista did that to all of us."

"No kidding. It took the entire crew and all of our best moves just to take one of those things down and we still barely won," Usopp said as he stared at the Pacifista's remains.

"It just shows how much we've improved," Zoro said as he fingered the hilt of his swords. Cutting one of those Pacifista was more than a little satisfying.

"Maybe we should have tried to escape instead of fighting it," Chopper in the memory said.

Robin slowly stood up. "No, if we can beat him, than that is what we should do. He would have chased us wherever we went."

"I still think we should have ran. Even if it chase us, at least the admiral wouldn't have found us," Chopper said.

Robin shook her head. "No, chances are Kizaru would have still trapped us along with Sentomaru and that second Pacifista. We were their primary targets after all. There were also several other Pacifistas in the area from what I later learned."

Usopp shook his head. "So, either way, we were doomed."

Robin was silent for a moment. "Kizaru did a masterful job trapping us on this island. We only expected the admiral, that the troops he would bring."

"But what was that guy anyway?" Zoro within the memory asked, getting the crew back into the scene.

"He's definitely a modified human," Franky answered as he observed the Pacifista's remains. "That means that he was once a human who looked like Bartholomew Kuma. I would guess they were twins, or perhaps they just found someone who looked super similar. I suppose that is the most likely explanation. There is no way they could have actually created a human."

Sanji forced himself to stand up and walked over towards the Pacifista. As he looked the cyborg over, he found the letters PX-4 written on its neck.

"Let's rest a bit," Luffy sighed tiredly. "I never thought we would be forced to go all out in a battle so soon."

"I want to rest, but we should find a hiding place first," Sanji advised. "If they find us now, we're in big trouble, you know."

"No shitting," current Sanji mumbled.

"I guess that's true," Luffy said as he forced himself to sit up. "But wait a minute, okay?"

"Man, you guys have done it now!" someone suddenly yelled.

"What, another enemy!?" Usopp exclaimed in fear. "Where did that voice come from!?"

The Strawhats looked up into one of the trees and saw two large shadowy figures.

"Up there, they're up there!" Chopper screamed as he pointed up.

The figures jumped from the tree and landed so heavily on the ground that they created a hole. With the dust obscuring the Strawhats' view they could only see the silhouettes of Sentomaru and the other Pacifista blocking their path.

"Who's there?" Luffy demanded.

Instead of addressing Luffy's question, Sentomaru stared down at the broken cyborg. "Hey, hey, what a pitiful state you are in, PX-4! Just building one of you Pacifista cost as much an entire battleship!"

"Well, they got more than their money's worth. Those things hit harder than any battleship," Zoro said. "Not to mention, they're far more mobile."

All the Strawhats within the memory were on guard when they saw the duo.

"Man, how am I supposed to explain this to that damn Punk!?" Sentomaru continued to complain.

When the dust finally cleared, the Strawhats had clear view of their opponents. Usopp, Chopper, and Brook screamed in terror when they saw the second Pacifista.

"Another Warlord!" Chopper cried.

"D...don't tell me that's the real guy!?" Usopp in the memory screamed in horror.

"Doesn't matter whether he's real or fake!" Sanji in the memory yelled, barely hiding his own fear. "We don't have the strength to stand up to that thing again!"

"He just said Pacifista," Robin noted.

"Pacifista, that means someone who creates peace, right?" Nami in the memory asked. "Is that the name of the one we just defeated?"

"Yeah, peace by extreme violence," Franky muttered.

Sanji nodded. "There's nothing peaceful about those shitty cyborgs."

"Who are you broadaxe!?" Franky in the memory demanded.

"You don't call a man by his weapon's name!" Sentomaru yelled in annoyance. "There is no point in asking me questions! I have nothing to tell you any of you! I am the man with the toughest guard in the world! Of course, my mouth is guarded too!"

"Can you at least tell us your name!?" Usopp in the memory yelled.

"I have no obligation to answer that!" Sentomaru yelled. "Did I not tell you that I am the world's most tight-lipped man, Sentomaru!"

"Really, Sentomaru is it," Usopp in the memory said.

Sentomaru's eye widened for a moment as he realized that he had just given away his name. "I just felt like telling you! I was not answering your question!"

"Liar," Usopp muttered as he watched the memory.

"Doesn't this guy ever _not_ shout?" Nami asked, rubbing her sore ears.

"For the tightest guard in the world he certainly has no indoor voice," Franky said as he used his small hands to rub his ears.

"Let's go, PX-1!" Sentomaru ordered the Pacifista.

A strange humming noise emitted from the Pacifista as it put both of his hand up to fire its lasers. The explosion from the blast knocked the Strawhats over, sending them flying in different directions.

"He's firing beams from his palms too!" Sanji in the memory yelled. "He doesn't have the pads. I didn't want to think about it, but that makes him the third! What's going on!?"

"Rather than wondering about that, it would be safer for us to run away now!" Zoro in the memory yelled before he started to grunt in pain. He looked closed to passing out. "If we get into another fight now, someone will definitely die! Let's run before we meet the admiral!"

"Yeah..." Luffy said as he put himself back together. "Let's run from here! We can't stay together...we'll split up and escape!"

Everyone looked at their captain, waiting for his orders. Some of the Strawhats were not fond of the idea of splitting up, but knew that they had little choice if they all wanted to survive.

"I think we should run too!" Usopp and Chopper suddenly shouted before they ran from the Pacifista.

The Pacifista took aim at them with its hand.

Luffy quickly met with Zoro and Sanji to form the slit up plan. "The three of us should divide up!"

"Sure," Sanji said before he glanced as Zoro. There was an unspoken concern in his face. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped.

Luffy also looked at Zoro with concern. Out of all them, Zoro was by far the worst off. It looked like he was barely holding on to consciousness and his breaths were fast and shallow.

Chopper frowned as he looked over Zoro. He was ill. Zoro had pushed himself too hard fighting that Pacifista and reopened his wounds from Thriller Bark. He was lucky that he didn't do permeant damage to himself. In reality, Luffy should had appointed someone to protect Zoro. But, even in his weakest, Zoro was still stronger than most of the crew. He hated all this.

Zoro was also not pleased looking at himself. He had allowed himself to become a burden to his crew and gave his captain even more worries.

Before Luffy could contemplate Zoro's condition further, Sanji suddenly ran towards Nami with hearts in his eyes. "I'll protect Nami-swan! Even if it cost me my life!"

"Right, thank you! Let's get going!" Nami in the memory yelled impatiently as the two ran for safety.

Franky joined their group. "If you're ready to risk your life, then you should be the decoy for all of us!"

"Ladies only, dammit!" Sanji shouted. "Just take care of yourself, panty man!"

While this was happening, the Pacifista began to shoot its lasers at Usopp, who was barely dodging.

Zoro ran to join the group. During one of the explosions, Usopp was flung onto Zoro's back

"Zoro will protect me as well as he can, so don't worry!" Usopp screamed.

"Wait a minute Usopp, I'm hurt!" Zoro yelled. It wasn't in his usual annoyed voice. He sounded truly concerned about his ability to protect his crewmate.

"Do not worry, I'll cover you!" Brook yelled as he ran by Zoro's side. "Your injures still haven't healed, right!?"

Zoro glanced at Brook, but the rest of the conversation was blurred. Although, something about self-sacrifice was briefly heard.

Luffy had too many other concerns to listen to the rest of the conversation. He was with Robin and Chopper. As the strongest of the group, it was his duty to protect them.

"We're running over there!" Luffy pointed towards a nearby bridge.

"Right, those beams are scary!" Chopper yelled as he ran in his Walking Point.

Luffy turned his head to address the crew. "Everyone, we'll meet back at the Sunny in three days!"

All the Strawhats yelled in understanding.

"Three days..." Sanji whispered bitterly as he clenched his fist.

They didn't get far before an explosion went off in the corner of Luffy's eye. The Pacifista was attacking Sanji's group.

"He went that way?" Luffy asked in confusion as he stopped running. "Are they alright?"

Luffy, however, had bigger problems when Sentomaru's giant axe landed in front of him, along with Sentomaru.

"You don't have time to worry about others!" Sentomaru yelled. "I do not have anything against pirates though."

Luffy charged in to knock the bigger man out of the way. "Gum Gum Gatling!"

Sentomaru held his hands up and he blasted Luffy several feet into the air without even touching him.

"What!?" Luffy exclaimed in shock.

"What did he just do!?" Chopper in the memory yelled in surprise and panic.

"Armament Haki," Zoro said as he watched the memory.

"Yeah, but even I've never seen anyone use it like an Impact Dial," Sanji said, truly impress by Sentomaru's ability.

Sentomaru gave Luffy no rest as he followed the rubberman. "You have got some pretty good offensive power, but my guard is the strongest in the world!"

He thrust his hand and hit a falling Luffy in mid-air, causing him to fly into some ruined buildings.

"Luffy!" Robin in the memory shouted.

"What, he's that strong too!" Chopper in the memory exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, he is an admiral's man, but damn. He's knocking Luffy around like he's nothing," Franky said as he rubbed his head.

Zoro growled. "If Luffy was at full power, he may of had a chance. But as things were then..." They severally underestimated everyone.

Luffy lay in the rubble for a few seconds, obviously hurt by the last two attacks.

"I just thought I would tell you, I am not a fruit user!" Sentomaru informed casually.

"There's something strange about his technique," Luffy murmured as he rubbed his sore body. He was hurt like it didn't even matter he was made of rubber. He was briefly reminded of his grandpa's Fist of Love.

Before he could fully contemplate his own problems, another giant explosion occurred in the distance. This one was much bigger than any other he had seen. It also came in the direction of Zoro's group.

"ZORO!" Usopp in the memory screamed in horror, making Luffy take even more noticed.

Luffy watched in disbelief and horror as Zoro's body twisted and collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud. Zoro was screaming the entire time he fell, something that the swordsman rarely does unless he was terribly injured.

"What, who are you!?" Usopp in the memory demanded. "Get away from Zoro you freak!"

"Zoro-san!" Brook in the memory yelled at the fellow swordsman. "Zoro-san was hit by a beam!"

"Zoro, pull yourself together!" Usopp screamed desperately.

Zoro was lying limp on the ground. He was still breathing heavily, which was a good sign. Although, it was obvious that he wasn't going to be standing up anytime soon.

Zoro cringed as he looked at his younger self lying burnt on the ground, as helpless as a new-born child. He didn't realized that he went down that hard. His body ached looking at his past self.

"Man, he's late!" Sentomaru complained as he turned towards the new arriver. "So you finally arrived, old man Kizaru!?"

Robin's eyes widened in horror. "Kizaru!? Be careful, that man is an admiral!"

Usopp and Brook in the memory screamed in horror.

Luffy's eyes also widened. He quickly realized that their chances of escaping had dropped to nearly zero at best.

"Oh, you're a little bit too late," Kizaru said lazily as he stood over the fallen pirate hunter. "One-hundred and twenty-million bounty head, Pirate Hunter Zoro. I had heard that you were a reasonably accomplished swordsman, but you seeing how you were beaten with one shot, I suppose you are pretty exhausted."

Zoro scowled at the memory. He couldn't wait to meet that admiral again and show how 'reasonably accomplished' he was. Still, how weak he was to be one-shotted like that?

Zoro in the memory could say nothing as he lay on the ground panting like an exhausted dog. He had nothing left. "Damn..."

Kizaru causally raised his foot over Zoro's body. "Take yourself a long rest." His foot began to glow a bright yellow.

"Zoro!" Luffy screamed as he stood up. At that range and the admiral's power, the attack would kill Zoro instantly. He wanted to help, but he knew Sentomaru would only block his path. He also couldn't leave Robin and Chopper unguarded. He looked towards the sniper, who was staring at the entire scene without moving. "Usopp!"

Luffy's screams snapped Usopp out of his trance and he raised his Kabuto. "You...stop it!" He shot Kizaru, but his attack went right through the admiral's body. He gasped in shock, but continued to fire to no effect. "Dammit, why!? I can't hit him!"

Brook charged in and trust rapidly at the admiral. Just like Usopp, he had no luck. "I can't stab him either! What do we do!?"

"Brook, you never fought a logia before?" Usopp asked.

"In my time, Devil Fruits were much rarer. On a ship of hundred of pirates, there were maybe only one or two ability users," Brook said, never turned his head from the scene. "In my years, I have heard of logia types, but never actually met one. I never knew they were immune to normal attacks."

"That is understandable," Robin said. "It was not until the Golden Age of Pirates that Devil Fruits became more commonly used, especially within the Grand Line."

Kizaru barely paid them any mind. "That is no use. I ate the Shine Shine Fruit; I'm a light man. I'm a logia."

"What a broken ability," Sanji muttered.

Luffy gritted his teeth. He knew first-hand what a pain in the ass logias were to fight. He also had no idea what light was weak against.

"Zoro, run!" Chopper in the memory screamed desperately as tears ran down his eyes.

The swordsman attempted to move, but there were only a few twitches from his body.

Zoro grimaced watching the scene. Chopper's screams were almost too much to bear.

Thinking fast, Robin crossed her arms and used her ability to pull Zoro out of harm's way. It may have worked if Kizaru didn't seemly transport back on top of Zoro and put his foot on his back, keeping Robin from moving him further, all while keeping his one foot up.

"He just...got over there in an instant!" Usopp in the memory exclaimed in surprise.

"How!?" Brook in the memory asked in disbelief.

"Light can travel faster than lightning," Nami whispered, wishing this scene would end. "His movements are nearly be invisible to us."

Past Robin's eyes were wide in horror as she realized that she couldn't free Zoro from Kizaru.

"I will not let you get away," Kizaru said nonchalantly. "It is useless. You will die now." He got ready to fire, causing all the Strawhats to scream Zoro's name in panic.

Before the fatal blow came, Rayleigh appeared out of nowhere and deflected Kizaru's blast by kicking the admiral's leg.

Even now, the current Strawhats could barely see the Dark King's movements.

Kizaru only looked mildly annoyed to see Rayleigh. "So, now you've decided to appear, Dark King Rayleigh."

"I won't let you take out these youngsters," Rayleigh said firmly. He had a smirk on his face. "Their era is only beginning!"

Chopper nearly cried. "We owe Rayleigh so much for saving Zoro. I thought for sure..."

Brook lowered his head. "Forgive us, Zoro. We weren't strong enough to save you."

"Don't be sorry," Zoro said firmly. "You all did everything you could. I was the one too weak to save myself."

"But..." Brook started to say, but stopped himself. Zoro was only so badly weakened because of what happened at Thriller Bark. If he wasn't so injured, Kizaru couldn't had taking Zoro down in just one blow.

"Pops!" Luffy screamed, grateful to the old man. He was nears tears as he spoke.

"Thank god!" Chopper in the memory exclaimed in relief.

Robin also sighed in relief.

"He just said Dark King," Sentomaru said in wonder. "So, that's him."

"I have heard rumors that you were on this island. So, that was true?" Kizaru mused. "Seeing how you helped out these brats, that must mean you're still a pirate at your age."

"If you people would withdraw my bounty, I would retire in peace too," Rayleigh said in a casual manner.

"The pirate's sins will not disappear, especially those of the Rogers Pirates," Kizaru said. "But if we were to try and catch you, it would require a bit more dedication than we have right now."

Nami's eyes became downcast. "He must mean the war." Even as they stood on this island, fighting for their lives, Ace's fate was already being set.

"You cannot let them leave, can you Kizaru?" Rayleigh asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Give me a break here," Kizaru said in what could be considered frustration. "If we can't catch these kids, then we at the marines would not be able to face the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois."

"Why the hell should the marines care about them?" Nami asked angrily. "The marines say they fight for justice, but they let the World Nobles do whatever they want."

"That is the hypocrisy of the marines and the World Government," Robin said coldly.

"Would you please get out of my way?" Kizaru asked, although it was closer to a demand.

"Usopp, Brook, take Zoro and run!" Luffy ordered while Kizaru was distracted.

Brook and Usopp wasted no time following the command and lifted Zoro off the ground. Usopp then carried Zoro out of harm's way. Usopp was slower than usual since Zoro was all but deadweight at this point.

"Everyone, only think about escaping!" Luffy screamed as he took several deep breaths. "Right now...we _can't_ beat these guys!"

The current Strawhats cringed when they heard the tone of Luffy's voice. He sounded desperate and scared, something they all failed to notice in the heat of the moment. He was fully aware that some of them might not make it even with the admiral distracted. Worse, he lacked the power to really do anything about it.

"Oh great, that's really annoying," Kizaru said in a bored tone.

All the groups ran in their respectful directions, not looking back.

"Pops, thank you!" Luffy yelled one last time at Rayleigh.

"No problem, I'll pray for your safety!" Rayleigh yelled as he waved.

With that, Rayleigh engaged the admiral in battle.

"PX-1, Roronoa is half-dead!" Sentomaru suddenly shouted. "Go take him out."

Luffy shuddered, but didn't turn his head. He had to protect his own group. He had to trust in his crewmates' power.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Sanji engaging the Pacifista, causing Luffy to narrow his eyes in annoyed. He told them all to focus on escaping. Also, who was protecting Franky and Nami? Franky had to be low on energy and close to being useless by now.

Another explosion happened and Luffy turned his head to see Sanji getting fried by a laser blast. It seemed the cook had reached his limits too. From what Luffy could see, Sanji couldn't stop the Pacifista as it walked towards Zoro, ready to kill the injured man.

Luffy could also tell by the little he could see that Brook and Usopp were in no condition to save Zoro. He was defenseless.

Current Sanji bit down hard on his cigarette. He hated being unable to do anything against that Pacifista. His crewmates were about to die before eyes and he was utterly useless. He should had thrown caution to the wind and broken his leg on that Pacifista's head.

Zoro also hated all of this. His crew was killing themselves trying to protect him. He hated that he was so useless that he had to be cared for and put everyone in grave danger. If only Usopp had dropped him, he could have least covered their escape.

"They're in trouble over there," Luffy whispered in despair. At this rate, that entire group would be wiped.

"I will not even need my broadaxe, will I?" Sentomaru asked as he ran along-side Luffy, startling the boy captain.

"He's fast!" Franky exclaimed in shock.

"How can someone that big keep pace with Luffy like that?" Usopp asked, never really having seen Sentomaru fight until now.

"I thought I told you, you do not have time to worry about your friends!" Sentomaru yelled.

Luffy didn't have a chance to move before Sentomaru hit him again with his palm blast, sending him tumbling forward into another group of buildings. The rubberman was knocked senseless and all the sound seemed to leave the area. The memory itself also became blurry.

"That last hit badly hurt Luffy," Zoro said as he attempted to focus on his captain.

Usopp shook his head. "That palm blast is no joke. He knocked Luffy senseless with just a couple of hits."

Luffy stumbled to stand up, but fell right back down into the wreckage. He was only vaguely aware of Sentomaru approaching him.

"Stop it, you people!" Chopper's voice suddenly ranged out, but Luffy was still too dazed to completely notice him.

What he did notice, however, was a roar of a monster. It sounded familiar somehow.

Luffy felt someone suddenly grab him around the shoulders. The smell of flowers told him that it was Robin.

"Luffy, watched out!" Robin yelled as she carried her captain to safety.

He could hear chaos around him, but he couldn't focus on what was happening.

"ANOTHER ONE SHOWED UP!" Usopp's screams of absolute terror broke through Luffy's foggy mind.

The memory became clear again and the Strawhats could see the second Pacifista in the distance. This one was different. This particular Pacifista was holding a Bible in one of his hands.

"Kuma..." Sanji whispered as his heart started to beat faster.

Nami inhaled sharply seeing the Warlord.

Chopper shivered and tears ran down his cheeks. He never wanted see this, not again.

Brook felt a chill run down his bones.

"So, the moment has finally arrived," Zoro said, never taking his eye off his captain.

They saw Zoro in the memory slowly stand up and say something to Kuma, but the Strawhats couldn't hear him. They could see Kuma carefully removing his gloves.

"If you were to go on a vacation, where would you go?" Kuma asked calmly.

Zoro never got the chance to answer before Kuma swiped his hand. Within less than a second, Zoro had vanished.

The entire area became dead silent as all the Strawhats took in what had just happened. It was Usopp screaming Zoro's name that broke the collective stupor that all the Strawhats had fallen into. Luffy could hear his other crewmembers calling Zoro's name, but he was too numb to really hear any of them.

"Zoro..." Luffy spoke barely above a whisper. There was no sign of the swordsman. It was like he disappeared from the face of the earth.

"Damn you! What have you done to Zoro!?" Usopp in the memory screamed in anger and outrage. There was no sign of fear in his voice. "He was...he was...just right here!"

Luffy forced himself to sit up and face the Warlord. He still couldn't believe what he had seen.

"Zoro...? Zoro?" All the sound muted again as Luffy became caught up in his own world. The only thing he could do was repeat Zoro's name like a mantra. He looked only one step away from a completely break down.

He didn't even notice that Monster Chopper was right behind him and nearly crushed him until Robin pulled Luffy out of harm's way.

"Stop it, Chopper!" Robin in the memory yelled desperately at her transformed crewmate. "Don't be reckless!"

Chopper only roared in response, unable to hear Robin's voice. For all practical purposes Chopper was unconscious, leaving the monster he had become in control.

Chopper was close to tears as he watched himself go out of control. He had nearly hurt his friends with his careless actions. Although it seemed like the only way at the time to save everyone, going into Monster Point ended up hurting his crew more than helping.

"Zoro, where did you go!?" Luffy screamed before he turned towards Sentomaru. "Hey, what did he do to Zoro!? Where did he disappear to!?"

"I have no obligation to answer. I am the most tightlipped man in the world," Sentomaru said as he looked at Kuma. He was extremely upset at the bear Warlord. "They say that anyone who gets blasted by his pads is sent flying through the sky for three days and three night, though I am not sure whether it is true or not."

Luffy's mouth dropped in disbelief.

"Nobody except the person who was sent flying knows where to, though. But it definitely will not be on this island or anywhere else where you might meet them anytime soon," Sentomaru continued to explained. "They might end up on the edge of some distance sea."

"What!?" Luffy exclaimed in horror as he looked at Kuma.

"For a tightlipped guy, he sure told Luffy a lot," Sanji said dryly.

"I think we've already established that he was lying," Usopp muttered.

Kuma remained unmoved from his spot as Usopp yelled at him. After a moment, he slowly approached Usopp, causing the sniper to lose his nerve.

While this was happening, the Pacifista behind Usopp got ready to fire a beam out of its mouth. Usopp was too focused on Kuma to notice anything else.

The killing blast, however, never came. Kuma had seemly transported in front of the Pacifista and made it disappear too by swiping his hand.

"Even PX-1!?" Sentomaru exclaimed. "What are you doing with your allies, Kuma!?"

"Run you three!" Luffy ordered once he got his mind somewhat back together.

"Luffy!" Usopp in the memory exclaimed in shock.

"Just run away, everyone!" Luffy shouted in a choke voice. "We'll think things over once we're safe! Go!"

All the Strawhats in the memory stared at their captain in astonishment. They couldn't believe that he had all but ordered them to abandon Zoro.

Zoro almost wanted to turn away from the scene. He wasn't upset that Luffy had given that order. It was the right call to make to save the rest of his crew. What made him upset was that Luffy was even pushed to this point. He could hear the silent apology to him in his captain's voice. Dammit, if he had been stronger then...

Usopp's group attempted to escaped, but was blocked by Kuma. Brook jumped in front of his group, ready to defend them from the Warlord.

It was all in vain and Kuma made Brook disappear as well using his ability.

"Brook!" Usopp screamed.

Luffy could only watch in horror as another one of his crewmates vanished before him.

"He did it again!" Sentomaru yelled in annoyance.

Brook shivered at the memory. He didn't like how easily the Warlord had dismissed him. He didn't even touch him.

This caused Sanji in the memory to reach his breaking point and knocked Usopp aside. He was fully intending to break the Warlord in half to avenge and protect his remaining crewmates. Without a thought, Sanji charged forward.

"Stop it, Sanji!" Luffy screamed.

Sanji completely ignored the order and attempted to kick Kuma in the face. The Warlord easily countered the cook by deflecting the kick with his pads, sending Sanji flying back several feet.

"Sanji!" Luffy screamed in distress.

Usopp was now left defenseless against Kuma. The sniper was close to panic as he shot an explosive at the Warlord and attempted to run. He was so frightened, however, that he tripped over his own feet.

The explosive had no effect on Kuma and he slowly approached Usopp with deliberate steps.

Usopp became desperate and shot the Warlord rapidly with his Kabuto. It was all in vain. None of Usopp's shots did anything to the Warlord. Once Kuma was close enough, he raised his hand and swiftly brought it down.

"Run!" Luffy shouted at Usopp, too late.

With one swipe of his hand, Usopp was gone.

"Usopp!" Luffy screamed, tears beginning to build in his eyes.

Brook gritted his teeth in anguish. Since he was one of the first to go, he didn't see any of this.

Usopp was in tears watching the scene. Seeing the terror on his own face brought back all those terrible memories. He had never been so scared. He didn't even want to think how Luffy felt watching him vanished.

Sanji in the memory gave a loud scream of complete anguish, catching Luffy and the current Strawhats' attention. Sanji was kneeling on the ground and rubbing his hair furiously in despair. He had completely broken down as he ranted about being useless.

Zoro's eyes softened as he stared at his rival's past self. He had never seen the cook like this. He should expected as much since he did watch three of his friends disappear before his eyes, but the bastard cook rarely showed emotions, beside annoyance and anger, for his male comrades. Here, he sounded like Nami and Robin has been murdered.

Sanji gave an almost animalistic growl as he charged Kuma one last time. He was completely blinded by emotions.

"Sanji?" Luffy muttered in horror. "Stop it, Sanji!"

Kuma didn't bother to deflect Sanji's attack this time. He brought his hand up and made Sanji vanished before the cook could even get within range to attack. With Sanji gone, that entire group of Strawhats had been wiped out, reducing their number by half.

Sanji closed his eyes in shame at the memory. He was too reckless. He had only managed to cause his captain and crew more pain.

"Even Sanji..." Luffy whispered like he was in a dream state. "What's going on...?"

While everyone was still shell-shocked, Kuma transported over to Rayleigh, who was still fighting Kizaru, and mutter something to the old pirate.

Rayleigh's eyes were wide as he took in Kuma's words, but the Strawhats couldn't hear the conversation. Luffy was beyond listening. Without a thought, Luffy began to walk towards the Warlord. His eyes were wild and filled with hatred.

It wasn't quite what Nami dubbed his 'demon' look or even his murderous glare. When Luffy had those particular expressions, his eyes were focused and more vivid. Here, it was obvious that Luffy wasn't in his right mind. He looked closed to going insane.

"Luffy?" Robin in the memory whispered worriedly.

Luffy ignored her, completely focused on the bear Warlord. "You bastard!" he roared as he went into his Second Gear.

Nami in the memory took notice of Luffy and wanted to go and help, but she was pulled away by Franky. He was yelling at her to run.

Kuma noticed them and immediately went after the two Strawhats. In less than a second, he was standing right in front of Franky and Nami.

"Get out of our way!" Franky screamed as hit Kuma with a Strong Right to the face. The attack did nothing to the other cyborg. "What!?"

Luffy took this as his cue to intervene and charged the cyborg at his full speed. Even in his weakened state Luffy was remarkably fast, most likely powered by his desire to save his remaining crew.

"Wait, you can't, Luffy!" Robin screamed at her captain. Luffy was beyond the point of listening to anyone, even his crew.

"Gum Gum Jet Pistol!" Luffy screamed as he threw his punch at Kuma's face.

Despite the speed behind the punch, Kuma saw it coming and easily deflected it with his paw hand. Luffy used the recoil of his attack to charge in and attempt another punch at Kuma. Just like before, Kuma's pads absorbed the blow and deflected Luffy. He flew several feet away from Kuma and landed hard on some ruined buildings.

"Luffy!" Franky in the memory shouted before Kuma was right on top of him. Franky barely had time to turn his head before Kuma made him disappear.

"NO!" Nami in the memory screamed in panic, causing Luffy to quickly sit up.

Kuma was now moving towards Nami at a rapid speed. Now that Luffy was no longer in Gear Second, he couldn't catch the Warlord in time. The scene seemed to move in slow motion.

"Luffy, help...!" Nami cried as she reached for her captain.

Luffy tried desperately to reach her, but it was too late. "Nami!"

With a swipe, Nami had vanished too.

Franky was opening sobbing as he watched Nami and himself disappear. Dammit, he should have done a better job protecting them. That duty fell to him the moment Sanji left to help Zoro and the others. He was such a failure.

Nami was also in tears as she watched the unbearable memory. Looking at it now, she had given Luffy the same plea that she gave back in Arlong Park. This time, Luffy couldn't save her. She felt guilt build in her stomach for putting that burden on her captain.

Luffy was on his knees, panting in distress and sorrow. He was beyond his breaking point as his eyes became void and empty. It was like a piece of soul was being torn out with every crewmember who disappeared.

The memory shifted and an image of a grave and Genzo appeared.

" _Listen boy, I know Nami is going to sail with you as a pirate. It's a dangerous journey, and I know it can't be helped. That's okay, but if you ever take away Nami's smile, I will hunt you down and kill you,_ " Genzo vowed as the memory returned to Sabaody.

"I'm sorry..." Luffy murmured softly as tears fell from his eyes.

Nami nearly fell to her knees hearing the failure in Luffy's voice.

Luffy suddenly rushed Kuma, not even bothering to use his Gears. Much like Sanji before him, he just didn't care anymore. When he got close, he attempted to punch Kuma with all his remaining power. It missed, since Kuma had disappeared again.

Zoro scowled as he watched everything. Kuma was purposely saving Luffy for last. The Warlord wanted Luffy to see all his friends vanish before his eyes. Whether Kuma was doing this to prove a point or out of actual cruelty he couldn't tell.

All he knew was that Kuma was making Luffy experience his worst nightmare and fear in a slow and merciless fashion. Even though Kuma wasn't aware of it, he was forcing Luffy relive the events of Omatsuri Island. Despite all of Kuma's mercy for saving them, he was indeed a tyrant.

Usopp gritted his teeth and glared at Kuma as hot tears ran down eyes. He may have saved their lives, but did he really have to do this to Luffy? Did he have to rub it in his captain's face that he could do nothing but watch his crew be torn apart?

Kuma now stood before Monster Chopper.

Chopper roared at the Warlord, completely unable to control himself. However, he hesitated to attack right away. It seemed that even as an out of control beast, the reindeer feared the bear Warlord.

Before long, Chopper moved in for an attack by pulling his hand up, ready to stomp the Warlord into the ground. Kuma did the same as Chopper approached him.

"Chopper!" Luffy screamed.

Without any effort, Monster Chopper was gone.

Luffy's eyes were wide and bloodshot as he watched another crewmate vanished. It looked like he would have broken down into tears at that very moment, but kept it together since he still had one crewmate left.

"Chopper..." Luffy whispered pitifully as choked sobs left his throat.

"Luffy..." Chopper wept alongside his captain.

None of the Strawhats, except for Zoro, had dry eyes. Even so, Zoro looked like he was on the verge of tears.

With Chopper gone, Kuma turned his full attention towards Robin. He slowly walked up towards the archaeologist, who could do nothing to stop him.

Luffy seemed too numb to save her as he stared blankly at the ground.

Robin backed away from Kuma before she broke into a full run, even though she knew that she could not escape. They had rarely seen Robin so scared.

"Stop it..." Luffy whispered in a broken voice. "Stop it...stop it...stop it! STOP IT! PLEASE, STOP THIS!" he pleaded as his voice escalated in volume.

The Strawhats looked at Luffy in surprise. He never pleaded with an enemy before. Not like this.

Luffy ran towards Robin just as Kuma raised his hand.

"Luffy!" Robin screamed as she looked at her captain.

"Robin!" Luffy shouted as he reached for her.

Robin also stretched out her hand, desperate to reach her captain. "Luffy!" she screamed in fear, something that was nearly unheard of from Robin. Luffy also saw tears just before she disappeared.

" _You won't be alone because your family is here now. You are one of us,_ " the echoes of Luffy's own voice said. " _I will always protect you, Robin_."

Robin felt like crying as she watched her captain break before her eyes.

With his final crewmate gone, the last of Luffy's resolved completely shattered. He fell to his knees and pounded the ground with his fists. He was crying and each sob sounded strained as if he was in physical pain. After a few seconds, he started to bang his head into the ground.

"What...what's...wrong with me...?" Luffy sobbed. He was barely able to form words. "Everyone...I couldn't even...save a single one of my friends...!" He continued to cry.

All the Strawhats joined him as they too cried and teared up beside their captain. They had all experienced this terrible day. The day in which they were utterly defeated. To see it all from beginning to end, however, hurt more than they could have ever imagined. They could only imagine the pain Luffy felt at this moment. They had all vanished before his eyes and he could do nothing to stop it. He must have felt that he had broken all of his promises to them.

It became even worse when they all remembered that Luffy was put through this once before already. To know that he had failed to save his crew not once, but twice would drive anyone into despair and shatter their spirit beyond recovery.

The memory flashed and the Strawhats saw a visage of the Baron staring smugly at Luffy.

" _One man cannot be a pirate alone and a captain who can't protect even one of his friends is worthless,_ " the phantom image of the Baron said coldly as he dissipated from the memory.

"So, are you going to send him away and be done with it?" Kizaru asked from some distance. "I hope you have a good explanation for this. This is a huge problem, you know?"

Rayleigh stood away and did nothing as he watched Luffy cry. There was nothing he could do now.

Luffy was only vaguely aware of any of this as Kuma's heavy footsteps reached his ears.

"We will never see them again," Kuma informed coldly.

Luffy lifted his head to glare hatefully at Kuma, but didn't move to attack the Warlord or even to defend himself. There was no point. He had already lost.

The Strawhats were disturbed to see that Luffy was kneeling on the ground in a way that resembled an execution.

Kuma lifted his hand, given Luffy a clear view of his paw palm. The paws seemed to glow in the fading afternoon's light. "Farewell," he said as he brought his hand down.

The memory faded back into the red mist and the Strawhats swore they heard something laugh.


	28. Island of Women

It took the Strawhats several minutes to pull themselves together after witnessing the memory of Sabaody. They were each remembering and reflecting on that terrible day. It all worked out for the best in the end, but the helplessness, pain, and grief of what Kuma, the Pacifista, and that admiral had done would remain with them forever. It was a bitter lesson that they would never forget.

The world suddenly began to shake, knocking the Strawhats out of their stupors.

"What's happening?" Chopper asked in fear as he grabbed Zoro's leg.

"An earthquake!" Brook exclaimed.

"Impossible, we're not exactly on the earth at the moment," Sanji said.

"This boy's soul is being consumed," a voice said.

The Strawhats looked to see the yellow ball of light that had brought them into their captain's mind.

Nami's eyes widened in fear. "Are we too late?"

"You still have time, but this boy is fading despite her best efforts to keep his will to live alive," the ball of light said. "His soul will die in a few hours if nothing is done."

"Her?" Nami questioned in confusion. "There's someone else helping Luffy?"

The ball of light said nothing.

"So, we are that close to sunrise," Robin said in a worried tone, seeing no point in questioning the ball of light at the moment.

"How many hours have gone by?" Usopp asked in thought. It felt like days has gone by.

"You have been within the boy's mind for a little over five hours," a ball of light stated. "At this moment, you have witnessed one part of the tragedy."

"One part?" Chopper asked.

"Of course, the events of Sabaody would be connected to what happened to Luffy during the war," Robin said. "Because of Kuma, Luffy was forced to endure his darkest moment alone."

"So, seeing how Luffy met and bonded with us was to make us understand the scope of what happened at Sabaody," Zoro concluded as he thought about everything that they had seen. "He gave everything, including his health and mental wellbeing, to ensure that he could protect us and he completely failed."

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"Luffy fought Warlords, got involved in a civil war, battled rival pirates, climbed an ice mountain in a blizzard, developed his Gears that risk his own life, put his pride aside, and even challenged the government of the world to protect us," Robin said softly. "To have all his victories be rendered meaningless in a span of a few minutes would break almost anyone."

"But we lived and we came back stronger than ever," Usopp argued. "Not to mention that whole thing with the Baron."

"Which is why this was only part of the tragedy," Sanji stated as he lit a cigarette. "Our defeat at Sabaody was only the beginning."

"Also, Luffy defeated the Baron and saved us through his own strength and will with the help of Brief and the Teacup Pirates," Nami pointed out. "He didn't get that at Sabaody. We only survive because of Kuma's mercy. If Kuma wanted to, he could have killed us all that day, or we could have been murdered by the admiral's men and Luffy could do nothing to stop them."

"Correct," the ball of light said. "You all have already seen much, but there is still more to be seen."

"Then take us there," Zoro said impatiently. Time was short.

The ball of light was silent for a moment. "This is your very last chance to leave. If you fail, you all will cease to exist alongside the boy. You can still turn back and save yourselves."

"We've already answered that," Nami said firmly. "We're not leaving this place until we save our captain."

"Even if you see and understand everything, you still may not be able to reach him," the ball of light warned. "His pain may have become too powerful for him to overcome."

"We won't know that until we try," Brook said with some heat. "Luffy-san has never given up on any of us, no matter the personal risk. Who are _we_ not to risk the same for _him_?"

All the Strawhats nodded in agreement. Not one of them even considered turning back.

"I see. She was right about all of you," the ball of light said as the mist enveloped them. "If your bond is truly strong as she said, you may yet succeed and break the curse of this island," it said as its voice faded into the mist.

The mist soon shifted and the Strawhats found themselves on an island that none of them had ever seen before. It looked like some kind of jungle island, given the tropical trees and the seemly humid environment.

"Where are we?" Usopp asked.

"I assume this is the island that Luffy was blasted to," Robin said.

As if on cue, Luffy landed only a few feet in front of them. He bounced for a moment as Kuma's pad bubble busted, leaving Luffy unharmed on the ground. He was lying face up in a shallow crater that was in the shape of a paw.

Luffy himself looked worn out as he lay in the hole, staring blankly into the sky. He seemed close to simply passing out. He slowly sat up and dully took in his surroundings.

"I survived..." Luffy muttered. He was silent for a few seconds. "Doesn't seem that I survived because I'm rubber, but what's this thing that looks like a bear's paw?" He finally stood up and dusted himself.

From Luffy's back, a giant warthog appeared. The animal was easily the size of a baby elephant.

"What a big pig," Zoro said casually.

"I bet I could make some good ham out of him," Sanji said in though. Damn, was he hungry.

"I hope everyone else is safe like this too," Luffy said, not noticing the warthog at all. By the way the warthog was drooling, it obviously saw Luffy as its dinner. "Anyway, I got to get back!"

The warthog attempted to chomp Luffy's head off, but Luffy moved out of its way, although he was still completely unaware of the animal.

"Where is this place?" Luffy asked as he looked around.

The warthog attempted to eat him again, but Luffy dodged, still unaware.

"And which way is Sabaody Archipelago?" Luffy questioned out loud.

The warthog tried to eat him again, but Luffy somehow sat down at just the right moment to avoid the beast. The warthog apparently bit down a little too hard on its last attempt and broke some of its teeth.

"I'm starting to feel sorry for that pig," Nami muttered.

"Oh right!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed as he pulled out a sheet of paper from his shorts pocket. "I've got the Vivre Card! I'm so relieved that everyone got one! Alright, we can return! Anyway, I'm going back there!"

"I'm surprised he remembered the Vivre Card so quickly," Usopp mused.

"I'm sure I'll meet the others," Luffy said as he laid the Vivre Card flat in his hand. It began to move. "That way, huh?"

Luffy ran in that direction with the warthog right behind him. The animal still wanted to eat him apparently. Luffy kept running until he literally ran into a dead end.

"You moron," Nami, Usopp, and Sanji said at the same time as they sweat-dropped.

"He must have been blindly running," Robin observed with a note of humor.

Luffy gave cried of pain before he fell off the wall. "Nah, it doesn't hurt, but what's that? Damn, a dead end."

The warthog finally caught up with Luffy, although it was now worn out.

Luffy continued to not notice the animal as he looked at his Vivre Card. "But the card is pointing to the other side of this cliff," Luffy said as he stood up. "Right." He bit his thumb and used his Third Gear Pistol to punch the mountain that blocked his path.

He put a nice sized hole in the mountain's face, but it did nothing else. The warthog, however, was freaked-out by what it just saw.

"Didn't work, huh?" a now shrunken Luffy said as he fell exhausted on the forest's floor. "I have no strength left. Sanji, food!" he yelled instinctually. It took him a second to realize what he had just said. "Even if I say it, he's not here, huh." His voice sounded completely broken at that moment.

Sanji felt both touched and a little annoyed. He was touched that his captain missed him, but annoyed that he seemed to only miss him for the food. What was he, his butler?

The warthog, finally realizing that he was out of his league, began to slowly back away from the shrunken rubberman. It stepped on a branch, which got Luffy's attention. He stared at the warthog for several seconds, and then Luffy was the one drooling.

The memory skipped for a moment and the Strawhats saw Luffy resting against a tree trunk with a fat stomach and the warthog's skeleton charred in the background.

"Well, who didn't see this ending?" Zoro said dryly.

"Once again, I feel sorry for that pig," Nami said as she rubbed her head.

"This reminds me of the past. Back when gramps threw me into the jungle..." Luffy said almost dreamily before suddenly stopping himself in mid-sentence.

The memory broke for a moment like there was going to be another flashback. As fast as it happened, the memory swiftly reformatted itself.

"I don't want to remember that," Luffy said as he cringed at the thought.

"That must have been one terrible jungle if Luffy is still traumatized years later," Sanji mused.

"I want to see it," Robin with a note of disappointment.

Now that he was fed, Luffy started to wonder the forest aimlessly. There didn't seem to be anyone around, save for the random tropical birds.

"Anyway, it sure is quiet around here," Luffy said as he looked up into the tall trees, allowing the sunlight to bathe his face. He lowered his head and his face became blank. It looked like he was remembering something and his eyes became a little moist.

The Strawhats knew Luffy well enough to know by his subtle facial expressions that he was thinking of his crew.

"He's alone," Zoro suddenly said.

"What was that, Zoro?" Brook asked.

"For the first time since he had started his journey to become the Pirate King, he is truly alone," Zoro explained.

All the Strawhats reflected on the swordsman's words.

"I know the feeling. When I was trapped on my island I was so lonely that it hurts," Chopper said softly. "I even had dreams so real that I thought I was back with you guys."

"I think we all experienced that," Usopp mummer. Even with Heracles around to keep him company and alive, he still dearly missed his crew.

Luffy's face suddenly changed as he walked over to a nearby tree that had several strange mushrooms growing around it.

"Huh, what's Luffy doing?" Franky asked.

"Looks like he's looking at mushroom," Sanji said. Something told him that this was going to end badly.

"Aren't these laughing mushrooms?" Luffy asked out loud.

"What, there's no such thing!" Nami exclaimed.

"Actually, there are," Chopper said, happy for the change in subject. "They're known as psilocybin mushrooms in the medical world. Among most common people, they are called _shrooms_ , or magic mushrooms in some cultures."

Robin nodded. "Psilocybin mushrooms have been used in rituals in many cultures because of their mind altering effect. According to them, shrooms were the portal to another world."

Chopper got a closer look at the mushrooms Luffy was staring at. "Luffy's right, these are a type of psilocybin mushrooms known as laughing mushroom by some people. It gives a person a high by inducing a false sense of happiness."

"Okay, but how the hell does Luffy know what they are?" Sanji asked. As a cook, he knew about mushrooms and even _he_ had never heard of these laughing mushrooms.

The question was left hanging as Luffy picked up one of the mushrooms. He had a huge grin on his face.

"Right, this is exactly what I need right now!" Luffy proclaimed before he ate the entire mushroom eagerly.

"Did he just eat one of those mushrooms!?" Usopp exclaimed.

Once Luffy swallowed, he began to laugh uncontrollably as he clapped his hands together like a drunken seal. "I'm suddenly having fun! Even though I'm alone!" More mushrooms caught his attention. "There're strange ones growing over here too!" He ate several of them, which made him angry. This caused Luffy to eat more laughing mushrooms. After that, he ate more strange mushrooms that completely altered his mood.

Within moments, Luffy was consuming mushrooms at an alarming pace while all the while talking about the mood they put him in. The memory itself started to fragment and turned into a collage of bright, saturated colors that were mostly red, orange, and blue with a splash of purple. Even the shapes around the Strawhats bent and twisted as Luffy consumed more mushrooms.

"What the hell?" Sanji muttered.

"What's happening to Luffy's memory?" Usopp asked, becoming more than a little unnerved by what was happening.

Franky began to laugh. "Well, for the lack of better words, Luffy is tripping."

"What?" Nami asked, not familiar with the slang.

"Luffy is currently high off of mushrooms and is not connected to reality at the moment," Robin explained with note of humor. "He ate all of those mushrooms quickly to put himself into a state of euphoria."

"So in other words, Luffy has gotten himself high," Zoro muttered.

"As a kite," Franky chuckled. "Who would had guessed our innocent little Luffy knew anything about speedballing."

"When did Luffy learn such a thing?" Brook asked as the memory broke further apart. It was beginning to look like a lava lamp.

"Something tells me he learned a lot of questionable stuff when he was at Goa," Nami murmured. She blamed Ace for this.

"He shouldn't eat mushrooms like that. One of them could be poisonous and eating too many psilocybin mushrooms can make you sick," Chopper said in concern.

The memory finally scrambled to the point of being an incomprehensible mess before it went completely black.

"Well...that was strange," Usopp said. "This is why I don't eat mushrooms."

The memory reformatted itself and the Strawhats were standing in a glassy plain in what looked like the middle of nowhere.

"Huh, did we change locations?" Franky asked in confusion as he glanced around. They were definitely _not_ on the same island.

Robin rubbed her chin. "But that does not make any sense."

Music got their attention and the Strawhats turned to see a very odd sight. Under a large oak tree were Chopper and Brook. The musician was playing on a black grand piano along with Chopper directing him like a conductor. Chopper was even wearing a fancy three-piece suit.

That wasn't the odd part, however. What stood out as very wrong was that three frogs and three yellow birds were singing along with Brook, a baboon was playing a base violin, and a monkey was playing a violin.

For the lack of better words, the sight left all the Strawhats speechless for several seconds.

"I...I don't remember this..." Brook said slowly, breaking the awkward silence. He doesn't even own that suit.

"Umm...I think Luffy's hallucinating," Nami surmised as she sweat-dropped.

"Psilocybin mushroom do have that effect," Chopper said as he also sweat-dropped.

Sanji looked over to his side and saw himself wearing a full chef's outfit with Nami baking a giant cherry cake with white frosting. He would have been happy by the sight if the scene wasn't made so surreal by the presence of a giant blue bear holding an umbrella over Nami's head and a squirrel eating pieces of the cake.

Zoro saw himself playing Xiangqi against Robin on one of the far sides of the island. Even in this hallucination dream world, Robin was naturally kicking his butt. What made the scene kind of funny to the swordsman was that a huge brown and white dog was angry with him losing so badly. He briefly wondered why Luffy would think he would know how to even play Xiangqi.

"Oh, that's so super!" Franky suddenly exclaimed when he saw his hallucinated-self building what looked like mechanical armor for a long neck sheep along with Usopp.

Usopp looked at the mechanical sheep and smiled. "That's kind of awesome." The armor was fitted with several guns, two of which looked like bazookas.

"We so need to build that!" Franky yelled as he mentally made plans.

"Luffy dreams of the strangest things," Nami mummer as she took in everything.

"Hey, guys!" Luffy yelled happily as he ran towards his crew, completely unaware of how bizarre everything was. He was wearing a dress shirt with a red and white striped tie and black shorts.

"Luffy-san, I have a new song that I've made," Brook said as he stopped playing. "It's called _We Are!_ Want to hear it?"

Luffy smiled. "Sure!"

"Okay then!" Chopper yelled as he tapped his baton against the music stand, getting Brook and the musician animals' attention. He got everyone in position and they began to play their song.

Despite none of the Strawhats ever hearing this song before in any form and they had no idea how Luffy's mind even came up with an original song in its drug induced state, it was very catchy and upbeat.

"This is a good song," Brook said as he took out his guitar and mimicked the tone. He wanted to remember it so he could play it for Luffy once they had rescued him.

"Looks like creativity really do goes up when under the influence of drugs," Franky laughed.

Sanji rubbed his forehead and sighed. "How long are we going to be stuck in this shitty captain's drug-induced imagination?"

Luffy walked towards a table filled with many different types of food and began to drool. He stopped short, however, when he saw who was at the table eating.

"Ace!" Luffy yelled happily.

The Strawhats saw that it was indeed Ace sitting at the table eating a mountain of food.

"Hey, Luffy!" Ace greeted with his mouth full.

"When did you get here?" Luffy asked as he walked towards his older brother.

Ace swallowed his food. "Well, that's the thing Luffy, I'm not here."

Luffy blinked in confusion. "Huh? But you're sitting right there."

Ace gave a huge smile. "You're hallucinating. None of what you're seeing is real." He sighed. "I've told you about eating strange things."

"Huh, really?" Luffy asked in disbelief as a turtle that was so big that it had trees growing out of its shell walked behind him. Also, a seagull the size of an eagle flew over Luffy's head.

Ace tapped his fingers against the table. Behind him a red locomotive that had Merry's head chugged by and Zoro walked by while holding a tower of different flavored ice creams in his hands. "If you weren't hallucinating, your cook wouldn't be cross-dressing."

There was a pregnant paused as everyone took in Ace's words.

"What?" Luffy asked flatly.

"Look behind you," Ace said as he pointed his folk behind Luffy.

Luffy turned around to see Sanji holding a huge tray of meat in his hands. For the first time ever it wasn't the meat that got Luffy's attention. Sanji was wearing a pink dress that was decorated in frills and had a low cut, showing off his hairless chest. He was also wearing heavy eyeliner and lipstick, along with a powder foundation across his face. His nails were even painted. Sanji actually looked like an Okama, even more so than Bon Clay.

Luffy stared wide mouthed at Sanji, unable to move or even blink. It was exactly the same look he gave when he saw the true form of Lily Carnation.

"Luffy-kun, I made you a fresh stack of meat. Just for _you_ ," Sanji said as he winked at Luffy.

Despite all the weird things going on around him, this was the final straw for Luffy. He gave a loud, piercing scream of absolute terror along with Chopper, Brook, Sanji, Franky, and Usopp. At that moment, the image went black and there was nothingness.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Sanji screamed after the 'memory' had faded. His heart was thudding in his chest from the horror he had just witness.

"My eyes!" Usopp screamed as he frantically rubbed his eyes and fell to his knees. No matter how hard he tried, the mental image of Sanji as an Okama wouldn't go away. There were no monsters, no ghosts, no zombies, or evil plants but that dream was one of the scariest things he had even seen.

"So scary!" Chopper squeaked.

"That...that's going to give me nightmares," Zoro muttered as he closed his eye. At that moment, he wished that he had his other eye ripped out. Being blind for the rest of his life was preferable to ever seeing his rival in a dress.

"I think we can officially call that a bad trip," Franky said as he attempted to banished Okama Sanji out of his mind. He needed to make something that could do a memory wipe. He didn't think whiskey or rum would be strong enough.

"That shitty rubber head! How dare he have a dream like that about me!" Sanji yelled in fury as he caught on fire.

What really upset him was that Luffy's hallucination did come true. It was a moment that would stay with him for all eternity and he didn't want Robin-chan and Nami-san to be haunted by that image of him. He was a man, dammit! He was so going to burn Luffy alive for this.

"My, my, what an interesting imagination Luffy has," Robin said in humor. Truthfully, even she was caught off-guard and felt her heart jump for a second.

Nami blinked several times, not quite believing what she just saw. "We need to get out of Luffy's mind soon before we all go insane." She was going to need a drink after that.

All the Strawhats, even Robin, nodded in agreement.

The next real memory came, but everything was blurry like Luffy was looking through dirty water. It was obvious that Luffy was only semi-conscious.

"What's wrong now?" Nami asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Where did she come from?" someone asked. Luffy's hearing was so faded that the Strawhats could barely hear the person.

"Is she still alive?" another person asked.

"Sounds like the natives of the island found Luffy," Robin said.

Chopper frowned in worry. "What's wrong with Luffy?" Was one of those mushrooms poisonous?

"She ate the Mushrooms-Growing-On-Your-Body mushroom," someone said.

"Huh, what kind of mushroom is that? Is that even real?" Franky asked.

"I've never heard of it," Chopper said as he mentally took note.

"Belladonna, what should we do?" the person asked.

"Pull them off by hand. Remove all of them one by one," the person named Belladonna answered.

"We can pull them off!?" two people exclaimed in surprise.

There was a shifting noise, but none of the Strawhats could really see what was happening.

"It's true, but the roots are still there," someone said.

"We'll deal with that afterwards, so don't worry about the roots," Belladonna assured.

Several minutes went by with the Strawhats only hearing noises and looking at an extremely blurry image.

"Margaret, you sure brought a strange one here," someone suddenly said.

"She was half dead," the person that the Strawhats assumed was Margaret answered. "She could have been from the village, so I had no choice."

"Why do they keep calling Luffy 'she'?" Usopp asked. He knew that Luffy didn't have a muscular figure, but he was never mistaken for a girl.

"It is interesting," Robin said in thought.

"That's the last one!" Margaret declared.

"Then stand back for a moment," Belladonna ordered.

The Strawhats heard what sounded like a match being struck and a tint of orange from the corner of the memory. Before they knew what was going on, the memory lit up and Luffy was now fully awake, making the scene clear. Which wasn't surprising given that their captain was currently on fire.

The crew watched in shock as Luffy jumped around and screamed in pain as the flames consumed him.

"I'M ON FIRE! PUT ME OUT!" Luffy screamed in panic.

"They set him on fire!" Usopp exclaimed when he found his voice.

Nami put her hand to her mouth. "Are they trying to kill him!?"

"They saved him from mushrooms only to burn him alive?" Zoro questioned in disbelief.

Chopper's mouth dropped as he thought of all the second and third degree burns that Luffy would have.

Luffy continued to scream in pain as the fire engulfed him before the memory went blank again.

"Is Luffy-san alright?" Brook asked in worry.

"Being set on fire isn't the worst thing that has happened to Luffy," Sanji said with a smile. He felt satisfied knowing that Luffy had suffered for putting him in a dress. He needed to thank those people.

"It looks like she's not from the village after all, Sweetpea," a faded voice said. It sounded like Margaret.

There were sounds of water flowing and what sounded like some kind of crowd chatting.

There was a grunting sound. "Hey, look at this!"

"What's wrong?" Margaret asked in concern.

There was a squashy sound. It sounded like a rubber ball being squeezed.

"There's another mushroom here! We must have overlooked it!" Sweetpea exclaimed. "The saga of 'There was Another Left'!"

There was a soft blowing noise.

"But this one has a different shape from the rest of them," Margaret said in confusion. "It got a strange shape."

"Oh, there's something underneath them too," Sweetpea said in surprise. There was another loud squishy sound.

"That doesn't sound like mushroom," Chopper noted as he attempted to remember all the poisonous ones from his medical books.

"What is this? Ball-Mushrooms?" Sweetpea asked in bafflement.

"Ball mushrooms? What the hell is a..." Franky started to ask before his eyes widened in realization. "Oh..."

Nami also paled as she reached the same conclusion as Franky. "Don't tell me they..."

Zoro smiled despite himself. "Looks like those people have never seen a pair of balls before."

Nami began to blush. "Don't say that so bluntly."

The rest of the Strawhats were just left silent.

"The saga of 'Whatever It Is, We have to Remove It'," Sweetpea concluded.

Usopp's mouth dropped. "They're going to..."

Sanji gritted his teeth at the thought. No man deserved to lose their manhood. Especially over something so stupid, not even his shit-brained captain.

"Alright!" Sweetpea yelled.

There was a loud tugging sound followed by the sound of stretching and grunted.

"It's not coming off! It's stretching!" Sweetpea yelled as the pulling sound became more frantic.

Robin smiled. "Oh, so it does stretch."

This made Nami blushed even deeper.

"This...sounds a bit too suggestive," Franky muttered.

There was more grunting and stretching, but Luffy's manhood refused to be removed.

"How is Luffy not feeling this?" Usopp asked in disbelief. Rubber or not, it must hurt to have his privates yanked around like that.

"It's not working..." Sweetpea huffed in defeat.

"Maybe Aphelandra can get if off," Margaret suggested.

"What, me?" someone with a soft, sweet voice answered.

"If you pull as hard as you can, it should come off, right?" someone said.

"This is painful to hear," Franky said.

Chopper put his hooves to his mouth and teared up. "They're going to tear it off!"

"He's rubber, so he should be fine," Zoro said in his usual dry manner.

"I suppose another reason why Luffy should be thankful for his ability," Sanji said as he smoked his cigarette.

"No," another person said. "If we cannot get it off, then we should just burn the mushroom off like Belladonna did earlier!"

All the Strawhat men gasped in horror.

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Sweetpea yelled.

"NO IT ISN'T!" Usopp, Chopper, Franky, and Brook yelled together.

Zoro began to pale.

Thankfully for Luffy his ability to ever have children was saved when someone approached the people taking care of him.

"What's going on here?" someone asked.

"Oh, Elder Nyon!" Margaret exclaimed. "We can't get rid of this mushroom stuck to this girl's body."

"Wait, wait, who is that?" Nyon asked. She hummed to herself before she gasped in shock. "No need to worry. This is a man!"

There were several gasps of shock, disbelief, and surprise before all sound stopped.

"Whoever that woman was, Luffy should be thanking her," Sanji said slowly. "Otherwise, he would have been a girl."

Zoro said nothing. Where the hell did Kuma send Luffy?

The memory returned and the Strawhats could see again. Luffy was sitting up in some type of bed and there were people talking, but the Strawhats couldn't make out what was being said.

Luffy looked dazed, like one waking up from drinking too much. He didn't seem to remember dreaming about Okama Sanji, being set on fire, or nearly losing his male identity. Most likely, he blocked all of those memories to keep his sanity, or it was aftereffect of eating those mushrooms.

"What's going on? It's so noisy," Luffy complained as he attempted to clear his head.

"He spoke!" someone exclaimed.

Luffy blinked as he realized that he didn't recognize his surroundings. "Where am I? What was I doing?" He took him a moment to remember. "Right, we were separated on the Sabaody Archipelago!"

The crowd's murmurs began to become louder.

"Who are those people looking at Luffy?" Brook asked. The memory was still too fuzzy to clearly see anything.

"Most likely the people who attempted to de-ball him earlier," Nami answered almost dryly. Luffy really does end up in the strangest places.

Luffy climbed out of bed and the Strawhats quickly realized that their captain was covered in bandages and nothing else. He was naked with his manhood clearly visible to all.

Nami instinctually turned her head. Her face went red in embarrassment while Sanji's face went red in anger.

Robin kept a neutral face, but made sure that her eyes did not travel downwards. It was not because she was ashamed or embarrassed since she had no problem seeing Luffy naked. It was out of respect for her captain that she did not look.

"That shitty moron, what does he think he's doing?" Sanji growled. "How dare he flash Nami-san and Robin-chan."

"Why didn't they replace Luffy's clothes? They could have given him a gown at least," Chopper said, not at all bothered.

As the ship's doctor and as an animal, seeing Luffy in the raw didn't concern him. Although, he did understand that it was common courtesy for humans to cover themselves, even if Luffy himself didn't care so much.

"Well, he wouldn't be the first one to wake up naked and in an unknown bed after a good high," Franky said nonchalantly, causing Nami to blush even deeper. "He did more or less get a hand job earlier."

This made Nami blush so brightly that it looked like she had a fever.

Sanji growled at the cyborg. "Don't say such vulgar things in front of Nami-san!"

Chopper didn't get the implications.

"I don't think seeing Sanji in a dress defines a good high," Usopp muttered, shivering at the mental image.

"I can't remember anything that happened after I ate that mushroom," Luffy said as he reached for his head. He quickly realized that something important was missing. "Ah, my hat's gone!" He looked up and finally realized he had an audience.

With the memory now completely clear, the Strawhats could see that Luffy was surrounded by women. They all stood in front of what looked like prison a cell and they were all gawking at Luffy.

Sanji's eyes immediately turned to hearts and he spun around in joy. "So many beautiful ladies, it's like Fishmen Island!" He fell to his knees and began to tear up. "This must be heaven! Thank you God!"

"That would explain why they didn't know Luffy was a male," Nami said in thought, ignoring Sanji.

Franky laughed harder. "So, he wakes up with no memory, naked in a stranger's bed, and is surrounding by women while he's inside a jail cell. Man, Luffy really is a hood!"

"I remember now. Luffy did say he was taken to an island of women," Robin said.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Usopp said. How could he forget something like that?

This literally set Sanji on fire as he jumped back to his feet. "That shitty rubber bastard! I was blasted to the depths of hell, while that undeserving barbarian was sent to heaven!"

"Sounds like perfect justice to me, love cook," Zoro said with a huge grin on his face. Something told him that he was going to enjoy the rest of this memory.

"There it is!" Luffy exclaimed when he spotted his hat on top of one of the women's heads. "Give it back, you bastard!"

Without waiting for a reaction, Luffy stretched his arm and reclaimed his hat, startling all the women.

"What's with his body!?" one of the women yelled.

Luffy was too happy to have his precious hat back to care about their reactions. "Thank you!"

"Men can stretch their arms!" a woman exclaimed in shock and awe as she took notes. "What a surprise! I have to write this down!"

"Have these women ever seen a men before?" Nami asked in mild disbelief.

"Doubtful," Robin answered. "If the rumors and stories are true about the island of women, most of the women here would have never seen a man before in their lives. Which is why they thought Luffy was a girl and had a mushroom on his privates."

Nami started to blush again.

"So, Luffy is the representation of all men to them," Usopp said dryly.

"Those poor ladies will be traumatized for life," Sanji said with tears in his eyes. "That bastard bear should have sent _me_ there to give those women a proper idea of what a man is."

"Then they will _really_ hate our species," Zoro said.

This quickly got the cook and the swordsman trading blows.

Brook started to laugh. "Those women are in for a rare treat being with Luffy-san. Although, I wish I could have been blasted here to witness all the lovely panties."

"Hey, what's your name?" the woman taking notes asked.

"Huh, I'm Luffy," he answered before he slowly looked down at himself. His eyes widened in surprise. "Ah, I'm naked!"

"You just now realized that!?" almost all the Strawhat yelled.

"So dense!" the women also exclaimed.

"It's cold, what happened to my clothes?" Luffy asked.

"Men are so dense. He would rather cover his head than his body," someone said.

Usopp rubbed his forehead. "They really do think Luffy represents all men."

"Damn you, Luffy! Stop making us look bad!" Sanji screamed, still on fire.

One of the younger looking women with short blond hair knelt before Luffy. She stared intensely at Luffy's privates with her mouth hanging opened.

"Um, before putting on some clothes...what do you have inside those sack between your legs?" the woman asked as she pointed to Luffy's neither region.

The male Strawhats, save for Chopper and Sanji, had to put their hands over their mouths to keep from laughing. Even Zoro had to fight off a snicker.

Nami blushed an even deeper shade of red, while Robin had a smile on her face.

Luffy looked down at his manhood before he straightening up and crossing his arms. "You don't know what these are? You're weird. These are my family jewels!"

Usopp slapped his forehead. "Really, Luffy..."

"Family...jewels," the woman said slowly.

"Family jewels," another woman repeated in awe.

Several other women also repeated the words.

"What do you mean, family jewels?" the blond-haired asked in confusion.

"Well, they're jewels, of course!" Luffy proclaimed proudly.

When he said that, all the women looked at Luffy's balls like they held the greatest treasure in the world. They were all in awe of the jewels that must be inside those sacks.

"Amazing, men have jewels down there!?" the blond lady exclaimed in disbelief and awe.

"Gorgeous! Those balls are that valuable!?" all the women shouted in unison.

By this time, all the male Strawhats were roaring in laughter. No one, not even Sanji, could contain their laughter and some of them were on the ground.

"Damn you, Luffy..." Sanji said between his laugher. He wanted to be angry, but he just couldn't do it given how dense Luffy was being.

The normally calm Robin was also laughing loudly. She was laughing so hard that tears were forming on the edge of her eyes.

Nami turned a deeper shade of red and put her hand over her eyes. "Dammit Luffy! Why did you have to used that term of all things!?"

"Can you take those family jewels off and show them to us?" the blond woman asked excitedly as she and several of her friends held out their hands eagerly.

"YOU THINK I CAN TAKE THEM OFF!? ARE YOU PLANNING TO KILL ME!?" MORON!" Luffy screamed to the top of his lungs with his eyes budging out.

This sent the Strawhats into another laughing fit.

"I...I…I can't breathe..." Usopp gasped between laughter.

"Bro is going to kill us over here!" Franky exclaimed before he howled back into laughter.

"At this rate, I might laugh myself to death," Brook laughed before he paused. "Although, I have no life to be able to laugh off!" He laughed even louder.

"Well, here are your clothes," the blond-haired lady said as they handed Luffy his vest and some shorts. "Your old ones were all tattered, so we made some new ones in the same shape."

"Oh, sorry about that!" Luffy exclaimed as he gratefully took the clothes. "Thanks! I don't know you, but still..."

"I'm sure you're like them," the blond woman said with a smile.

Once Luffy put on the clothes, his face went from joy to that of utter horror. The clothes were indeed in the same shape of his old clothes, but there was one major different. His vest was covered in frills with decorated flowers and circles on them. It looked like something Nami would buy.

"You..." Luffy muttered. He looked close to tears as he looked at his vest.

"I put some sexy flower-frills on them," the blond woman said proudly.

"You really need frills for traveling clothes. I would expect no less from you Margaret," the woman with the notepad said.

"He's so happy that he's shaking," a woman with a husky voice said.

The Strawhats were, once again, rolling on the ground with laughter. This time, even Nami couldn't hold back. She had to support herself on Robin to keep herself from falling over.

"Luffy looks so cute in that," Robin said as she chucked at the scene. She had not laughed this hard in years.

"I didn't know Luffy was that self-conscious of what he wore," Nami said in-between giggles. Damn, she wished she had a camera. She knew Luffy could never be blackmailed, but it would still be worth having that photo.

"He's not, but even he has limits," Zoro said, trying to control his laughter. Dammit, his chest hurt.

Sanji also snickered sadistically. "That what you get for going to heaven instead of me, shitty captain."

Luffy collapsed onto the floor with his head completely down. Apparently, the shock of his new clothes was too great for him.

"He's bowing his head in gratitude!" someone yelled.

Luffy slowly stood back up and his entire body shook in rage before he slammed one of his hands against the metal bars. "QUIT SCREWING WITH ME! I'M A MAN, YOU KNOW!"

Luffy's proclamation of manhood would have most likely sent the Strawhats into another laughing bout if all the women at his prison weren't suddenly pointed arrows at him.

"Prepare to shoot!" someone yelled.

"Well, the mood changed fast here," Zoro said.

"Like any typical woman," Franky said, earning a smack from Nami.

"What!?" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.

"He's so ferocious!" someone yelled. "This must be his true nature!"

"He showed no respect for saving his life and is screaming out in anger!" another woman shouted.

"He got such a fiery temperament!" a woman proclaimed.

"I've been listening to you all along and there wasn't even the slightest bit of dignity in your words!" the obvious leader of the group shouted. "As I thought, we will never be able to get along!"

Luffy was completely taken off-guard by this turn of events.

"But Kikyo, I would feel sorry for him to be killed over something like this!" one of the bigger ladies yelled to her leader.

"Hey, wait a second! You saved my life?" Luffy asked. "What happened? Please tell me!"

"You ate a poisonous mushroom and fainted," a woman explained before she pointed to the girl named Margaret and the bigger woman. "These girls saved you."

"I knew one of those mushrooms were poisonous!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Oh, so that's what happened," Luffy said with a grateful smile. "Thanks a lot, you!"

"That's no way to say thank you to a lady!" Sanji yelled furiously.

"Sorry I complained, but could you please not shoot me?" Luffy asked politely.

"Excuses or apologizes won't work!" Kikyo yelled. "This is the kingdom of women, Amazon Lily! This place is off-limits to men! We have upheld this absolute law for hundreds of years! That rule has never been broken though our entire history!"

"Then why bother saving him to begin with? They could have just murdered him when they learned that he was a man," Zoro asked as he watched the scene.

"Most likely they could not bring themselves to kill a defenseless person," Robin surmised.

"Sounds plausible," Nami said.

"Kingdom of women?" Luffy repeated.

"Now that you've regained consciousness we will not show any sympathy for you!" Kikyo exclaimed.

"It's true! Looking carefully, you're all women!" Luffy exclaimed in awe.

"You just now realized that!?" all the male Strawhats, except Brook, yelled.

"I shall put a stop to those ridiculous comments of yours!" Kikyo proclaimed.

"Hey, do we have to kill him?" the tallest woman asked.

"Aphelandra!" Kikyo yelled. "We have to dispose of this person before the Snake Princess returns! She would never allow him to stay! You, who brought the man to the village, would be considered criminals as well!" She glanced to her side. "Margaret, Sweetpea, Aphelandra, this is for your sake. It would be better to cover up this entire incident."

"Wait up! Please, let me go!" Luffy yelled. "I've got to go to the place where I promised to meet my crew!"

"Release your arrows!" Kikyo ordered.

In less than a second, dozens of arrows were flying right for Luffy. When they hit the bars, there was a huge explosion.

"What kind of arrows are those!?" Franky yelled in shock. "Did they put gunpowder or something in them?"

"They've been embedded with Haki, I'm sure of it," Sanji said.

Before the smoked cleared, Luffy used his powers to kick the roof of his prison and jumped through the hole he had made.

"Don't let him run away!" someone screamed as Luffy landed on the roof.

Luffy took this as his cue to run as all of the amazon women chased him.

"How cute. Luffy has women chasing him everywhere," Franky teased. "Our captain has certainly grown up."

Sanji growled as his jealousy grew. It should've been him being chased by dozens of women, not his stupid, asexual captain. He was going to kill that shitty bear.

"This entire situation is weird," Nami muttered.

Luffy continued to run along the roofs as the women constantly shot at him with arrows.

"Those arrows sure have a lot of destructive power!" Luffy yelled as he ran for his life.

Luffy quickly used his power to pull himself higher to escape the enraged women. To his surprise, the largest lady, named Aphelandra, cut him off in mid-air.

"Pretty fast for such a huge woman," Usopp said.

"Sorry I saved you," Aphelandra said in a sweet voice as Luffy ran right into her breasts, causing him to bounce off. Aphelandra then slapped him downwards.

Because of Luffy's ability, he kept bouncing like a rubber ball away from his attackers.

"Well, what should I do now?" Luffy asked himself as he bounced around avoiding all the arrows shot at him.

He managed to get himself running again and for the next ten or so minutes the Strawhats were treated to montage of Luffy trying to escape the village and being nearly killed by women.

"That bastard rubberman is so lucky," Sanji said near tears. "Having all those lovely ladies chase him..."

"Who're trying to kill him," Usopp pointed out.

Somewhere during the montage, Luffy realized that he no longer had his Vivre Card.

"Pops' paper was in the front pocket of my shorts!" Luffy yelled as he jumped into the air and began to search for someone. "There she is!" he suddenly exclaimed when he spotted Margaret.

He quickly stretched his arm and grabbed Margaret before she could escape. Luffy landed next to her once he had her securely wrapped in his rubbery arms.

"We can't talk here!" Luffy yelled as he jumped again with Margaret in his arms. "Sorry, but I got to ask you something!"

"Let me go, help!" Margaret screamed as Luffy jumped up the nearest mountain.

Luffy hopped off the other side of the mountain and fell at least five-hundred feet. The entire time, Margaret was screaming in terror as Luffy laughed.

"That shit head! Treat a lady better!" Sanji screamed in rage.

"Gum Gum Balloon!" Luffy yelled as he sucked air into his lungs and inflated his body. He used the cushion of air to soften his landing and keep Margaret from dying from the impact.

Luffy casually dusted himself off while Margaret attempted to regain her senses. She was sweating all over and looked like she just had a near-death experience.

"Hey, are you hurt?" Luffy asked Margaret with a note of concern.

Margaret immediately pulled out a long knife. "Don't come any closer! You just...inflated yourself, right!?" She was shaking badly as she looked up the mountain they just jumped from. "What were you thinking jumping from there!? I was prepared to die! It's a miracle that we survived!"

"Really?" Luffy asked cheeringly as he turned towards Margaret.

"Stay away!" Margaret screamed, stopping Luffy.

Luffy raised his hands in submission. "I'm not going to do anything."

Margaret slowly stood up while still holding her knife. "I've heard that you men carry some sort of virus! Can all men become fat like you!?"

"I don't have any virus and it's a pain to explain, so let's just say that all men can get fat like that!" Luffy said.

"Sheesh, thanks Luffy," Sanji said in annoyance. "Let all the women think we're freaks like you."

"Anyway, in my front pocket of the shorts I was wearing before, was there anything in it?" Luffy urged.

Margaret gave him a surprised look.

"It's something really important!" Luffy came close to shouting.

Margaret stared at him for a few seconds longer before she put her knife down and reached into her clothes. She gently pulled out a piece of paper. "You mean this?"

Luffy ran up to the woman and happily grabbed her hand. "This...this is it! Thank god! I didn't know what I would do if I lost it!"

Margaret was shocked by his reaction.

"Thank you for holding it!" Luffy yelled gratefully.

Margaret broke away from Luffy's grip and ran some distance away from him.

Luffy was too happy to have the Vivre Care back to care. "What a relief!"

"I held on to it because there was something written on it," Margaret said. She was silent for a moment. "What is it?"

Luffy held his hand out. "Look." The paper began to move.

"How strange, it looks like it's moving," Margaret said.

Luffy sat down on a nearby tree root and Margaret did the same, although she still sat some distance away from Luffy.

"A lot happened. All my friends were sent flying," Luffy said in a somber tone. His eyes darkened as he remembered what happened. "But because I have this paper, we can definitely find each other again! They're all strong, after all."

All the Strawhats felt touched by Luffy's confidence in them, regardless of what had happened.

"Oh, I've just been talking all along!" Luffy laughed. "Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

Margaret's eyes shone and she held out her knife. "Then, can you take out those family jewels and show me!?"

"I TOLD YOU, I CAN'T TAKE OFF MY FAMILY JEWELS!" Luffy screamed, causing all the Strawhats to burst into laughter.

"Men are really stingy!" Margaret stated in frustration.

"You were going to take them, weren't you!?" Luffy accused. "Put that knife away!"

"What kind of friends were you talking about?" Margaret asked, changing the subject and not putting her knife away.

"Well, I'm a pirate," Luffy said, happy that Margaret no longer wanted his balls. "Know what a pirate is?"

"You're a pirate?" Margaret questioned. "The inhabitants of this country are pirates as well."

"Really, so this is a pirate crew with only women in it?" Luffy questioned. "You strong?"

"What a foolish question!" Margaret exclaimed. "The mightiest fighters in this kingdom are on our pirate ship! They are strong! The Snake Princess is the woman whom everyone in this country looks up to! She's strong, elegant, and the most beautiful woman in the world! The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock!"

While Margaret was talking, Luffy took off the bandages from his body. Within the time he was knocked out, all of his wounds from Sabaody and his burns were more or less healed.

Zoro felt a twitch of jealousy. He really did envy Devil Fruit users' ability to heal quickly.

"I sure owe you a lot for all you've done. Sorry I can't do anything to repay you," Luffy said cheerfully before he waved at Margaret. "Well, I'll be going now." He ran off while Margaret stared at him. He soon came back, however. "I hate to ask anymore favors from you, but could you please take these off?"

"Your family jewels?" Margaret asked eagerly.

"NO!" Luffy shouted.

"That girl is bound and determined to have Luffy's balls," Franky chuckled.

"It's his own fault for using such a stupid term to begin with," Nami said.

"I'm talking about these," Luffy said as he pointed to the frills and flowers on his vest. He had small frown on his face. "I'm going to look for my crewmates for now on. Everyone will laugh if I went around looking like this!"

Robin chuckled. "But he looks so cute."

Brook also laughed. "Luffy-san does care about his appearance."

"He could just take the vest off," Usopp said.

"Maybe he's still insecure about his chest," Franky joked.

Margaret didn't look happy about removing the frills. "I think it suits you though."

Within ten or so minutes, Margaret had removed the frills and flowers from the vest and handed the garment back to Luffy.

"Here," Margaret said in a solemn voice.

"Thanks a lot!" Luffy exclaimed, happy to have his normal clothes back.

"Disliking frills… Men really are strange creatures," Margaret lamented.

"Uh, whatever. Thanks for taking them off," Luffy said. "Well, see ya!" He turned to leave again. "I can't calm down until I find my crew."

"You're pretty impatient, huh?" Margaret asked.

Luffy stopped walking and his body became tense. The sudden change in Luffy's body language caught the Strawhats off-guard.

"As long as everyone survived like I did, then that's fine," Luffy said before he started to scowl. His eyes were shadowed by the rim of his hat. "As long as we're alive…we'll fight them time and time again!" Images of Kizaru, Kuma, and Sentomaru were briefly seen. "We're going to surpass them one after another!"

"Amen to that," Sanji said.

Zoro smiled in agreement.

"You say it, bro!" Franky shouted as he raised both his arms.

The other Strawhats nodded and smiled in agreement. They would surpass them all one day.

With Luffy's vow, the memory faded.

"You know, I think this was the most entertaining memory we've seen in a while," Usopp said.

He thought he was going to die from laugher there for a moment. It was nice change from all the drama and pain that Luffy was forced to experience.

"This was the most entertaining memory ever," Franky said as he wiped any remaining tears. "Luffy plus women, equals comical gold."

"Why did Kuma give that shitty rubber captain such a wonderful gift?" Sanji complained as he slumped in despair. "He doesn't even appreciate it! Dammit, why was I the one who was cursed!?"

The memory returned and the amazons were chasing Luffy again. He did a fairly decent job of avoiding them, despite them shooting arrows that exploded on impact.

"These women are scary!" Luffy yelled as he ran across the jungle. "Nami is a lot better than them!" He paused and stopped running as if remembering something extremely unpleasant.

The Strawhats saw brief flashes of memories of all the time Nami was mean to Luffy. It ranged from him being yelled at for being stupid, to being change an outraged amount of money, threaten with death, to him being beating to a bloody pulp by the angry navigator. Even Nami betraying him to Buggy was briefly seen.

"Maybe not..." Luffy muttered to himself in an almost deadpanned voice.

"That jerk!" Nami yelled, causing Zoro to laugh. His captain got that right. He would take man-hating amazons over Nami any day.

"How dare the think such bad things about Nami-swan!" Sanji yelled.

After another round of arrows nearly hitting Luffy, he used his powers to extend his arms and jumped from tree to tree. Once he was high enough, he climbed the mountain that led back to the village. He kept going until he reached a stonewall that wrapped around the top of the mountain.

Once he knew that he was safe for the time being, Luffy crossed his arms in thought.

"So, what do I do?" Luffy asked himself. "If I just stay here, they'll find me again. She said that there was a pirate ship on the island." He began to walk along the wall. He had his arms out as he balanced himself on the wall. "I'll just borrow that." He stopped and put his hand on his chin. He looked very concerned. "No, that's no good. Nami isn't here and I would just get lost on my own."

Nami nodded, happy that Luffy acknowledged his limitations. "That's true."

"At least he's smart enough to know that, unlike some people," Sanji said as he side-eyed Zoro.

"Hey, are you talking about me?" Zoro growled.

Sanji smirked. "I bet you would get lost on Sunny."

"You..." Zoro growled as he reached for his swords.

"I got it!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed. "I should have them take me along on their ship. I'll ask them if they can take me back to Sabaody!"

"You mean ask the same people who're trying to kill you for a ride," Usopp muttered.

"Well, it's a better plan from him than I expected," Franky said. "I thought for sure he would try to build a boat or something."

Chopper nodded in agreement.

"So, I'll just have to speak to someone important," Luffy said as he flushed out his brilliant plan. "And seeing how important people live in tall buildings..." He suddenly stopped to think harder. He began to think so much that his entire face turned red and beads of sweat formed on his forehead. It looked like he was running a high fever.

"I think his head is going to explode," Nami said in humor. She half expected steam to start emitting from Luffy's ears.

"I think he reached his brain's limit for the week," Sanji joked.

"Has Luffy ever had to think so much?" Usopp wondered out loud.

"I've thinking too much," Luffy complained as he rubbed his head. "I might get a fever."

"That's not how it works," Chopper said in slight annoyance.

"Right, I'll just try going to the tallest building!" Luffy exclaimed as he fully developed his plan. Luffy looked around from his vantage point and smiled when he saw a tall building just below him. "I'll try that one!"

He jumped from the stone wall and landed hard on the roof of the building. He landed a little too hard and fell right through the roof and into a pool of water.

Naturally, Luffy started to panic as he splashed around in pool, screaming that he was going to drown. It took him a few seconds to realize that the water was shallow and that he was in no danger.

"My feet are on the ground..." Luffy muttered as he calmed himself down. "I'm safe!"

"What an idiot," Sanji muttered.

Luffy looked around in confusion. "Is this...a bath house?"

In front of the rubber boy sat a tall woman whose back was turned away from Luffy. She had long, flowing black hair that went down her back and covered a reddish-orange tattoo on her pale skin. It looked somewhat familiar.

The woman turned and stared coldly at Luffy. "A man!?"

Hearts immediately came flying out of Sanji's eyes and he fell to his knees in worship. "By the gods! What a portrayal of heavenly beauty! I haven't seen anything more gorgeous since the Mermaid Princess!" Blood flowed out of the cook's nose. "Shirahoshi-chan has an innocent, childish beauty. But this woman...she has a cold, unapproachable exquisiteness. Like the old goddesses from myths." Tears build in his eyes. "Such coldness is unfitting of a goddess. I...I'LL WILL MELT THAT STONE HEART!" he declared.

Zoro stared at his rival. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Robin put a hand to her chin. "That must be Boa Hancock, the Snake Princess and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

"Yeah, we saw her back in Sabaody before leaving for Fishman Island," Nami said in realization. She didn't realize just how beautiful Hancock was.

Franky whistled. "She's hot."

"And she's naked," Usopp said as he slowly realized that Boa was wearing nothing as she glared at Luffy. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't turn his eyes away.

"That bastard! He gets to witness such untainted beauty in its purest form!" Sanji yelled as he lusted over Boa's naked body, his nosebleed getting worse.

"Oh no, he's relapsing!" Chopper yelled in panic. "Sanji, please stop! I have no blood here!"

"Let the idiot bleed to death," Zoro said dispassionately.

"I'm so jealous!" Brook said as he looked at Boa. "Such prefect beauty would melt a man's eyes. Even mine, if I had any." He started to laugh.

Luffy and Boa stared at each other in silence for several seconds.

"You...that thing on your back..." Luffy said as he pointed at Boa, not noticing or caring that she was in the raw.

The Snake Princess gasped and ducked herself into the water.

"I...think I've seen before," Luffy finished.

"You saw it!?" Boa asked forcibly.

"Sister!" several people screamed as the door slammed open.

"Sister, what on earth is going on!?" someone yelled.

Two women stood at the door. One had long green hair with an overly big head, while the other one had golden blonde hair and was fairly fat.

"Those are Hancock's sisters?" Nami asked. Looks like Hancock drained all the beauty from her side of the family.

The women began to look Luffy over.

"Who is that!?" the green haired woman asked. "A man!?"

"What is a man doing in this kingdom!?" the gold-haired woman questioned.

Boa stood up from her bath and slowly stepped out of the tub. One of her sisters quickly dressed her with a robe.

"What exactly happened here?" the gold-haired woman asked.

"No, well..." Luffy attempted to explain.

"He saw my back," Boa hissed, cutting off Luffy.

The two sisters gasped in shock and horror. All the color drained from their faces.

"Then, the only solution is to kill him, right?" the golden hair girl said as she held out her weapon.

"Why? I only saw her back..." Luffy said, realizing the danger he was in. Still, he had a thoughtful expression on his face. "But...it's as if I've seen it somewhere before."

"The thing you have seen on my back is something we do not want to reveal even if we die!" Boa exclaimed.

"What was so bad about that mark?" Chopper asked in confusion.

"Don't know, never seen it before," Zoro said with a shrug. "Although, it does seem familiar somehow."

Robin said nothing. She knew what that symbol was and her heart went out to Hancock.

"That, why?" Luffy muttered. "Who are you?"

Boa put her hands together in the shape of a heart. "Take everything you have seen to your grave! Love Love Beam!"

Luffy's eyes widened. "Huh, Slow Slow?" A pink beam of hearts was released from Boa's hands and Luffy turned away and closed his eyes. "That's the Slow Slow Beam!? Crap, I'm going to slow down!"

Despite Luffy's fear, nothing happened as the beam hit him and then dissipated. Luffy looked around in confusion and there was a pregnant pause in the room. Luffy sucked on his lips as he stared back at Boa.

"Was...something supposed to happen?" Usopp asked slowly.

Robin began to chuckle.

Boa attacked with her beam again and just like the first time it had no effect on Luffy, which caused another moment of silence. Everyone gave each other questioning looks.

"Why don't you turn to stone!?" Boa screamed in surprise and rage. "Did you not feel anything wicked in your heart, even after you saw me naked in the bath!?"

Luffy looked even more lost.

"That is ridiculous, sister!" the gold haired woman screamed in disbelief. "The beauty of your naked body is at a level that could never fail to capture anybody, regardless of their age and gender!"

"It is probably the fear of death that had suppressed his wicked desires," the green-haired girl surmised. "He is a pathetic, but lucky man."

"What just happened?" Brook asked in confusion.

"Was Luffy supposed to turn to stone or something?" Nami asked.

"The Love Love Fruit. A Devil Fruit that petrifies anyone with impure thoughts and desires," Robin explained with a smile on her face. She felt almost sorry for Hancock. "Apparently, Boa Hancock's beauty is such that she can petrify anyone regardless of their age or gender because they lust for her."

"Well...she is beautiful," Nami mumbled under her breath. She quickly shook her head. Why did she care? She wasn't into women.

"Wait, so that means that since Luffy didn't turn to stone that he had no lustful desire at all for her?" Usopp asked in shock. He knew Luffy was asexual, but this was ridiculous.

Robin nodded, her smile never fading. "That seems to be the case."

"Huh, doesn't Luffy have _any_ kind of sex drive at all!?" Franky asked in disbelief. At seventeen, a person should feel some kind of lustful desire or thoughts. Luffy couldn't be that underdeveloped.

"That rubber bastard has the sex drive of a dead fish," Sanji muttered in jealousy as he used a napkin that Chopper had given him to wipe the blood from his nose. How dare that rubber monkey see his Hancock naked while he was trapped in hell.

"But he peeked on Vivi and me when we were in Alabasta," Nami argued. "His nose even bled with the rest of you."

Zoro crossed his arms. "Not me, I didn't look."

Nami side-eyed Zoro.

"Luffy does not have any sexual interest from what I have observed. If he did peek or showed any interest, it was most likely because he was influence by others around him," Robin surmised. "If you have noticed, Luffy tends to do more morally questionable things if he is around certain people."

"Like him dine-and-dashing and robbing people when he was with Ace and Sabo," Zoro said.

Robin nodded. "Precisely."

"He does peek at Nami showering when Usopp is with him," Chopper spoke up, causing Usopp to pale.

Nami glared at the sniper. "You were peeking when I was showing!?"

Usopp put his hands up. "Well...you see..."

Franky shook his head. "Not cool, bro. Don't you have a girlfriend back home?"

"I don't have a girlfriend!" Usopp yelled.

While the sisters argued about what happened to negate Boa's spell, Luffy took this as his cue to leave. He made his escape by jumping out a nearby window. While he was falling, he saw Boa point something at him. He heard what sounded like a gunshot and felt something hit him hard in the stomach.

Luffy cringed in pain as he cuddled the wound. "What, I couldn't make it bounce! Wasn't it a bullet?"

As he contemplated this, he landed head first onto the ground, stopping the memory.

The next memory came not even a second later and Strawhats stood in what looked like a coliseum. The arena was filled with women chatting about something that the crew couldn't fully hear. What caught their eyes, however, was Luffy. He was sitting in the middle of the arena and was tied up by snakes.

"How did he get caught?" Franky asked as he sweet-dropped.

"It's Luffy," Zoro answered in a deadpan voice.

"What's with these snakes being as hard as steel?" Luffy asked as he attempted to break the snakes off of him.

The crowd went wild as Boa and her sisters entered the arena. She sat on a huge snake that acted as her throne high above the arena stage.

"Now then, let me ask you, man," Boa said as she stared down at Luffy, looking rather bored. "How and for what purpose did you come to this island?"

"I don't know how I came here either," Luffy answered. "I was just flying through the sky and before I knew it, I was here."

"Liar," Boa said. "You cannot fool us with a ridiculous story like that. You must have a purpose here."

"If it's a purpose you want, than I want a ship!" Luffy yelled. "I would be very happy if you gave me an escort too, but...anyway, I must get out of here as soon as possible. There is somewhere I have to go! If you're the most important person here, that's what I request!"

"Blunt as always, Luffy," Nami sighed.

Sanji growled. "That's no way to ask a favor from such a goddess."

The crowd didn't sound too happy about Luffy's request.

"Do not think you will leave here alive," Boa said. "You will not be able to escape from death!"

"Wait a second, please, Snake Princess!" someone from the crowd suddenly yelled.

The entire audience became silent as they turned their heads towards the speaker. Standing up in the crowd was Margaret. She quickly ran down the stairs and jumped into the arena next to Luffy.

"He...he isn't the kind of person who would lie!" Margaret exclaimed.

Boa stared coldly at her.

"Snake Princess, what he said is all true. I do not think he has bad intentions for this kingdom at all," Margaret said.

"Oh, you!" Luffy exclaimed happily. "That's right, please tell her!"

"Are you one of the guards of this kingdom?" Boa asked.

"I am called Margaret," she said humbly.

"The punishment for the crime of intruding into this kingdom, which is forbidden for men, is death," Boa said nonchalantly. "Why are you defending him?"

There was a short pause. "I feel responsible," Margaret answered as she lowered her head. "The one who brought that man here was me!"

The entire crowd gasped in shock.

At that very moment, Sweetpea and Aphelandra came running into the arena and kneeled before their princess.

"Snake Princess, the saga of 'There's a Reason for That'!" Sweetpea yelled as she held her head down.

"That's right! We just thought the man we found covered in mushrooms in the forest was one of the villagers, that's all!" Aphelandra yelled as she also bowed her head to her princess.

"Covered in mushrooms?" Usopp repeated.

"Sweetpea, Aphelandra!" Margaret exclaimed.

"We are all just as responsible as her for the sin of bring him here!" Aphelandra shouted.

"The saga of 'Exactly'!" Sweetpea exclaimed.

"You two, stop it!" Margaret yelled at her friends. "The one who said we should take him to the village was me!"

Luffy stared at all the women in confusion. "What's with you? You tried to kill me. So, you were actually a kind person, huh?"

Boa uncrossed her legs and began to walk down to the arena, causing the crowd to go silent.

"The only one guilty of bring the man here is me!" Margaret yelled as she fell to her knees and held her head down.

"Margaret!" both Sweetpea and Aphelandra yelled.

Boa walked until she was standing only a couple of feet away from Margaret, Sweetpea, and Aphelandra. "That is enough. Raise your head, Margaret," Boa said softly as she lifted Margaret's head with her finger.

Margaret was stunned by the act of mercy.

Zoro sensed that there was something false in her actions.

"I like honest people," Boa said in a sweet voice. "Tell me, do you want me to forgive you?"

"Ye...yes," Margaret stuttered as she blushed.

"Then stand up," Boa ordered.

Margaret slowly stood up, never taking her eyes off her princess.

Boa playing with her hair caused Margaret and others to blush. The Snake Princess then held out her hands in the shape of a heart.

"Love Love Beam!" Boa yelled. In less than a second, Margaret, Sweetpea and Aphelandra were turned to stone.

"What is this!?" Luffy exclaimed in shock and horror.

"They turned to stone!" Brook exclaimed.

"Whoa, it does work regardless of gender," Usopp said in shock.

Sanji growled under his breath. "What a heartless thing to do." Still, he couldn't be mad at Boa. She was too beautiful.

"Hey, what happened to them!?" Luffy yelled as he crawled his way to the petrified women. "They turned to stone! Why!?"

Boa did not address Luffy as she turned her back and made her way back towards her snake throne.

"Hey...hey...hey, what did you do to them!?" Luffy yelled as he turned to face Boa. "They saved my life!"

"Yes, they have been punished for helping you," Boa said nonchalantly as she climbed the stairs.

"Because of me!?" Luffy exclaimed in disbelief. "Wait, turn them back to normal!"

"Whom do you think you are ordering around," Boa said coldly, not even bothering to turn around as she kept walking to her throne.

"Hurry up and turned them back to normal!" Luffy screamed.

Boa sat back on her throne and looked down her nose at Luffy. "Bring Bacura to the arena!"

"I told you to turn them back to normal!" Luffy yelled, becoming more angry.

"This place is the kingdom of the warrior, Amazon Lily, where if you are powerful, you are beautiful," Boa said. "You should die fighting. We are going to watch it."

As she said that, a giant panther with a steel helmet walked behind Luffy. The panther was much bigger than Richie and far more intimidating. It roared fiercely at the rubber captain, but Luffy couldn't care less about the beast.

"That black panther's name is Bacura," Boa stated. "It is a carnivorous animal that was used as an executioner by the empress of this kingdom for many generations. After the execution, not even a single bone will remain."

The snakes that were binding Luffy left, freeing him.

"He eat bone. Well, at least he knows how filling bone can be," Brook said in thought.

Franky side-eyed Brook. "Why do you care so much about creatures wanting to eat you?"

"You know, I would have considered that beast big if I didn't see the monsters from Luffy's childhood," Usopp said.

"Yeah," Chopper said. "Still, that animal looks fierce. I don't think they have been properly feeding it."

"Most likely not," Robin said. "They want him to be hungry so he will eat the condemned without thought."

The beast bore down on Luffy, but the rubberman didn't even flinch. He didn't even bother to stand up.

"Be graceful, man!" the green haired woman said with glee in her voice. "Even if it is a small and thin monkey like you, Bacura will eat it with pleasure!"

"Aside from that, what's going to happen to these people!?" Luffy asked as he stood up. "Are you going to change them back to normal!?"

This sent the crowd into an uproar.

Bacura didn't seem to like being ignored.

"Bacura!" Boa yelled.

The panther moved to strike and Luffy punched the beast right in the face. Luffy didn't even use his ability to send the giant panther flying across the arena and into the crowd, breaking several seats.

"Wow, he took that giant beast out with one hit!" Chopper exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Why are you impressed? Luffy has taken down sea kings more fierce than that giant pussy cat," Sanji said as he lit a cigarette.

With the panther out of the way, Luffy turned his attention back towards Boa. She didn't look happy seeing her precious cat being one-shotted.

The crowd was stunned into silence.

"There is something wrong with all of you," Luffy said softly, but nothing could hide his anger. "Even after your comrades have been turned to stone by that woman, why are you still laughing childishly!?"

This caused the entire crowd to gasp and start to murmur.

"Luffy calling anyone childish is low," Franky said.

"It is true, however," Brook said as he stared at the frozen women. "These women don't seem to care anything about their friends."

"I will be forgiven no matter what I do. If you ask why, indeed, because _I_ am beautiful!" Boa proclaimed as she flicked her hair and winked at the crowd.

"Are you kidding me!?" Zoro yelled.

"What an ego," Usopp muttered in disgust.

"This woman is the worst," Nami said.

"So much confidence! I think I'm in love!" Sanji yelled as his body seemed to turn into a string of noodle. "Of course I forgive you, Hancock-chan!"

"Well, she got one fool," Zoro murmured.

The crowd also instantly fell in love with their princess and shouted her name in adoration.

"Looks like she has a point," Brook said as he glanced around the arena.

"You think so, right?" Boa cooed in a soft, sweet voice to Luffy as her eyes became big and innocent looking.

"You're starting to piss me off," Luffy said, causing Boa to gasp in shock and fall over on her throne.

This made Zoro laughed. Served that spoiled brat right.

"Luffy, you asshole!" Sanji shouted as he attempted to kick Luffy. "How dare you use that tone on Hancock-chan!"

The other Strawhats, saved for Zoro, stared blankly at Sanji.

"I'm starting to wish Hancock would turn him to stone," Nami whispered.

"It's a good thing Sanji never went to this island," Chopper said softly as he sweat-dropped. If he wasn't turned to stone, he would surely die of blood lost.

"Sister, get a hold of yourself!" one of Boa' sisters yelled.

"This is just ridiculous!" Boa exclaimed as she sat up. She appeared truly outraged now. "There cannot possibly exist a man that cannot be captured by my charm!" She glared at Luffy. "I cannot bear that man's existence!"

The crowd started to get violent as they called for Luffy's blood.

"Go, Marigold and Sandersonia!" Boa ordered. "Take that man's head!"

The two sisters leaped into the arena and landed in front of Luffy.

"Yes, leave it to us, sister," Sandersonia said.

They both transformed and the two sisters turned into some kind of snake hybrid.

"Zoan users!" Chopper exclaimed. That explained their oddly shaped bodies.

"Looks like King Cobra and Anaconda models," Robin observed.

"Fitting given the snake theme of this kingdom," Zoro said.

The crowd started to talk about a Gorgon and some kind of curse placed on the sisters.

"Curse, what are they talking about?" Luffy asked as he looked over the snake sisters. "No matter how you look at it, you just ate a Devil Fruit!"

The sisters laughed at him.

"Maybe I should swallow him up?" Sandersonia hissed in sadistic delight.

"Or, maybe I should strangle him to death?" Marigold suggested.

"Wait a second!" Luffy suddenly yelled.

"Are going to beg for your life?" Sandersonia asked mockingly.

"Even if you apologized now, your sins cannot be pardon!" Marigold exclaimed.

"It's nothing like that!" Luffy yelled in annoyance as he turned his back on them.

He walked over towards the petrified figures of Margaret, Sweetpea, and Aphelandra and began to move them towards the back of the arena, just over the side of the center.

"He's moving them out of harm's way," Sanji said, losing his previous anger towards his captain.

Brook nodded, beaming with pride towards his captain. "Even in a situation like this, Luffy-san remains honorable."

Luffy's actions baffled Sandersonia and Marigold, but they didn't interfere with him.

"They don't have any cracks, right?" Luffy asked as he moved the final statue. "You three, wait here. Sorry about this. Because of me you guys were turned to stone. If Chopper was here, I would ask him to check on you right away. It's just like when Robin and I were turned into ice by Aokiji. You guys might be able to turn back to normal."

Chopper was moved by Luffy's confidence in him. Although, he had no idea how to turn any of them back. From all appearances, it appeared that only Hancock could removed the curse.

"Should you not be more concerned about your own safety instead of theirs?" Sandersonia asked in mild annoyance.

"Shut up!" Luffy yelled. "I can do what I want!" He jumped back into the main arena. "Anyway, I just got to beat you guys up, right?"

Sandersonia and Marigold gasped at him, along with the rest of the crowd. After a moment, everyone started to laugh.

Luffy glanced around in confusion. "I can do that, right? Beat you up, I mean?"

"Yeah, sure you can," Marigold said as she wiped some tears from her eyes. "If you have not given up on your life yet, let me tell you something. You better not fall into the space between the audience and the arena."

Luffy turned to see what she was talking about and saw that the bottom of the arena was lined with spikes.

"Kill him, Marigold and Sandersonia! For the crime of intruding on this island of women! For the sin of insulting me, show him the art of the punishment!" Boa yelled, officially starting the battle.

This sent the crowd into a frenzy.

At the start it looked like Luffy had the advantage given that was able to evade all of Marigold's attacks with ease.

The battle quickly turned, however, when the sisters revealed that they both knew Haki. Marigold's Armament Haki made it impossible for Luffy to hit her without being deflected and Sandersonia's Observation Haki made her nearly impossible to hit, much like the priests in Sky Island.

"They're better than I thought," Zoro said. They were toying with Luffy like he was an amateur.

"They are the sisters of a Warlord," Robin said. "Although, their level of Haki is impressive."

"How is Luffy supposed to win?" Usopp asked as he watched the memory. He became more worried when he saw that Marigold could do a version of Sentomaru's palm blast. "He can't even touch them!"

At one point, Luffy was knocked out of the arena and nearly landed in the bed of spikes. Luckily, he used his powers to keep himself from being impaled by stretching his arms and rocketing himself back into the arena.

"This man is nothing but talk," Boa said as she enchanted the crowd with her presence.

"Shut up, you idiot!" Luffy yelled at Boa in annoyance.

Boa gave a melodramatic gasp and went limp in her throne again.

"Stop talking badly about Hancock-chan, bastard!" Sanji yelled at Luffy.

"Whose side are you on?" Usopp asked as he sweat-dropped.

"I cannot take it anymore! Sonia, Mari, put an end to that man's life now, so I never have to hear his filthy mouth again!" Boa yelled as she stuck her head up so high that she was looking at the sky.

"What's she doing?" Franky asked.

"I think she's looking down her nose so much that she's looking up," Nami said dryly.

"I wanted to enjoy it a little more, but since it is sister's orders, it cannot be help," Sandersonia said in disappointment.

"Then, play time is over," Marigold said.

"Let's hand the convict over to his despair and death!" Sandersonia exclaimed as she reached her tail over the side of the arena and grabbed the petrified Margaret.

"She's not," Brook said in horror.

"That...that's one of her comrades!" Usopp yelled.

Sandersonia held Margaret in her grasp and smiled sadistically. It was very clear what she was planning.

"She's going to break here!" Chopper screamed, reminded of how Aokiji nearly killed Robin.

"Hey, what are you doing!?" Luffy yelled. "Don't touch them!"

Sandersonia mocked Luffy by swinging Margaret back and forward with her tail.

"What if they break!?" Luffy continued to yell. "They saved my life!"

The two snake sisters looked at each other and laugh.

"I will break them," Sandersonia said viciously.

"You said they saved your life, right," Marigold asked with a dark smile. "Then she deserves it."

"Too bad for this girl, but it is your punishment," Sandersonia said with mock sympathy.

"Quit screwing with me!" Luffy screamed. "This is a fight between you and me!" He ran towards the snake sisters. "Stop it!"

Sandersonia used her Haki to inform her sister of Luffy's movements. Marigold quickly did a palm blast, pushing Luffy out of the way and knocking him to the floor.

While he was stunned, Marigold wrapped her tail around Luffy's midsection and picked him up.

"Dammit, let me go!" Luffy yelled as he attempted to break her iron grip.

"You are the only one who thinks that this is a fight," Marigold stated. "This is a public execution."

"Watch carefully," Sandersonia said as she lifted her tail and prepared to smash Margaret into the floor.

Luffy's eyes narrowed and became white with anger and desperation. By the way his pupils dilated, Zoro and Sanji realized what was going to happen. It was the same look Rayleigh gave in the Auction House.

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP, DAMMIT!" Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs as a giant wave of Haki was released from his body.

The Haki itself was so powerful that the snake sisters and Boa were left completely stunned as they stared at Luffy. The audience was also left momentarily silent from the wave of Haki that hit them, until some of the audience members began to faint and formed at the mouth.

"The warriors are fainting!" someone from the crowd screamed as several more people fell over. From the looks of it, Luffy had knocked out a third of the audience.

"So,..this is when Luffy fully awakened his Conquering Haki," Zoro said in as soft voice.

It was amazing that Luffy was able to release such a powerful wave of Haki. When they were fighting the Flying Fish Riders Luffy could only knock out a bull if he remembered correctly. How did he improve so much within a couple of days, and most of which were spent flying across the sky?

When Zoro really thought about, the answer was quite simple. Haki was awakened primarily by stress. After the trauma of Sabaody and watching the people who saved him about to be killed, Luffy would naturally be very stressed. So much so that his Haki had increased tremendously.

"What's really amazing is that he managed to knock out warriors who were raised around Haki their entire lives," Sanji said as he looked around the arena, greatly impressed. "He did all of that and he had no awareness of it at all."

Marigold was left so shaken by what happened that she slowly put Luffy down and stared at him. Sandersonia did the same thing as she gently set down Margaret.

Not caring how it happened, Luffy ran to Margaret to check on her.

"Thank god," Luffy sighed in relief. "Not a single scratch on her!" He stood up and smiled at the snake sisters. "What, so you listened to me after all? Thanks!"

Marigold and Sandersonia were still speechless.

Even Boa looked concerned as she stared down at Luffy.

The crowd was chattering and shouting in surprise and disbelief. They couldn't believed what just happened.

"You guys are noisy!" Luffy complained as the crowd grew louder. "What are you talking about?"

"He does not realize he used Haki?" Marigold asked, still stunned.

"So, he doesn't have control of it," Sandersonia surmised.

"Alright, I can tell that you guys are strong!" Luffy exclaimed as he cracked his knuckles. "Let's continued the fight."

"What are you waiting for!?" Boa yelled, getting over her stupor. "You have nothing to fear from that man!"

The sisters began to get back their original confidence.

"That is right, we have nothing to fear from him, Mari," Sandersonia assured.

Marigold looked at her sister. "Indeed, even if he does possess an immense Haki, as long as he has no control over it, it is nothing but enthusiasm."

"That is more or less true. Luffy's Conquering Haki is of no used to him since he has no control of it," Robin said.

"But first, if we're going to go all out, I've going to move her," Luffy said as he turned to look at Margaret. "It would be bad if she broke."

Sandersonia sneered at him. "You seem to be extremely calm. It seems that you still do not understand the situation you're in. That statue does not matter one bit!" she yelled as she whipped her tail with the full intention of breaking Margaret again.

Luffy prevented this by moving in front of Margaret and tanking the tail whip to the chest, much to Sandersonia's surprise.

Boa, showing what could be considered some mercy, allowed Luffy to move Margaret before the fight continued.

With Margaret out of harm's way, Luffy quickly became serious. He went into his horse stance and put one hand on his knee and the other on the ground.

"Now, we get to see a real fight," Zoro said with small smile.

"Alright," Luffy said as he pumped his legs, turning his skin red and stream started to leave his body. "I'm not going to hold back my power anymore! Gear Second!"

The fight started again and it was another one-sided match. This time, however, it was one-sided on Luffy's part. He became so fast that Sandersonia couldn't keep up with his movements even if she could predict them. Luffy's attacks also became so powerful that they completely shattered through Marigold's Haki defense.

The sisters were left stunned that Luffy was beating them with only raw strength and speed.

"Having Observation Haki is useless if your body can't keep up with your opponent," Sanji said as he watched the fight.

Robin nodded. "Very true."

"Those women overestimated themselves. Haki is powerful, but it is not the end all, especially around someone like Luffy," Zoro stated.

The snake sisters become desperate and Marigold set herself on fire as they both surrounded Luffy.

"She's burning!" Chopper exclaimed fearfully. "She's going to burn herself to death!"

"This brings back painful memories," Sanji murmured as he remembered Pearl.

"No, she is using her Armament Haki to prevent being injured by the flame," Robin observed.

"She can do that?" Nami asked in disbelief.

Despite their double attack on both sides, Luffy easily broke their ambush and kicked them both in the stomachs using his ability. This made the two sisters fall into each other, causing Sandersonia to scream in pain as Marigold burned her.

They attempted to pull away, but Luffy took the time tie their tails together like a bow. While they struggled to escape each other, Luffy disengaged his Second Gear and held both of his arms up, giving the victory sign towards the audience.

"What a ham," Franky laughed.

Sandersonia became so desperate to escape that she fell over and nearly landed into the spiky pit. She saved herself by grabbing the railing on the other side of the arena. She continued to burn and her shirt dissolved in the flames. Soon, her entire back would be exposed.

Luffy jumped down from the arena and landed on Sandersonia's back.

"Looks like he's going for the finisher," Franky said.

"No...wait," Nami said as she watched Luffy covered Sandersonia's back with his own body. He gave a short cry as the fire burnt his chest. "I think...I think he's covering her."

All the Strawhats watched the scene closely.

"You damn man!" Sandersonia yelled in rage.

"Don't move!" Luffy said harshly. "Even if you intend to kill me, I won't kill you!"

"Don't be cocky, damn you!" Sandersonia screamed, enraged by Luffy's mercy. "Mari, hurry up and kill him now that you have the chance!"

Marigold made no move towards them. She had a look of horror on her face.

"What are you doing, Mari!?" Sandersonia yelled as she turned towards her sister.

"I can't, Sonia," Marigold said. She was sweating hard. "Right now, that man is protecting us!"

The entire crowd screamed about a Gorgon's eye and how they would all be turned to stone.

"You're covering my back!?" Sandersonia asked in disbelief.

"You mentioned this earlier, right?" Luffy asked. "You would rather die than let others see it, right? So, don't move!"

Sandersonia could only stare at Luffy in disbelief as the memory faded back into the mist.

"So, even when they wanted to kill him, Luffy protected their secret," Chopper whispered in awe of his captain.

"I think it's because he understands that there are some secrets that people would die to protect and Luffy respects that boundary, regardless of whether they are his enemies," Nami said. softly

Zoro nodded, feeling a burst of a pride in his chest. "That's just the way he is."

The memory returned and the Strawhats were still in the coliseum. This time, the arena was completely empty saved for Boa, her sisters, and the petrified women. Boa was clearly upset, but it didn't seem to be over her sisters' defeat.

"Looks like the show's over," Zoro said as he looked around the arena with a bore eye.

"It appears that Hancock cleared the arena after Sandersonia's shirt was burnt," Robin said.

Luffy dragged Margaret back into the main arena and looked at Boa expectantly. "You're going to fight me next?"

Boa glared at Luffy before she sighed. "That is enough. That is not my intention."

Luffy gave Boa a confused stare. "Really?" He tapped Margaret worriedly. "She doesn't have any cracks anywhere, right?" Once he was sure Margaret was in one piece, he turned back towards Boa. "Alright, so you can change these guys back from stone now?"

Boa and his sisters were not pleased by Luffy's manners.

"That's no way to speak to a woman, shit head," Sanji growled.

"What did you say?" Boa asked, barely controlling her anger.

"You should be able to do that somehow, right?" Luffy asked, taking no noticed of Boa's foul mood. "They were only protecting me! They didn't do anything wrong! Hey, please!"

Boa continued to stare at Luffy. "I do indeed know how to turn those three back to their old selves. However..."

"Here comes the big but," Franky muttered.

"You said that there was a place you wanted to sail to, did you not?" Boa asked almost smugly.

"Yeah, my friends are waiting for me," Luffy answered with no hesitation.

"Is that so?" Boa said slowly as she stood up from her throne. Her eyes were completely shadowed.

"What's she up to?" Nami asked.

"I will only fulfill one of your requests," Boa stated. "Do you choose to have those three statues turned back, or do you choose to leave this island? You must choose one of the two, and give up the other."

"What kind of choices are those!?" Usopp exclaimed angrily. "That's pure sadistic!"

"Luffy protected their secret and this is how they repay him!?" Chopper also yelled in anger.

Brook scowled. "How dishonorable."

Boa and her sisters were all giving Luffy smug looks. Their expressions of self-satisfaction shattered, however, when Luffy suddenly fell to his knees.

"Really, thanks!" Luffy exclaimed happily. "Then, you're save them, right!?"

This took all the snake sisters off-guard. They couldn't believe that Luffy would choose to help a group of strangers over his own desires. Even some of the Strawhats were taken by surprise.

"Thank you so much!" Luffy yelled gratefully as he bowed his head so hard that his hat fell off.

"He...he chose to help those ladies over returning to us," Brook said softly.

Sanji looked at his captain with the upmost the respect. "He owed those women his life. He's just returning the favor."

Boa was frozen in complete shock as she stared at the strawhat captain as the memory faded away again.

"Hancock was obviously not expecting Luffy to be selfless in his decision," Robin said with pride in her voice. "She fully expected Luffy to choose to save himself. She wanted to see Luffy's true nature."

Nami gave a small smile. "Well, she got what she wished for."

The next memory appeared and Luffy was now sitting between Sandersonia and Marigold. They appeared to be back in the palace and they were facing red curtains.

"Hey, what's going on?" Luffy asked impatiently. "Oh, is this like a feast after a battle?" He started to drool at the thought. "If that's how it is, then I would be happy to join!"

"You would," Sanji muttered.

"What's the specialty around here!?" Luffy asked excitedly. "It's a kind of meat, right?"

"We have to show our gratitude," Sandersonia said kindly. She acted nothing like the vengeful woman in the arena. "Thank you."

"No, you don't need to do that!" Luffy said as he put his arms up. "I can't eat gratitude or anything."

"Wow, Luffy," Nami said in a deadpan voice.

"If anyone were to see the mark on our backs, we would no longer be able to stay in this country," Marigold said somberly.

"You may enter," Boa's voice said from behind the curtains. "Come in, man."

Luffy eagerly stood up. "Is that food!? Here I come!" When Luffy opened the curtain, he was greatly disappointed. "Oh, it's not food? Hey, how come you're naked?"

Indeed, Boa sat on her snake as naked as the day she was born, revealing her full beautiful body to Luffy.

Sanji and Brook's noses immediately bled at the sight, despite the fact that Brook didn't have a nose - or blood for that matter.

Usopp and Franky blushed furiously as they stared at Boa's lustiest body. Damn, she was beautiful.

"She's so pretty. I want her too..." Nami whispered as her cheeks turned red. She quickly snapped herself out to it. "I'm a woman, dammit!"

Robin, Chopper, and Zoro looked impassive, although Zoro looked like he was fighting a slight blush. He turned his eye slightly upwards to keep himself from staring at Boa's chest.

Sanji bowed before Boa. "My beautiful Hancock-chan, I am yours to command!" Blood dripped on the floor.

"Sanji, please stop!" Chopper yelled frantically as he attempted to pull Sanji away from Boa. "You'll die if you keep this up!"

"I would happily die here if it means staying by Hancock-chan's side," Sanji said as he stared at Boa with watery eyes. "For this place...Amazon Lily...is heaven and Hancock-chan is the leader of angels!"

Chopper gasped in horror. It was just like Fishman Island all over again. Sanji was willing to die.

"Just let the stupid cook die. We all would be happier without him," Zoro said, causing Sanji to jump up and run to Zoro's face.

"What was that!?" Sanji yelled.

"You heard me, Bloody Mary," Zoro teased.

Sanji immediately went on fire. "You... _how_ dare you call me by a girl's name, shitty swordsman!"

"That is enough," Robin said firmly as she glared at Zoro and Sanji. "Did you both forget why we are here?"

The flames around Sanji went out as he recalled their mission. He felt a pang of shame run through his stomach. He had completely forgotten about the danger his captain was in.

"Sorry, Robin-chan," Sanji said as he got himself together.

"You are still as impudent as ever," Boa said in mild annoyance as she dropped her cape on the floor.

"Damn you, Luffy! Damn you to hell!" Sanji screamed as he caught on fire. He understood that Luffy needed their help, but he couldn't stop being pissed at his rubber idiot captain.

"No matter," Boa said as she grabbed her hair. She looked to be in pain as the snake she was on turned around, revealing her back to Luffy. "This mark...you said you had seen it somewhere, correct? Please take another look to be sure." She pulled her hair back, and revealed a mark that was in the shape of a dragon's footprint. "Where have you seen this? Do you know the meaning of this symbol?"

Luffy got a closer look at the mark. "Nah, it's not really the same as the one I was thinking of. My friend, a fishman named Hatchan, has one."

"Actually, now that I look at it, it does look kind-of similar to Hatchan and Jimbei's tattoos," Usopp said as he rubbed his chin.

Nami's eyes widened as she thought about the story Jimbei told them back on Fishmen Island.

"Leave it to Luffy to see something slightly similar as the same," Franky said.

"A fishman," Boa whispered.

"Yeah," Luffy said as he pointed to his forehead. "He got one kinda like it on his head, so I must have gotten them mixed up. I've never seen your mark before."

"If he does not know, you should tell him," an old short woman with a snake cane said.

"Elder Nyon!" both the Snake Sister exclaimed.

"Again, you appear out of nowhere!" Boa yelled in annoyance.

"Oh, that's the woman who saved Luffy's balls," Franky said bluntly, making Nami blush.

Sanji kicked Franky in the head. "Don't be so rude!"

"Be honest, Snake Princess, you have already seen what a big heart this man has!" Nyon exclaimed.

Boa was left speechless.

"It is alright. Just relax and tell him everything," Nyon said in a calm voice.

Boa scowled for a moment before her face relaxed.

"If I am not mistaken in assuming that you are the pirate, Monkey D. Luffy?" Nyon asked as she approached Luffy.

"Yeah, that's me," Luffy confirmed. "How you know who I was?"

"You have caused such an uproar that anyone would know," Nyon said as she grabbed the newspaper she had under her arm. "Look at this newspaper! Just the other day on Sabaody Archipelago, close to the world's Center of Power, this man attacked a Celestial Dragon! That is an act that only one who does not fear the wrath of gods would perform!"

"Yeah, that describes Luffy perfectly," Sanji said with a nod.

All the sisters were shocked by the news.

"A Celestial Dragon!?" Boa repeated in surprise.

"Afterwards, he miraculously managed to escape from the strongest fighters of Central!" Nyon went on. "After that incident, he somehow managed it to our distant kingdom in just two days! There are many things about this that I cannot understand."

"What are you!?" Marigold exclaimed.

Luffy quickly stood up. "I'm telling you, I was sent flying all of the sudden! I don't have a clue where this place is!" His eyes narrowed as he remembered the Celestial Dragon he punched. There was a vicious satisfaction in his face. "And I don't regret hitting that Celestial Dragon. Do you know what he did to my friends?"

Franky nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that bastard deserved worst if you ask me."

"I can't help but agree. Such wretched people are a disgrace to the human race," Brook said coldly.

"Then...that means...you really stood up to the Celestial Dragons!?" Boa exclaimed as she fell to her knees. Her cold, unapproachable demeanor completely vanished.

Luffy nodded his head.

"So...such a fool...still does exist in this world," Boa said as she started to cry. She suddenly seemed much younger. "Someone who would defy the heavens with no regard for his own life, just like he did!"

"He?" Luffy repeated.

There was a long moment of silence.

"I'll tell you everything," Boa said softly. "Even the meaning behind this symbol branded onto your friend's forehead." She pointed to her back. "This is...the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon, the crest of the Celestial Dragons!"

Luffy gasped at the information, along with most of the Strawhats.

Boa began to tell her story about how her sisters and she were kidnapped from their ship when they were still just children and sold to the Celestial Dragons during an auction.

She gave a chilling recollection of the World Nobles' mark being burnt onto her skin and how the mark would never fade or be erased. They were marked forever as the Celestial Dragons' property. They were also given their Devil Fruits as a form of amusement to their enslavers. Their time in slavery was so terrible that they all wished for death.

They might have remained slaves until the day they died if they had not been saved by Fisher Tiger, when he raided Mariejois and freed all the slaves despite his strong dislike towards humans.

Throughout the story, Sandersonia burst into tears and became hysterical, only to be calmed down by her sister, who was also in tears. All three of the snake sisters were reduced to scared children remembering their years in slavery.

Luffy nearly begged for them not to continue. The horrors that he was hearing was too much for him. He was a slave to Zizu for barely two days and it nearly broke him. He didn't even want to imagine the anguish that Boa and her sisters had to live through since they were enslaved for three years.

Nami also didn't want to hear any more. Boa's past was too much like her own. She grabbed her tattoo arm instinctually as she remembered Arlong's mark being sewed into her skin. She was lucky. Her mark of enslavement was long gone, replaced with a symbol of love and family. Boa and her sisters didn't have that. They were reminded every day of their former lives and their tormentors.

There was also no justice for Boa and her family. Arlong and his gang, save for Hatchan, were locked away. They were paying the price for their eight years of cruelty. The World Nobles, however, were above any law or punishment. There was no justice for the suffering they inflicted on the snake sisters and countless others. That one fact made her physically sick and angry at the World Government.

For the rest of the Strawhats, the story only reconfirmed why they all hated the Celestial Dragons and the World Government by extension. Even someone who was as powerful as a Warlord was helpless before the World Nobles. They couldn't see why Boa would work for an organization that she hated so much.

"So, the sun symbol on the Fishmen's bodies were to cover the mark of the World Noble," Usopp whispered. He started to see the Arlong Pirates in a new light.

"To think such acts of cruelty are allowed to exist in the world," Brook said in disgust.

Chopper shook his head. Even though he had heard this story from Jimbei, it still angered him how cruel people could be to one another. "How can anyone rip another person apart like that?"

"There are some things about human nature that you are better off not knowing, Chopper," Robin said.

"Ironically, the Devil Fruit we were given as slaves to entertain our masters were what made it possible for us to deceive the country and protect our secret," Boa said as she finished her story. "If you had not covered Sonia' back, then we would not have been able to stay on this island any longer." She began to cry again. "We must not let anyone know our past! Even if it means deceiving an entire kingdom! We must never let our guard down for as long as we live! We will never be slaves again!"

Luffy didn't speak as he reflected on Boa's words.

"The idea of being at someone else's mercy...it is too frightening for me to endure...!" Boa sobbed as she quivered.

The snake sisters also cried for themselves and their sister.

Robin's eyes darkened. She had an idea what had happened to the Snake Princess that she dared not speak out loud. A beautiful woman like her at the mercy of men...it must have truly been hell.

Nyon smiled as she balanced herself on her snake cane. "It has been a long time since you were this sincere about your own feelings. I was actually wondering if your heart had turned to ice by now."

Boa quickly wiped her eyes and glared at the elder woman. "Be quiet, you traitor who abandoned your kingdom!"

"You are the one who should be silent!" Nyon yelled as she got into Boa's face. "After you had been freed by the Celestial Dragons, you were just a defenseless little girl wondering around, not knowing how to return to the island! Who do you think brought you all the way here!? You only got back because I lived outside the kingdom!"

Boa turned her back on the old woman. "You try to change my mind with such a small debt?"

"What!?" Nyon screamed as the Snake Sisters retrained her.

"Do you...hate me, now that you know that I was a slave?" Boa asked Luffy hesitantly. She actually sounded scared that Luffy would reject her.

Luffy looked at her like she was crazy. "What are you talking about? I told you, I _hate_ the Celestial Dragons!"

Boa stiffened in surprise, before she began to laugh. It was not her cold, cocky laugh, but a real heartfelt laugh. "I like you! You had another request, did you not? Very well! Tell me where you want to go and I shall lend you a ship!"

Luffy broke into a huge smile at the news. He was finally going to be reunited with his crew.

There, the memory dissipated into the mist.

 


	29. Hell

"I see. That is how Luffy became friends with one of the Warlords," Robin said in thought after the memory had ended.

"It's funny how Luffy was able to get through to Hancock like that," Usopp said in mild wonderment. He was starting to wonder if there was anyone's heart that Luffy couldn't eventually melt. "She hated men so much because of the World Nobles and was such a cold-hearted, scornful woman. Yet, she came to trust Luffy."

"Luffy attacked one of the people who enslaved her and protected her secret when he had no reason to do so. That's more than enough to earn that Warlord's gratitude," Zoro said.

"It kinds of mirrors Ace's story a little," Robin mused.

"It should have been _me_ comforting Hancock-chan," Sanji moaned in tears. "I could have melted her cold heart and made her love me."

Zoro rolled his eye. "Only in your wet-dreams, eyebrow."

"I have to admit, Luffy's a lucky bastard," Franky said as he folded his arms. "He got to see Hancock naked not once, but twice. Damn, what a waste." He wished he could take photos.

The new memory came suddenly and the Strawhats were inside what looked like a giant mess hall. Much to Sanji's delight, it was filled with many women.

"Huh, we're still on this island," Zoro in a bored tone. He was hoping to see something new.

"Delightful, I'm still in heaven!" Sanji exclaimed as he spun around.

"Maybe we'll get lucky and Luffy can go for three," Franky said with a wide grin.

"I certainly wouldn't be upset," Brook laughed.

There was a loud clattering sound and the Strawhats turned to see Luffy standing up from his table. He was extremely fat, showing that he had recently eating. He also seemed very angry.

"Stop screwing around!" Luffy shouted, his eyes flashed in rage.

"Don't talk to women like that you shit head captain!" Sanji yelled.

"Why's Luffy so angry?" Chopper asked in concern.

Robin looked in front of Luffy. "Maybe he is acting aggressively because those amazons are trying to attack him."

The crew followed Robin's line of sight and saw that several amazons were attempting to hide their knives and swords.

"But I thought they settled their differences," Usopp said. "Why this so suddenly?"

Zoro narrowed his eye. "Was that woman lying?"

"Don't call Lady Hancock 'that woman', moss head!" Sanji yelled at his rival.

Nami sweat-dropped as she looked at Sanji. "Lady Hancock?"

Still enraged, Luffy grabbed a pot and a ladle. "Cut it out already!" He pointed the ladle at the amazons.

The women in the mess hall trembled and muttered at Luffy's behavior.

"I guess he saw through our trap," one of the woman attackers said.

"Regardless, is he seriously going to fight us with a pot and a ladle?" one of the bigger women asked with an amused smile.

"I was wondering about that," Nami said. Why did Luffy grab those things? Except for his few whimsical moments, Luffy always fought barehanded.

"This just shows how stupid that man is," another woman said.

"Can't argue with that," Franky said.

"Don't lose to him!" the woman exclaimed.

The four amazon women started to charge Luffy.

If the Strawhats were expecting a big fight, or one-sided beating from Luffy, they were greatly disappointed.

"Why aren't you singing!?" Luffy yelled.

The question was so sudden and unexpected that the women stopped running and crashed into each other.

"Huh?" Usopp asked in a deadpan voice.

Luffy looked at the fallen women in mild annoyance. "What are you doing?" He hopped onto the table and looked across the room. "Listen up, everyone! You got to do this to have a banquet!"

He began to bang the ladle against the pan and sing loudly off-key. He also danced to his own bad tone.

"Figures..." most of the Strawhats muttered as they sweat-dropped.

The women looked at him like he had lost his mind. They weren't sure what to make of what he was doing.

Once Luffy got past the melody part of the song, he started to sing Bink's Sake.

The gesture moved Brook to tears. Even if it was off-tune and the melody was off, Luffy was singing his song.

After a few seconds of stunned silence from the women, the mess hall burst into laughter.

"What is that!?" one woman yelled across the room.

"Men are funny!" another woman laughed.

Even the women who were trying to kill him just moments before were laughing.

"He doesn't even realize it, but he's completely charmed all those women," Franky said as he too started to laugh.

Robin began to smile. "That is just Luffy's nature."

With the ice broken, the entire mess hall broke into a party with Luffy being the life of the room. He entertained the women with stretching and playing with his rubber body, and drawing a giant face on his enlarged stomach. He even showed them how to do his signature chopstick up the nose dance.

"Now he's got the whole room doing that." Nami slapped her forehead as a group of amazons mimic Luffy. Why was that stupid dance so popular?

"And that girl is still taking notes," Usopp muttered as she watched the lady from the prison write furiously into her notebook.

Sanji growled angrily. "Dammit Luffy, you're making us all look bad."

Truthfully, he was deathly jealous of his idiot captain. He had an entire room filled with women practically worshipping him and he appreciated none of it. How did that bastard get so lucky? Damn Kuma. That bastard bear had a lot to answer.

"Luffy's more popular with women than Sanji," Chopper noted, causing Sanji to glare daggers at the reindeer.

"That's not saying much. The love cook was never popular with anyone," Zoro teased.

This sent Sanji and Zoro into their usual fight.

"I guess complete indifference has its own special charm," Franky mused as he rubbed his chin.

After a while, Luffy needed a break from the festive mood and went back to eating.

"Here. This is the specialty of the Isle of Women," a woman with a chef hat said as she handed Luffy a giant bowl of what looked like a pasta dish.

"Specialty?" Luffy asked eagerly as he began to eat.

"Penne Gorgonzola with sea king meat," the chef said with a wide smile.

"That looks pretty good," Sanji observed. "Too bad our idiot captain didn't ask for the recipe."

"I eat sea king all the time, but this is really wonderful!" Luffy exclaimed as he ate happily.

As he ate, a group of women started to walk behind him. They all had eager expressions on their faces.

"What are they up to now?" Zoro asked.

With Luffy still eating, several women grabbed his cheeks and began to stretch them. Being used to this kind of play, the pulling didn't bother Luffy and he kept eating unheeded.

"What...what are they doing?" Franky asked as more women pulled on Luffy's face.

"He really does stretch!" a woman squealed in delight.

"It's so soft! Like he's made of rubber!" another woman yelled.

Luffy still didn't seem to mind as he kept eating the Penne Gorgonzola. The stretching, however, was making his mouth longer and therefore harder for him to chew his meal. "This sea king is delicious! It's getting hard to eat, through..."

"I guess it would," Nami said dryly.

"What's with you!?" Luffy yelled in irritation as he turned towards the group of women who were holding his cheeks.

"Don't yell at a lady!" Sanji shouted at his captain. "You should be honored to have women touch and feel you!"

Franky chuckled. "That sounds so wrong, bro."

"You're poking and stretching me!" Luffy continued to yell.

"It can't be helped. You're leaving tomorrow, aren't you?" a woman holding a sign said. "There are a lot of girls who want a chance to touch a man. Look!"

She pointed behind her and there was a long line's worth of women lined up to touch and feel Luffy. The line stretched so long that many were out the door and still, the line kept going almost endlessly.

"All those women want to touch Luffy!?" Usopp exclaimed in shock.

"You're very popular!" the woman exclaimed as she held out her sign. On it, the sign revealed that touching Luffy cost twenty gol.

"Luffy-chan!" several women squealed.

"Lord Luffy!" others cooed.

Luffy wasn't pleased. "Hey, I'm not sideshow!"

"Luffy-chan, Lord Luffy?" Sanji asked as he slumped to the floor in despair. "That shitty rubber bastard. How dare he go to heaven..."

"What I wouldn't give to have skin again so lines of women would touch and fondle me," Brook said in a heartbroken voice as tears fell from his empty eye sockets.

"Isn't this like G-rated prostitution?" Franky muttered as he looked at the line in awe.

"Luffy's very popular with the opposite sex," Chopper noted.

Nami rubbed her chin in thought. She wondered if there was a business opportunity to be made here.

Zoro said nothing, but there were several beads of sweat on his face. He thought having _Perona_ around all the time was bad.

The women in line became impatient and charged Luffy. Within moments, the rubberman was crowded by several girls who poked, stretched, and played with his body.

"Hey, stop!" Luffy yelled as the women kept pulling him. "I can't eat!"

"He's practically being molested and he's still only concerned about eating," Zoro mummer. This greatly concerned him.

Sanji's tears flowed more freely in jealousy. That should have been him, dammit. His skin was much smoother, silkier, and healthier than Luffy's ugly, thick, rubbery skin.

The women had hearts in their eyes as they kept stretching Luffy's skin. Thankfully for Luffy, he was able to escape the demanding crowd with the help of a now reanimated Margaret. The two wasted no time running away and finding a place where Luffy could eat in peace.

The memory changed at that moment and the crew was now on a balcony of a high building. Luffy was sitting with the old woman Nyon and Margaret, discussing how Boa became a Warlord after one campaign as a pirate. Nyon also mentioned about how Boa's Warlord title was currently in danger because she refused a summons from the marines. There was going to be a war soon between the Whitebeard Pirates and the marines, including all seven of the Warlords.

"What!?" Luffy exclaimed sat he took in all this news. "The Seven Warlords and the marines are going to battle the Whitebeard Pirates!? What's going on!? How can this happen!? Wa...wait a second! This is more than I can take at once!" He finally calmed down and took a sip of tea.

"What a hopeless man," Nyon sighed. "There is a limit to how ignorant you can be!"

"She doesn't know Luffy," Nami muttered as the other Strawhats nodded their heads.

"Although, I'm surprised he picked up so quickly what a big deal this war would be," Franky said. "Did Luffy even know who Whitebeard was before Ace told him?"

"Doubtful, but most within our crew didn't know who Whitebeard was," Zoro said. "I only knew because I was a pirate hunter for a while."

"I do not believe that," Robin said. "Garp told Luffy and Ace stories about Whitebeard. Luffy most likely knew that Whitebeard was a big deal being Gold Roger's only equal. So, he would understand the scope of this war."

"Not to mention he probably thought Ace was going to be fighting in the war, not actually be the cause of it," Nami said softly.

Nyon turned to read her newspaper. "Although this is only speculation at the moment, the battle will certainly happen sooner or later. The World Government had made the first move. Whitebeard is a man who would never allow one of his mates to be killed. Even though the government knows this, they announced the public execution of Whitebeard's elite subordinate, Portgas D. Ace!"

Luffy's eyes widened and he slowly put his teacup down when he heard Ace's name. The expression on his face was completely different from before. If Nyon had suddenly turned into a giant three-headed snake and started singing opera, Luffy wouldn't have looked more shocked.

"Well, that's a blunt way to learn about your brother's execution," Franky said.

Nami also winced at the impersonal way Luffy learned that his brother was about to be executed, and that his death was causing a giant uproar that he knew nothing about.

Margaret noticed the change in Luffy's demeanor. "What's wrong?"

Luffy was actually shaking as he spoke. "Who?" He was obviously still in shock.

"Ace," Nyon repeated nonchalantly, not noticing Luffy's shaking form. "Ace, Fire Fist Ace."

Within seconds, it looked like Luffy's entire world had crashed on his head. All the color drained out of his face and he was trembling. His eyes were wide, but he wasn't seeing anything.

None of the Strawhats had ever seen such a strong reaction from their captain. Even when he learned of Nami and Robin's supposed betrayals or seen Zoro's half-dead form in Thriller Bark, he didn't look that ill. For a lack of better words, it looked like someone had shot Luffy in the face with a sharpened bullet.

"Ace is going to be executed?" Luffy asked barely above a whisper.

"I've heard that a pirate called Blackbeard managed to join the Warlords by capturing Fire Fist Ace," Nyon answered while still reading the newspaper.

"Blackbeard, the guy from Jaya," Brook said as he took in the news. He had never heard this part of the story. "That man not only betrayed his captain and murdered his own crewmate, but he turned in his former commander to the marines to gain the rank of Warlord."

Nami scowled. "What a heartless thing to do." She really wished Blackbeard had drowned in Jaya. She was certain that Knock-Up Stream overturned that small ship of his.

"Wow…he's even more of a scumbag than I imagined," Usopp said as he clutched his fists. How could anyone do that to their former comrade and commander? Did this Blackbeard have _any_ morals?

Franky balled his fists as his emotions built. What Blackbeard had done was nearly incomprehensible to him. It would be like them turning Luffy over to Kuma. Pirates were generally bastards, but this was going too far.

Robin looked at the darkened expressions of her crew and her heart went out to them. Sadly, Blackbeard's behavior was quite common among the most heartless pirates. She had sailed under many monsters like him. Her crew, save for Brook, was innocent in the sense that they thought terrible pirates were like Kuro and Don Krieg. As bad as those pirates were, they were amateurs compared to the people she sailed with over the years.

What was unusual was that Blackbeard could be so coldblooded, yet carry that middle initial. All those she had met that carried the Will of D were generally honorable people who valued their comrades, whether they were marine, civilian, revolutionary, or pirate. Blackbeard, or rather, Marshall D. Teach, was certainly an oddball. Was he really a carrier of the Will of D?

"Blackbeard..." Luffy repeated in disbelief. He remembered that name.

"That no good bastard," Sanji growled as he bit his cigarette. Even among the most morally bankrupt pirate crews, what Blackbeard did was low. He literally broke every unwritten pirate code.

Zoro was shaking in rage, not for himself or for Ace, but for all the pain Blackbeard had indirectly caused his captain. He suddenly felt the need to hunt that man down and cut him into fish bait.

"The World Government intend take full advantage of the large chip they have gained against Whitebeard," Nyon continued, still completely unaware of the mental breakdown Luffy was currently having.

"Granny!" Luffy almost yelled, but Nyon wasn't paying attention to him as she kept talking. "Granny!" he screamed even louder, stopping Nyon. Luffy grabbed Nyon fiercely by her shoulders. "He's my big brother! Ace is my big brother!"

Now all the color drained from Nyon's face. "What!?"

Margaret gasped in shock.

"Is it true!? Is he your older brother!?" Nyon yelled as she stood up.

"I didn't even know that he had been captured!" Luffy yelled frantically. "What do you mean executed!? Does that mean he can't get out of it!?"

Never once had the Strawhats seen their captain so panicked. He looked close to tears with worry and fear.

Nyon quickly calmed down and took her seat. "If Whitebeard wins the battle, perhaps he can be saved."

"What do I do?" Luffy asked, truly lost. "Where's he going to be executed?"

Nyon read the newspaper. "It says it will take place in the plaza of Marineford, where the Marine Headquarters resides, in a week. Which would be six days from today."

"That's too soon!" Luffy exclaimed. "How long does it take to get to Sabaody from here?"

"Well, I think it takes more than a week," Nyon said in thought.

Luffy clenched his hands. "If it takes that long, it's going to be over for Ace before I meet my crew!" He paused for a second as he attempted to calm himself. He failed miserably. "Then how long would it take to get where Ace is from here!?"

"Impel Down is where he is imprisoned," Nyon stated. "It would take a week by a pirate ship. It would take four days by a marine ship."

"Why, are the marine ships that fast!?" Luffy asked.

"I would like to know that too," Franky said. He had seen the marine's battleships and they were no faster than most other ships.

"There is a current that is being used exclusively by the World Government," Nyon explained. "Enies Lobby, Impel Down, and Marine Headquarters, this giant spiral current connects those three facilities. When they open those giant gates, the Gates of Justice, which lie outside each, the current runs inside, allowing ships to enter each facility. In other words, if the gates are not open you would just keep drifting on the current. The pirate ships take an extended detour in order to avoid that current."

"That explains a lot about Enies Lobby," Nami muttered mostly to herself.

"What should I do?" Luffy asked again. He reached for his hat and removed something from its outer rims.

"What do you want to do?" Nyon asked the strawhat captain. As she asked that, Luffy removed a small, burning sheet of paper. Her eyes widened when she saw it. "Could that be your older brother's Vivre Card!?"

Luffy stared at it intensely. The paper was even smaller than it was back in Thriller Bark. Whatever was happening to Ace, he wasn't getting better.

"Is that the moving piece of paper that was so important to you?" Margaret asked.

"That's a different piece. This is Ace's piece," Luffy answered, although he wasn't paying too much attention to Margaret.

"It is also known as the paper of life," Nyon said. "It shows you the direction and vital energy of its owner."

"Then, it must be so small because..." Margaret concluded fearfully.

"When I first got it, it was ten times bigger than this," Luffy said as he started to pace. His eyes were focused in a way that the Strawhats had never seen. He looked like an entirely different person. "Ace has his own adventure." He said nothing for a long moment. "Me wanting to save my strong big brother will just make Ace angry. But..."

The Strawhats suddenly saw an image of themselves standing behind Luffy. It was almost like they were ghosts or spirits standing next to their captain awaiting his decision.

Soon, an image of Luffy and Ace running free across the mountains appeared. The memory shifted rapidly showing the different things that Luffy and Ace did together growing up. As those memories became vivid and detailed, the image of the Strawhats faded until they completely disappeared. Only the memories of Luffy and Ace remained.

"Sorry guys. I'm going to take a short detour." With that, Luffy's eyes hardened in determination and all his doubts faded as he put the Vivre Card back into his hat. "I want to go save Ace!"

Luffy's words echoed as the memory dissipated into the mist, leaving the Strawhats feeling numb.

"So...that's how that happened," Usopp whispered.

Sanji balled his hands. "He wanted to go back for us, but there simply wasn't any time. Dammit..."

"What a terrible choice," Brook said softly. "To be torn between the duties of a captain and those of a brother."

"It...it's like he erased us from his mind," Nami muttered.

Zoro said nothing. He knew all of this. Still, it didn't make him feel any better. Luffy should have never been forced to make this choice to begin with.

"Is...is this when Luffy goes to war?" Chopper asked hesitantly. That was the memory he dreaded most of all.

"No," Zoro answered, getting everyone's attention. "He's going to Impel Down."

This brought a round of silence from the Strawhats.

"Impel Down, the most feared prison in the world!?" Franky exclaimed in shock.

"But that's insane, even for Luffy!" Usopp shouted after taking in the news. "Does he really believe that he can go to the world's most feared prison alone? This is nothing like Enies Lobby and even then he had us, Galley-La, and the Franky Family to help him! Not to mention that place would be extra secure with Ace being there."

"I think Luffy knows the risks, but his desire to save Ace is suppressing any fear he has for his personal well-being," Robin said as she closed her eyes.

"Still, I never knew Luffy-san went to Impel Down," Brook said, hating that his captain went through so much without them.

Nami nodded before she folded her arms. "I read all the newspapers during that period and there was no mention of Impel Down anywhere."

"It was most likely covered up by the government," Robin surmised. "Having a major breakout from a place that is considered impenetrable would not look good for the government, especially after taking so many loses during the war. Even though they won the War of the Best, the marine forces were left in shambles."

"That sounds like something they would do," Sanji said humorlessly. "They pinned the destruction of Enies Lobby on us when it was their own battleships that blew everything up, including their own people. Not to mention how they covered our involvement in Alabasta."

There was another long silence.

"So, we will see the underwater prison, Impel Down," Nami whispered. She didn't want to imagine the horrors that Luffy witnessed if half the rumors were true about that place.

Franky started to shake. "The place where Tom was taken and spent his final days."

"I wonder if that place is as terrible as people say," Chopper whispered in dread.

"I've heard that Impel Down is so horrible that pirates chose to die or commit suicide rather than be taken there," Usopp said softly. He shivered at the thought.

Brook nodded. "Even in my day, being taken to Impel Down was considered a fate far worse than death. They called it the gate way to Hell."

"Either way, we're going to find out," Sanji said as he lit a cigarette.

There was another pause.

"Ahh, how's Luffy supposed to get to Impel Down?" Chopper suddenly asked. "He can't make it on time by pirate ship and he can't just sneak aboard a marine ship."

Robin put a hand to her chin. "That is very true." She had an idea what happened given that Hancock was still a Warlord despite ignoring the summons.

The mist came again and the Strawhats were on what appeared to be a ship. Given the steel design of the room they were in, it had to be a marine battleship. Boa was in the room with Luffy, who was staring intently out a small port.

"Well, guess we know how Luffy got onto a marine ship," Franky said as he glanced at Boa.

"Still, to think she warmed up enough to Luffy to help him do this," Usopp said in awe. "I mean she's not only putting her Warlord title at risk, but her very life."

"It is an interesting change in behavior," Robin mused.

While they were talking the Strawhats instinctually walked to where their captain was looking and saw the giant doors of the Gate of Justice. It was just as foreboding as they remembered. The large gates seemed to be welcoming them to the pits of Hell.

"That's the largest prison in the world?" Luffy whispered. Even he sounded unnerved. This was far different than invading Enies Lobby, especially since he was going in without his crew.

The ship sailed ever closer to the prison and all the Strawhats felt their hearts quickening.

"Imagine, this is the last sight many pirates see of the outside world," Sanji muttered.

"It feels like we're entering another world," Usopp whispered.

Everywhere the Strawhats looked, they were surrounded by battleships filled with marines saluting the incoming ship.

"Lady Hancock, we have arrived!" someone yelled from outside the door.

"I will be out shortly," Boa answered in her usual cold manner.

"I still wonder, how did Luffy get Hancock to help him?" Chopper asked. "Does she feel _that_ indebted to him for hitting a World Noble and protecting her secret?"

"I'm more surprised that the marines even allowed Hancock to come here," Nami said.

"The Warlords are one of the few people who are allowed to come to Impel Down under special conditions. Although, they all avoid coming here," Robin said. "The Warlords are still pirates, after all."

Sanji snorted. "From what I've heard, most marines hate coming here. If I remember correctly, Impel Down is controlled through the government rather than the marines."

Robin nodded. "That is true."

"What you should be asking is how Luffy managed to sneak on a marine ship in the first place," Zoro suddenly said. "Hancock may be a Warlord, but they wouldn't allow a rogue pirate like Luffy on any battleship. Especially after punching a World Noble."

"Hn, I was wondering about that a well," Brook said. "Even if Luffy-san has the protection of a Warlord, they won't let him anywhere near Impel Down."

"What's this?" Luffy asked as he continued to stare out the window, getting the Strawhats' attention. "There're more battleships here than there were in the Buster Call!"

"Currently, this is the most dangerous place in the world. It is obvious that it would be well guarded." Boa answered as she walked towards Luffy. "However, are you telling me that you have witnessed the Buster Call? I only heard rumors of it."

"Be thankful," Nami said as she shivered.

Luffy decided not to answer the question. "So, Ace is in there?"

"He is probably down below the surface," Boa said as she opened her long wool cape like coat that she was wearing. "Now hurry, hide under my clothes."

This got the entire crew's attention.

"What!?" Sanji exclaimed in shock.

"Did I hear that right?" Brook asked in equal disbelief.

Sure enough, Luffy walked up to Boa and climbed under her cape, literally clinging to her butt and lying against it like a pillow. Boa closed the coat, hiding Luffy from view.

"ARE YOU TELLING ME HE SNUCK INTO THE WORLD'S MOST INFAMOUS PRISON BY HANGING OFF THE BUTT OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN IN THE WORLD!?" Sanji screamed at the top of his lungs as he burned with jealousy and rage. How could Luffy get so close to his Hancock's luscious body and feel her soft curves?

"Well, that explains how Luffy manage to sneak aboard the ship," Robin said with an air of amusement.

"I'm so jealous of Luffy-san," Brook said as he wept at the lost opportunity of meeting Boa. She must have beautiful panties and Luffy got to feel and even smell them.

Nami sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "Only Luffy could get away with this."

"Dammit, Luffy! I hope you burn in hell!" Sanji screamed as he burned in flames.

Usopp also growled under his breath. He really hated Luffy right now. Between Shirahoshi and now Hancock Luffy was stealing all the beautiful women.

"The innocent gets all the luck," Franky muttered in envy as Boa was escorted off the ship by a marine escort led by one of the vice-admirals that the Strawhats saw during the Buster Call.

As they walked past the armada of battleships, all the marines on-board the ships called and lust over Boa, much to her annoyance. The Strawhats could see the hearts flying out of the marines' eyes.

"What is all the fuss about? Such a noisy bunch," Boa said as she glared at the men. "May I petrify them?"

The vice-admiral stopped walking and closed his eyes in embarrassment. "Please don't. The marines don't need any more humiliation."

"Are we inside yet?" Luffy whispered from inside Boa's coat.

"Not yet," Boa whispered in a hushed voice. "Do not be impatient, Luffy." Her voice was noticeably gentler when addressing Luffy. It was even stranger that Boa was addressing Luffy by his first name instead of his pirate title.

Robin smiled as she noticed the change and had to hold back a chuckle.

"Your condition for helping us was that you wanted to see the man at the center of these events, Portgas D. Ace, correct?" the vice-admiral suddenly asked. "I told you before, but this place is usually strictly off-limits to pirates, even the Seven Warlords. Once you enter, you will be restrained with seastone shackles. You will also have to go through a full body check at the entrance. We cannot let you free any of the inmates or anything, after all."

"A full body check?" Brook repeated with a slight edge in his voice.

"How can Luffy possibly avoid being seen?" Chopper asked in worry.

Boa had the same concern and asked Luffy what he wanted to do. Luffy assured her it was fine and to keep going.

"Looks like he has a plan," Zoro said.

"Knowing Luffy, it's a half-baked one," Nami said dryly.

Boa was led inside the prison and the atmosphere completely changed. Even through there was an overhang that day the sun disappeared once they entered the halls of the prison. The air was also foul with blood, urine, and other bodily fluids that hit the Strawhats like a hammer to the face. The sounds of pain and people crying for help also echoed through the walls.

Even the vice-admiral looked disturbed as he kept walking.

Boa's demeanor was stiff, although it was impossible to tell if it was from the atmosphere or her concerns over the body check.

Chopper instinctually grabbed Zoro's leg as the sounds of misery got to him. It was beyond the young doctor's understanding how people could intentionally cause harm and suffering to another living creature outside of battle. He simply couldn't, or want to understand the concept of torture.

Zoro unconsciously put his hand on Chopper's head in comfort as he kept an impassive expression.

Franky was greatly unnerved by what he was hearing. His father figure and mentor was forced to listen to these sounds all because of him. He was also shaken by the thought that this would have been his future if it weren't for the Strawhats, the Galley-La, and his family in Water 7.

Robin's face was blank, but her eyes hid many dark thoughts. This prison was the perfect example of the World Government's cruelty.

A chill ran up Brook's spine from hearing all the screams of anguished. It was exactly like the stories he heard. This was truly the gateway to Hell.

The rest of the Strawhats were also disturbed by this place and they were barely past the front gate.

"I welcome you to my Impel Down!" someone suddenly exclaimed as a man appeared out of nowhere, startling some of the Strawhats.

The man was a little shorter than Boa and wore what looked a pharaoh outfit. He also had a large pitchfork that looked like an old depiction of the devil.

"Ah, my mistake!" the man yelled as he realized what he had just said. "Calling it my Impel Down is too ambitious! I am still but the Assistant Warden, Hannyabal! Pleasure to meet you!"

"I'm Momonga," the vice admiral greeted.

"I've heard what you're here for," Hannyabal said as he glanced at Boa. "You must be the Empress, Hancock. My Empress, Hancock?" He quickly stopped himself. "Oh, forgive me! I'm being too ambitious again!"

"What a clown," Sanji muttered. Hancock-chan was his.

"That stinking Warden...oh, my mistake!" Hannyabal exclaimed as he put his foot in his mouth again. "Warden Magellan is in his office down in Level 4. You will be taken there right away. Your escorts will be Vice Chief Jailor Domino here and myself."

Domino was a young, pretty blond-haired woman who wore shades so tinted that you couldn't see her eyes. She was also dressed in full uniform with the emblem of Impel Down.

Sanji had hearts flying out of his eyes. "What beauty. Even the depths of Hell have angels among it!"

"Already forgotten all about Hancock, huh love cook?" Zoro asked dryly.

Sanji turned towards his rival. "Don't be ridiculous. My heart is open to many women. There're more than enough room for Hancock-chan, Domino-chan, Nami-san, Robin-chan, and many other women."

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "So, you're into polygamy or are you just a whore?"

Sanji and Zoro immediately started fighting.

"You guys are going to do this now?" Usopp asked as he sweat-dropped.

"It seems you are short on time, so please come this way. Vice-Admiral, you go over there and undergo your body check," Domino said as she escorted Boa deeper into the prison.

"Wow, even the vice-admirals get body checks," Brook said as he followed Boa.

"I guess they take no chances around here," Nami muttered.

"Our prisoners are all sent into this cage where they are stripped of their clothes and lowered into a pot of boiling water," Domino explained nonchalantly. "We call this process the Lukewarm Bath of Hell."

"How the hell is that lukewarm!?" Franky yelled.

"We use it to disinfect and baptize our prisoners before they are put into their cells," Domino stated.

"That's no way to disinfect someone!" Chopper screamed. Such cruelty shouldn't be justified.

"Even among those prisoners there are some who are tougher than others," Domino went on. "A few of our recent inmates: Fire Fist Ace, as well as the Warlord Jimbei, and the former Warlord Crocodile all went through the baptisms without even battling an eyelash."

"Wait, Jimbei's here?" Sanji asked as he stopped staring at Domino's butt.

"They managed to imprison that powerful guy!? But he's a Warlord!" Usopp exclaimed. "Why's he at Impel Down?"

"No idea, but that explains how he met Luffy," Zoro said.

"Well, Jimbei did say he was friends with Whitebeard and he did protect Fishman Island during his lifetime. So he likely opposed the war and got sent here," Nami said.

Robin lowered her head. "So…Crocodile is here as well."

"Here you are," Domino said as she took Boa into a private room. "Guests check-in in this private room. Do not worry."

Boa walked inside, barely acknowledging the other woman.

"Please remove your cloak," Domino gently ordered as she closed the door. "It is the easiest way to conceal someone, so please hand it over to me."

"This girl's pretty smart," Nami said. "I was wondering after meeting Hannyabal."

"Luffy's going to get caught!" Chopper yelled in panic.

"I have no reason to suspect you, but if you were thinking of pulling anything suspicious we have monitoring transponder snails all over Impel Down," Domino said as she pointed to one of the snails on the wall. "They transmit everything they see to the security monitors."

"So, you are stripped while some pervert in the monitor room is watching," Nami said dryly as she side-eyed the transponder snail. "I can just imagine what they're doing in that room looking at Boa."

Brook laughed. "I know what I would be doing."

Domino held up the seastone handcuffs. "Well then, first thing first. Put on the seastone shackles."

Boa turned towards the other woman and gave her an annoyed glare. "I am not a prisoner, yet I still need shackles. You are too cautious."

Domino said nothing, but continued to hold up the shackles.

After a few tense seconds Boa gave an innocent, almost vulnerable smile with puppy dog's eyes. "Please be gentle with me."

This caused Domino to blush, losing her indifferent composure.

Sanji, Brook, Usopp, and Franky all fell over at Hancock's innocence. They were saying something, but it was all incomprehensible babble.

Nami started to blush. " _She looks so cute_."

Zoro did his best to fight off a blush. Damn, he was falling for that witch's spell.

That was all Boa needed to cast her powers across the room. In less than a second, Domino was turned to stone along with the transponder snail which also had hearts in its eyes.

"That beam works on animals too!?" Usopp exclaimed in shock after he picked himself off the floor. "What a scary ability!"

Nami crossed her arms. "Even the transponder snails around here are perverts."

"You can come out, Luffy," Boa said gently as Luffy rolled out of her cloak.

"That was close!" Luffy exclaimed as he looked at the chaos Boa had caused. "I thought I would have to make a break for it when they weren't watching. You can just turn anything into stone, huh?"

"That was his plan?" Chopper asked in disbelief.

"Just as I though, half-baked," Nami muttered.

"This seems to be as far as I can take you," Boa said sadly as she stared at Luffy. "After this, my abilities will be restrained by seastone and you will not be able to hide once they have taken my cloak. I had hoped to be of more help to you."

The Strawhats looked at each other, then at Boa, and then at Luffy as they listened to the gentleness, concern, and sincerity in Boa's voice.

"She couldn't..." Nami whispered.

Robin had to fight off a laugh.

"What are you talking about? There's no way I could have made it this far by myself," Luffy said with a wide smile. "You got me inside the building surrounded by battleships. You've helped me plenty!"

"Luffy," Boa whispered as she looked Luffy directly in the eye. "This is a stronghold made to lock people away. No matter what happens, please do not cause an uproar here."

"Why don't you ask to seas to part too?" Usopp muttered. Luffy not making an uproar was an oxymoron.

"If you are captured, you will never be able to get out," Boa said gravely. "Though you are strong, will you promise me to not to cause a disturbance?"

Luffy took Boa's hand, catching her off-guard. "Right, I promise! Thanks a lot, Hancock!"

Boa started to blush so much that her entire face had turned a rosy red. She looked like a schoolgirl.

"Are you..." Nami muttered in disbelief as she realized what had happened. "Oh…my…god…"

Robin laughed, unable to hold it in any longer. "It would appear that the Snake Princess had developed a crush on our captain."

This caused a long pause among the Strawhats.

"ARE YOU SHITTING ME!?" Sanji roared in rage as he burst into a ball of flames, knocking both Usopp and Brook over. "HOW DOES THAT SHIT HEAD CAPTAIN GET A GODDESS LIKE HANCOCK-CHAN TO FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM!?"

Chopper put his hoof on his chin. "That would explain Boa's change in demeanor. I have read that when humans develop strong feelings for the opposite sex it can cause them to act differently. I wonder if it's really love or maybe Boa is going through her menstrual period. That can also cause an increase in hormones."

"I'll never forget what you did!" Luffy exclaimed as he continued to firmly hold Boa's hand, completely unaware of the flush in the Snake Princess' cheeks. "I'll definitely repay you someday!"

Boa looked like Luffy had just kissed her. She was completely thunderstruck.

"Luffy got that cold-hearted woman to actually fall in love with him," Zoro said before he burst into laughter. "Only something Luffy could do. He got the most beautiful in the world eating out of his hand."

Nami put a hand to her mouth to hide her smile. This was too good. "They do make a cute couple."

"They would indeed make some adorable children given how handsome both of them are," Robin said with a smile.

"Damn you, Luffy!" Sanji screamed in rage as he attempted kicked Luffy several times. Being a memory, of course, the cook's attacks had no effect.

"Luffy-san is so lucky," Brook said with watery nonexistence eyes. "I would love to bone…"

"Don't even finish that sentence!" Nami yelled as she smacked Brook.

"Yep, innocents really do get all the luck," Franky said almost bitterly.

Usopp nodded in agreement. "Luffy, you lucky dog."

"Now my life is complete!" Boa exclaimed as Luffy climbed up the wall. It looked like she was going to faint.

"Hey, you can turn them back now," Luffy said when he reached the ceiling, completely unaware of Boa's love breakdown. "I'll be fine!"

Boa was still in her own world. "This must be…a mutual affection!"

"Oh, she's completely whipped," Franky said in awe.

"I feel like I'm watching some alternate universe," Usopp muttered.

"Hey!" Luffy yelled, snapping Boa out of her trance. She quickly unfroze everyone and the body check happened without further incident.

When everything was done, Boa walked out of the room shackled in seastone handcuffs. Luffy managed to remain unnoticed by sticking to the ceiling. While Boa complained about her treatment, getting the assistant warden's attention, he snuck out of the room without raising a sound.

He then waited on the rafters as the group escorted Boa to the warden and eventually to Ace himself.

They took what appeared to be a lift. As the gate around the elevator closed, Luffy looked at Boa one last time and mouthed a thank you to her. For some reason, this caused her to faint just before she disappeared from view.

"What just happened there?" Usopp asked.

Robin chuckled louder. She had clue of what could have happened. "Most likely, Hancock misunderstood the thank you."

"How can you misunderstand a thank you?" Chopper asked in his usual innocent.

Robin smiled. "It is a human thing."

"Shitty captain..." Sanji grumbled in tears. Once they saved Luffy, he was going to kill him.

"Well now, where do I go?" Luffy asked himself. "That lift is going down and Hancock said Ace was probably at the bottom of the sea." He snapped his body back to normal as he hung from the ceiling by his legs. "That's it. This is what I got the Vivre Card for." He reached into his hat and removed the small sheet of paper. It was even small than it was at the island of woman.

"It shrunk again!" Chopper exclaimed in horror. "What are they doing to Ace!?"

"Some questions are better left unanswered," Zoro said darkly.

"Over there, huh?" Luffy said as the paper pointed him in a direction. He jumped down and began to sneak around the prison.

Amazingly enough, Luffy kept his promised to Boa. He snuck across the hallways with a stealth and slowness that none of the Strawhats, except for Sanji at the G8 Base, had seen.

Thanks to his rubber body, Luffy was able rocket himself to the ceiling whenever he heard or sensed danger. Having a body made of rubber also made his footsteps lighter, allowing him to sneak around more easily.

Luffy also had the foresight to check the walls and hallways for transponders snails before moving forward, making his descent down Impel Down slow and tedious.

"Didn't know Luffy could be so quiet," Nami said as she watched her captain in awe.

"I also don't think we've ever seen Luffy look so serious either while doing something like this. Even at Enies Lobby, Luffy still had time to play around with the marines," Usopp said.

"He knows he can't afford to fool around," Zoro said. "As Hancock said, if he's caught or runs into trouble, he's on his own."

Robin nodded. "Luffy would be ruthlessly and endlessly tortured for the rest of his days until he is an empty, broken shell awaiting execution."

This freaked Usopp, Nami, Chopper, and Brook out. "Must you be so blunt!?" they all screamed.

Luffy stopped when he reached a giant wooden door on his right side that was in the middle of a long staircase. "The Vivre Card is telling me go down here, but this looks like a dead end."

Footsteps soon reached Luffy's ear, putting him on guard

"Prisoner number 8200," someone said as they ran up the stairs.

"What, we're not letting him get away!" someone else yelled.

Luffy jumped to the ceiling to avoid detection. Luckily, no one noticed him.

"They have verified him as a Devil Fruit user!" one of the guards yelled as they stopped at the wooden door that Luffy was just in front of. "Do not forget the seastone."

The door opened and the guards ran through with their guns up.

"Looks like someone is attempting a jailbreak," Sanji observed.

"Whoever they are, they're doing a poor job," Nami said.

Luffy swung himself through the door just before it closed, allowing him access to what looked like a holding area. The area was quiet, almost eerily so. It was a big contrast from the screams he first heard when he entered the prison.

"All these rooms are prison cells?" Luffy asked as he scanned the area.

The silence was suddenly shattered by a loud scream of terror that echoed across the hallways, startling Luffy and the Strawhats who were following him.

"Screams?" Luffy whispered before he cleared his head and shrugged. "Well, whatever. I got to keep going."

"That's cold of him," Chopper scolded. How could Luffy be so indifferent to the cries of another person's anguish?

"He can't help them," Sanji said, reading Chopper's thoughts. "There's no point allowing himself to be distracted by the other prisoners' suffering."

"Also remember that this is still a prison that houses all the world's most dangerous criminals," Nami said. "As harsh as a lot of these tortures are, many of the people here do deserve them."

Franky shook his head. "Even so, it's impossible not to have some sympathy after listening to all those pleas for mercy. You must have a heart made of ice to work here."

Brook shook his head. " _No one_ deserves to be tortured, no matter what their crime may be. Life is too precious to inflict such agony upon another person. It rots away the soul."

"I have to agree," Robin said. "A place like this makes the jailers just as corrupt as the prisoners."

Luffy kept going despite being haunted by the constant sounds of screaming. It sounded different from the screams the Strawhats heard when they first came into Impel Down. It sounded more panicked than one would make if they were screaming in pain or misery.

Luffy kept ignoring it until he came to a row of prison cells that were filled with people in black and white uniforms.

"Hey, hey, hey!" one of the prisoners yelled, catching Luffy's attention. "Bro, bro!"

"What?" Luffy asked in annoyance.

"Wait a sec, what are you doing out of your cage?" the prisoner asked.

The other prisoners in the area muttered the same question.

"Outside the cage? I came from the outside," Luffy answered before he waved at them. "See ya!"

"Wait, don't lie, dammit!" one of the prisoners yelled.

"I'm not lying!" Luffy yelled in irritation.

"Who are you?" a prisoner asked. "You're not a jailor or a torturer, are you?"

"How come you're outside your cage!?" someone else asked.

"You guys are noisy," Luffy complained in good nature. "Oh right, do you guys know where Ace is?"

"Ace?" the prisoners muttered.

"Ace...you mean Fire Fist Ace?" one of the prisoners questioned.

"That's right, I want to save Ace!" Luffy exclaimed.

This earned some chuckles from the prisoners.

"Don't be so reckless," one of the prisoners said.

"True, I did hear that he was sent here," another prisoner mused.

"If he is, then he's probably on Level 5," a prisoner said in thought. "No way you would be able to go near that place. No way, it's impossible! That's where they keep guys with bounties of over one-hundred million, ya know!?"

"Level 5?" Luffy repeated.

"Anyway, bro, mind going to the jailers' room and stealing the keys?" a prisoner asked.

Everyone cheered in agreement.

"Yeah, please bro!" a prisoners begged.

Luffy didn't look convinced that he should help them. Rather it was out of self-preservation for his mission, or him feeling that anyone who was in prison that he didn't personally know deserved to be there was impossible to tell.

He didn't have time to contemplate it long before a crowd of people wearing tight blue robes came charging down the hallway chasing someone.

"What's that!?" Luffy exclaimed, taken completely by surprise.

"The Blugori!" the prisoners shouted in fear.

Now that Luffy could look closely at them, the Blugori's faces were completely covered and there was a half of skull symbol painted where their faces should be. They were also fast, since they were right on him in moments.

One of the Blugori grabbed the prisoner that they were chasing and took out a huge axe from nowhere. The creature split the man down the middle, causing Usopp, Nami, Chopper, and Brook to scream in horror.

Luffy was also freaked out as he watched the man get brutally killed.

The man screamed in surprise as he seemed to freeze in mid-step.

That was all Luffy needed to see before he bolted down the hallways. Unfortunately for the young captain, the Blugori kept following him.

"What's with these guys!?" Luffy yelled as he ran for dear life.

"To the right!" the man who was just split in half yelled. Somehow, he was still alive and able to run.

"To the left!" the other half of the man yelled as he put himself back together and became whole again.

This caused Chopper to really lose it. "He put himself back together!"

Zoro narrowed his eye. "Only one person could have survived a blow in that manner."

"Fools, don't look down on the man with the power of the Chop Chop Fruit!" the man yelled cockily.

"Oh, it's Buggy," almost all the Strawhats said in a deadpan voice.

"How did he get here?" Usopp asked. "I never knew he left East Blue."

Sanji sighed as he smoked his cigarette. "I thought for certain Smoker caught this annoying clown back in Loguetown."

"Given what I've seen of him, I'm surprised he even made it this far, especially to warrant a cell in Impel Down," Franky said as he rubbed his chin.

"He was a part of the Roger Pirates, regardless of his weaknesses," Robin said. "If he could not even survive the first half of the Grand Line, then he was not worthy to be considered part of that great crew."

"I wonder how he got caught?" Chopper wondered out loud.

"Probably something stupid. Most likely regarding a treasure," Nami said, which Zoro nodded in agreement.

Buggy finally took notice of Luffy who was running beside him and he scattered apart in shock. "Strawhat!? Why are you here!?"

Luffy turned towards Buggy and the boy captain had a confused expression on his face. He obviously had no clue who Buggy was.

The Strawhats then saw brief flashes of memory of Luffy's fight with Buggy and even his near execution back in Loguetown.

"Oh, it's just Buggy," Luffy said in bored tone.

"Huh, Luffy remembered his name this time," Usopp mused.

"I liked Buffoon better," Franky said.

"Why you...don't screw with me, you lowlife!" Buggy screamed in anger. "You're as cheeky as ever, I see!" He suddenly gave Luffy a wide grin. "I didn't know you were captured as well!"

"I came here on my own," Luffy informed nonchalantly. "I wasn't captured."

"What sort of idiot would willingly enter a prison?" Buggy asked in disbelief. His eyes suddenly widened. "Wait, could it be…that you heard of my imprisonment and came to rescue me?"

"Is he serious?" Sanji asked.

"Unfortunately, he is," Nami muttered.

Zoro sighed. "That stupid clown is still a moron." He felt his shame of losing to this idiot returning.

Even Buggy seemed to have realized how stupid his theory was and slapped Luffy hard on the back. "Like hell! Dumbass, I'm getting sick just thinking about it!"

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Luffy yelled at the clown. "I promised Hancock to not to make an uproar here, but you get me dragged into this!"

"That sounds like something I would say," Nami said.

"He did get a bum deal running into Buggy," Franky said.

"It's not like I wanted to get you involved!" Buggy screamed.

As they ran, one of the Blugori attempted to attack them with an axe, which barely missed the duo.

"Well, I just got foiled in Buggy's Great Jail-Break Plan!" Buggy yelled.

"Who gives a shit!?" Luffy yelled, causing some of the Strawhats to snicker.

The Blugoris now blocked their escape route, trapping them in the large hallway.

"They're coming from the front too!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Dammit!" Buggy screamed.

"Hey, why are you escaping anyway?" Luffy suddenly asked Buggy.

"What're you talking about, stupid!?" Buggy yelled. "You don't know the kinds of torture they put me through! These guys are cold-blooded monsters!"

"Then you should have avoided being caught," Luffy said in his perfect logic.

"W…w…what are you talking about!?" Buggy screamed in annoyance.

"I'm in a hurry! Come to think of it, I guess I've already caused an uproar," Luffy said in thought.

Buggy snorted. "That's the things I can't stand about you and that Red-Head. You're always thinking positively, but in a bad way!" He suddenly stopped and turned around to confront the Blugoris behind him. "Time for a great flashy change of plan!"

"Agreed!" Luffy yelled as they both used their abilities to punch the closest Blugori to them.

Within moments, all the Blugori attacked the two pirates. Luffy handled his group of Blugori without too much problem. They were tough, but nothing compared to Luffy's raw strength.

Buggy, however, struggled to defeat even one. In the end, Luffy one-shotted Buggy's Blugori without any issue.

"I see Buggy hasn't improved much," Zoro said dryly.

"Man, these guys are tough," Luffy said as he looked over the unconscious Blugoris. "What are these animals?"

"They're the Wrestlers of the Sea, the Blue Gorilla!" Buggy exclaimed. "Or, just Blugori. Don't let your guard down! There're still four more..." He stopped himself when he realized that Luffy had already taken out the other four. "You've already beat them up!?"

"But we don't have time to fight all these guys," Luffy said.

All the prisoners in the area were amazed by Luffy's strength and they begged for him to let them out of their cages.

Luffy kept ignoring them as he explained to Buggy why he was in Impel Down.

"What, you want to save Ace!?" Buggy screamed in surprise. While Luffy was talking, Buggy stole one of the Blugori's axes.

"Yeah," Luffy said casually.

Buggy suddenly hushed him by putting his hand over Luffy's mouth. "Quiet!"

"You're the one shouting," Luffy pointed out.

"You know things are bad when Luffy's the smart one in the group," Usopp muttered.

The prisoners continued to beg them to get the prison key, but Buggy kicked the cell door in annoyance, silencing the prisoners.

"You know Ace?" Luffy asked.

"Sure, unlike you, that brothers of yours was a gentlemen," Buggy said.

"Can't argue with that," Sanji said. "Although, that clown is the last one to talk about manners." He still owed that bastard an ass kicking for trying to harm Nami and nearly killing their captain.

"Indeed," Brook said with a nod.

"The nerve to lay a hand on Whitebeard's crew. The marines sure are stupid," Buggy said.

"I want to go to Level 5," Luffy said bluntly. "That's where Ace is, right?"

"Think I care!? If you want to go, then go by yourself!" Buggy screamed. "Think we're friends or something!? No way I'm going somewhere that dangerous." He turned away from Luffy. "See ya!"

Luffy looked a little disappointed, but didn't let Buggy's refusal get to him.

"If you aren't leaving, I'll escape on my own," Buggy said as he walked down one of the hallways.

"Even with the dozen of battleship outside?" Luffy asked, causing Buggy to stop in his tracks. "You really think you can get out?"

Zoro snickered. Leave it to Luffy to point out the obvious.

"A…a dozen?" Buggy stuttered. "I get it. They're preparing for Whitebeard's attack." He paused for a moment. "Maybe this is a bad time to leave. Guess I could kill some time then."

"Oh well, I'll just ask someone else," Luffy said in mild annoyance as he went to interrogate some of the prisoners. They weren't much help, however. They were more concerned about Luffy getting the keys for the cells.

"Hey, wait, Strawhat!" Buggy suddenly yelled as he tackled Luffy to the floor.

"What the hell!?" Luffy exclaimed in surprise.

Before Buggy could say anything, shots were fired at them. They had to quickly make a run for it.

"Why'd you have to shout!?" Luffy yelled in frustration as dozen of prison guards chased them.

"That bracelet of yours sure is nice," Buggy said instead as he grabbed Luffy's arm as he ran. He had a huge smile on his face. "Give it to me!"

"What are you talking about!?" Luffy yelled. "I got this from Nami!"

"You gave Luffy that bracelet?" Brook asked the navigator. He vaguely recalled Luffy wearing it.

"It was part of the treasure we got back at Thriller Bark," Nami said as she watched the memory with intense interest. "I looked over all that treasure and that bracelet had no real value so I let Luffy have it."

"So why does Buggy want it?" Usopp asked.

"That's the thing. Buggy has good taste in treasure. He wouldn't be fooled or interested in some cheap piece of glass," Nami said. "There's something important about that bracelet."

"I'll tell you how to get to Ace!" Buggy offered.

This got Luffy's attention and he stopped running. "Seriously?"

"Sure, will you give me that bracelet?" Buggy asked in a cocky voice. He was all but rubbing his hands.

Luffy lifted up his arm. "Sure, if your help me, okay!"

"Don't give him that bracelet until he helps you, moron," Nami scowled.

"Alright, then let's first lose these guys!" Buggy yelled as he detached himself from his feet and began to float in the air. "Carry my feet with you!"

"Feet?" Luffy asked before Buggy's feet jumped into his arms.

"Run, Strawhat!" Buggy yelled as Luffy and he ran from the guards. "Keep running as fast as you can, Strawhat! I'll take you to Level 2!"

"Level 2, that's not it!" Luffy yelled. "I want to go to Level 5!"

"That's why I'm taking you there! You can't just go straight to Level 5!" Buggy yelled as he turned to look at Luffy while still floating forward. "Listen up, the first undersea floor of Impel Down, where we are, is Level 1. As you descend into Level 2, Level 3, and below, the prisoners will become more vicious. I was sent all the way to Level 4 and exposed to the Inferno, but I don't know anything about the floor beneath that. If I remember it right, Level 5 is where the particularly nasty criminals with bounties over one-hundred million are kept."

"I'm surprised the bounty curve is so low," Franky said. "Considering how infamous Impel Down is, I would have considered bounties of one-hundred million to be Level 2 or 3."

"Most likely because it's rare for bounties over that amount to be captured," Sanji surmised.

Brook nodded. "True, most high-caliber pirates often choose to die in battle rather than be humiliated by being captured."

As they talked, the Blugoris joined the chase, but neither Luffy nor Buggy paid too much attention to them

"But some of the prisoners say there's another level below that one too!" Buggy yelled. "They say it holds the villains so evil that they had to be erased from history itself! It's just a rumor, but Ace might be down there!"

"Chances are, he's down there," Nami said.

"Anyway, I can't take you any deeper than Level 4," Buggy said.

"Really, you're a nice guy now?" Luffy asked happily.

Buggy laughed. "Of course, I mean you're giving me the Treasure Mark that will lead me to Captain John's treasure!"

Nami blinked. "What? That bracelet was actually a treasure mark?"

"Seems so," Franky muttered.

Zoro chuckled. "Looks like you gave up some treasure there, Nami."

Nami folded her arms and puffed her cheeks at Zoro. "Well...how was I supposed to know that glass bracelet led to some old pirate's treasure? Chopper's bounty is worth more than that bracelet."

Chopper's shoulders slumped being reminded of his low bounty.

"I assumed that is why Captain John hid his treasure mark there," Robin stated. "Unless you knew exactly what to look for, that bracelet would just appear to be a trinket and passed over."

"It was a good thing, though," Chopper said, getting back his cheerful mood. "Because of that bracelet, Luffy got Buggy to help him."

Brook nodded. "Very true."

"Between Luffy getting Hancock to help him and now Buggy, I think Luffy was just born lucky," Usopp said.

"I wouldn't call Buggy lucky in any universe," Sanji said.

Buggy realized too late that he said too much and covered his mouth in shock.

Luffy said nothing for a moment as he smiled at Buggy. "You…you're in here 'cause you're weak, right?"

"Don't be so nosy! Leave me alone!" Buggy screamed as he floated back up and glared at Luffy.

"Didn't he notice what Buggy just said?" Chopper asked.

"I see, so this bracelet is some sort of treasure map-thingy, huh?" Luffy asked. "I had no idea!"

"I guess he did," Franky said with humor.

Buggy was horrified that Luffy wasn't as slow as he hoped. "You were paying attention, dammit!" he yelled and took out his axe, ready to fight Luffy. "Well, now I have no choice!"

Luffy took off the bracelet and handed it out for Buggy to take. "Then, I'll just let you have it right now."

"Don't give it to him!" Nami screamed. "At least wait until he leads you to Ace!"

Zoro sighed. His captain was too trusting.

"You're...giving it to me knowing how valuable it is?" Buggy asked in disbelief.

"Sure, saving Ace is more important to me anyway," Luffy said.

"Bu...but if you give it to me now, I might just fly off and leave you here!" Buggy yelled.

"You could, but you said you would show me the way, didn't you?" Luffy asked innocently.

"Doesn't Luffy understand that he could be lying?" Usopp muttered.

"I guess since Luffy-san is an honest person he thinks others are just as honest as him," Brook surmised. He was kind of like Zoro in that respect.

Buggy was moved to tears by Luffy's confidence and trust in him as he greedily took the bracelet. He stared at it for a moment before he got a dirty expression on his face that spoke everything about his motives.

"And he's about to ditch Luffy," Usopp said dryly.

Buggy would have indeed abandoned Luffy right there, if the clown pirate had been watching where he was flying. In his eagerness to take the bracelet, he rammed into a wall that was in front of him.

"Hm, so we'll get there faster if we break that wall?" Luffy asked. "Right, I'll handle it!" He punched right through the stone wall, breaking it with one hit as Buggy screamed in pain.

When Buggy and Luffy went through the wall they ran right into a monitoring room that was filled with guards.

"Those idiots entered a security room!" Nami yelled.

The guards were stunned at seeing the two pirates.

If Luffy noticed the guards, he didn't show it as he continued to charge right through the room without stopping. He kept going until he slammed through another wall and started to fall into a red forest.

"What the hell is this place!?" Luffy exclaimed as he fell along with a stunned Buggy. "A forest in a prison? There're people down there too!"

"Those are prisoners," Buggy said once he regained his senses. "This is no ordinary forest! The blades on the trees are razor sharp. They're the Sabertrees! And the grass sticking up from the floor is the Needlegrass, which pieced your body like spikes! Chased by poisonous spiders and jailers, the prisoners run around getting cut by the leaves and grass, staining them in their own blood! Their punishment is being sliced up and covered in blood! This is Level 1, Crimson Hell! This is what Impel Down is like!"

The screams of anguish and the cries for help could now be clearly heard as Luffy and Buggy got closer to the ground.

Chopper put his hooves over his mouth in horror at what he heard.

"That...that's so heartless," Nami whispered.

Usopp also paled and looked like he was going to be sick.

Franky growled in fury. Was Tom subjected to this before he died?

"Not even the afterlife isn't this cruel," Brook said in horror.

"This really is Hell!" Luffy exclaimed, speaking for the remaining Strawhats. "Did Ace go through this too!?"

"I got it, we can just keep falling like this!" Buggy suddenly yelled.

"Why, we'll get cut up!" Luffy yelled.

"I won't get cut!" Buggy shouted proudly. "Just shut up and hold on! Strawhat, my feet! Throw them down there!"

"Feet?" Luffy repeated, forgetting that he was still holding them. He threw Buggy's feet into the forest.

Buggy flew through the grass just above his feet with no problem, while Luffy rode easily on his back.

"Of course, Buggy's power prevents him from getting hurt in the forest," Robin said.

"Having Buggy was a blessing, after all," Brook said.

"Have to admit, that's a handy ability for a place like this," Sanji said.

"That was close!" Luffy yelled as they floated over the sharp grass.

Buggy laughed. "As long as I have my feet on the ground, we'll be fine. We don't need a staircase from this floor to the next! We won't need an access key either! I just remembered. Crimson Hell has an escape route readied for anyone who wants to escape the pain!"

"There's an escape route in Hell?" Luffy asked.

They kept flying until they reached a giant hole in the middle of the forest.

"Take a look at this. This is it," Buggy said as he hovered next to the hole.

"A hole!?" Luffy yelled. He looked down and saw nothing but darkness. "It's pitch-black!"

"This is an escape route, but there's nobody who tries to escape through here," Buggy explained. "You want to know why, Strawhat? Because this escape route leads to Level 2! It's connected to an even more terrifying Hell than this one!"

"It actually gets worse!?" Usopp yelled in disbelief.

"Ho...how could it get even scary than now?" Chopper asked in fear.

"If you can't handle it, I suggest you turn your eyes," Zoro said. "They call this place Hell for a reason."

"There might be some who try to run from Hell and back up to the surface, but there's nobody who would be dumb enough to jump from the surface and into Hell!" Buggy continued to explain.

"Which is where Luffy comes in," Franky humored.

"I get it. It makes things much easier!" Luffy yelled with a wide smile. "We just jump in, right?"

"Yes, but once you reach the bottom, we'll be in..." Buggy started to say.

Luffy didn't let him finish as he took the plunge into Level 2. As he fell, the sounds of beasts roaring could be heard.

"What's that!?" Brook exclaimed in fear.

"Sounds like Level 2 is the home of the beasties," Sanji mused.

Luffy landed in a hallway with several pathways branching out in each direction. He looked around for a moment before he heard Buggy crashing not long after him.

"He followed, that's surprising," Franky humored.

"I thought for certain that he would run the moment Luffy leapt into the hole," Usopp said. Could he have misjudged Buggy's character?

Chopper tilted his head. "Why's Buggy's head detached?"

Without waiting for Buggy to put himself back together, Luffy grabbed the clown captain's detached head and ran down one of the hallways.

"Come on, let's go!" Luffy yelled. "Lead the way!"

"W...wait a second!" Buggy stuttered, but Luffy paid no attention to him.

They continued down Level 2 as the sounds of beasts' roaring and growling grew louder and fiercer.

Chopper had to keep himself from shivering as his herd instinct took over.

Luffy finally stopped once he had reached a dead end. "So, this is Level 2."

Buggy pulled his head out of Luffy's grip and reattached it to his body. "That's right, this is the Hell of Accursed Beasts, even more horrifying than Level 1's Crimson Hell!" He was breathing hard. "Damn you, this is all because you went running around like a moron! There are accused beasts roaming the entire floor!"

"Accursed Beasts?" Luffy questioned as he looked behind Buggy. "You mean like that thing?"

Behind Buggy was a rather cute hippo-like animal.

"Any way you look at it, it's just a hippo," Luffy said as he pointed at it. "It's smaller than it should be too."

The cute thing was even yawning.

"That's an accursed beast?" Sanji asked.

"It looks so harmless," Chopper said. It almost looked like someone's pet.

"It is cute," Robin said with a smile.

Buggy approached the hippo. "Strange, I've heard that Level 2 was with filled with..."

Just as Buggy was about to touch the beast, its mouth suddenly grew to five times its size.

"What the hell!?" Buggy screamed as the hippo ate his torso whole and charged into the wall.

Luffy made a run for it before the hippo could eat him too. The hippo chased them for several minutes across the hallways at an amazing speed. its jaws were so powerful that it could eat through stone like it was made of paper.

"Who would have thought that little hippo could be so dangerous," Usopp said as he watched Luffy and Buggy nearly get eaten. This beast reminded him of the monsters he had to deal with for two years.

"Well, I guess they don't call this place Hell of Accursed Beasts for nothing," Sanji mused.

The chase finally ended when Buggy used the body parts that the hippo ate earlier to do something to the creature that caused it to scream in pain and collapse onto the floor unconscious.

Their luck didn't improve, however, when they confronted by a giant chicken-like beast that was the size of a building.

"Now _that's_ an accursed beast," Sanji said as Luffy and Buggy screamed in terror.

Zoro tilted his head. "Just looks like a big chicken to me."

"What is that!?" Chopper screamed in fear.

"A Basilisk, maybe," Robin said in thought.

"No way, those things only exist in stories," Nami said in disbelief.

"Well, they obviously exist since Luffy clearly saw one," Franky said.

Luffy and Buggy both ran for their lives with the giant chicken-like creature right behind them. It attempted several times to peck them with its iron-like beak. It was so powerful that the stone floor broke on impact.

"Dammit, the rumors were true!" Buggy screamed in panic. "We're going to die! I think it's the rarest of mutants, a snake hatched from a chicken's eggs, a Basilisk!"

"How can a snake be born from a chicken's egg?" Zoro asked. "Is that even possible?"

"Life can be strange. If such a thing is possible, it's just as Buggy says. It's the rarest of mutants," Chopper said once he had calmed down.

"Those things come from chickens!?" Luffy screamed in disbelief.

The Basilisk chased and attempted to eat the two pirates for several minutes before Luffy finally had enough. He stopped running and put his thumb into his mouth.

"What are you doing!?" Buggy screamed.

"I don't have time for this!" Luffy yelled.

"No matter how you look at it, there's no way you can beat that thing!" Buggy yelled.

Luffy paid no attention to Buggy as he bit down on his thumb. "Gear Third!" He blow air into his bone and his arm grew. "Gum Gum Giant Pistol!" he yelled as he rammed the Basilisk with his fist.

The poor beast stood no chance and was sent flying through several walls, including one of the security stations and knocking all the guards and monitors out.

"Well, so much for that super rare mutant," Zoro said dryly.

"I wonder if a Basilisk taste like chicken," Sanji wondered out loud.

Buggy was left stunned by the display of power. He was even more surprised, however, that Luffy had shrunk. "What was that you just did just now!?"

"It's Gear Third," Luffy explained in his high-pitch voice. "Seems we beat it somehow." He soon grew back to his normal size, startling Buggy. "Good, back to normal. Now, let's hurry to Level 3!"

The prisoners in the area suddenly went into an uproar when they witnessed Luffy defeating the Basilisk.

Buggy, deciding that he liked being praised as a god, got the keys from the ruined monitor room and started to release the prisoners from their cages.

They all cheered Buggy praised and thanked him for saving them. With their freedom won, the prisoners ran down the hallways, shouting about how they were now free.

"So, the only beast that was dangerous down here was the Basilisk?" Brook asked.

"Hmm, that seems too easy. Surely Impel Down has more than just one mighty beast," Franky said.

Within a few minutes, the prisoners suddenly returned. To Luffy and Buggy's surprise the prisoners ran back into their cells and closed the doors behind them.

"Well, that was unexpected," Zoro said.

"They gained their freedom only to run back?" Nami questioned.

"What's up with you guys!?" Buggy screamed in annoyance. "Wasn't this your big chance to escape!?"

"Uh...looks like we got a little ahead of ourselves," one of the prisoners stuttered. "We don't have a chance here. Not as long as the boss of this floor is here."

"Yeah, we're better off in our cells," another prisoner agreed.

"There's something worse than that Basilisk?" Usopp asked in dread.

"Knew that was too easy," Franky said as he folded his arms.

"What kind of freak will we see now?" Sanji asked, more curious than scared. It was kind of hard to top a legendary Basilisk.

Luffy and Buggy didn't take their warnings too seriously since neither one of them knew how to reach Level 3.

"If you are having problems finding your way on this floor, how about I lend you a hand?" a familiar voice asked.

Luffy turned to see none other than Mr. 3 walking towards them, although Luffy didn't seem to recognize him.

He was dressed in a prison uniform and looked rundown. His glasses were cracked in several places and his hair was slumped over his face. His face was also very unkempt, showing that he hadn't shaved in a long time. Although the prison uniform covered most of his body, the Strawhats could tell that Mr. 3 had lost a lot of weight by the boniness of his arms. He looked nothing like the smug snake they met in Little Garden.

Sanji frowned when he saw the former Baroque agent. He was obviously starved and didn't appear to be sleeping well given the dark rings under his eyes. Despite never liking the guy, especially after he tired to turn Nami-san and Vivi-chan into wax statuses, he wanted to feed the man. No one deserved to go hungry, not even that shit head.

"Mr. 3 is here too?" Usopp asked in disbelief. What were the chances of Luffy running into him?

"He would be high enough to only be on Level 2," Robin stated nonchalantly. Although, she was somewhat surprised to see her old comrade here. She thought Mr. 3 would be smart enough not to allow himself to be captured by the marines. Guess she overestimated the man's intelligence. It would not be the first time.

Nami frowned as she looked over Mr. 3's lanky form. "What did they do to him?"

"It has been a precious long time, Strawhat Luffy," Mr. 3 greeted in his usual cocky manner. "It seems that, thanks to you, that I have become a free man. I am a man who repays his debts."

"Who are you?" Luffy finally asked, annoying Mr. 3. He lifted his 'number three' hairstyle to remind Luffy who he was. "Oh, that three means...you're the one who was on that giants' island! Three!"

"That's Mister 3!" he corrected in irritation. He immediately calmed down and laughed.

However, he stopped laughing when the other accursed beasts on the floor found them. The hippo had returned and he brought some of his friends with him. Namely, several lions with human like heads and a mantis with blades for hands.

"What the heck are those human-lion creatures?" Brook asked. He had never seen anything like them in either of his lives.

"I…I am not sure," Robin admitted.

"Where does the government find these beasts?" Usopp asked.

The trio wasted no time running from the group of beasts.

"Is it just me, or are they doing a lot of running?" Franky mused.

"Have you _seen_ some of those creatures?" Brook asked. "I would run too."

"It's hard to believe that some of these beasts even exist," Chopper muttered as he watched the memory.

Luffy tried to fight, but one of the creatures he hit, which was giant centipede, exploded into several small scorpions, freaking Luffy out.

"The hell!?" Chopper, Usopp, and Brook yelled together.

"That giant centipede just exploded!" Luffy screamed as he went back to running for his life.

"It's made up out of several puzzle scorpions!" Mr. 3 shouted. "They're poisonous!"

"They just keep coming!" Buggy screamed in panic.

"Puzzle scorpions?" Nami repeated as the crew attempted to keep track of Luffy. "I've never heard of such creatures before."

"These seas really are filled with strange and horrible things," Usopp said. He was glad that he never came here. He would had gone hoarse with all the screaming he would be doing.

Robin quietly took out her notepad and began to sketch. She had to record everything that she was seeing so she could properly research it later. Hopefully, when they returned their real bodies, her mind would keep the information so she could redraw.

"Dammit, I'd heard that the boss of the beasts in Level 2 was some sort of lion-like thing," Buggy said as he referred to the human-face lion chasing them.

"No, those lions with human faces are manticores!" Mr. 3 yelled. "If they catch us, they will eat us, even our bones!"

"Even our bones!?" Buggy yelled in terror.

"Well, at least these beasts know the value of good bones," Brook said proudly.

"That would be your concern," Usopp said dryly to the skeleton swordsman.

The manticores started to cry in pain and beg for a key to escape, causing Buggy and Luffy to look behind them.

"What? Are those lion creatures actually talking?" Franky asked.

"Ignore them! They are simply able to imitate human speech because their faces are human-like!" Mr. 3 explained as he kept running.

The manticores continued to cry for help and beg for mercy.

"They are only imitating what they have heard the prisoner say!" Mr. 3 yelled. "They don't even know what it means!"

"That's creepy!" Chopper yelled.

"I think listening to that for days on end is worse than getting eaten," Nami said as a shiver ran down her back. Who ever ran this place was sick.

"Creepy!" Luffy yelled, unknowing agreeing with Chopper.

"Loincloth, loincloth!" one of the manticores yelled.

"Loincloth!?" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper exclaimed together.

Sanji blinked. "Well...that's random."

"Why...why are they screaming about undergarments?" Franky asked. "Who would even ask for them? And why a loincloth specially?"

"Strawberry-print panties!" another manticores shouted.

"Who would asked for panties in a prison!?" Zoro shouted in irritation at the manticores. Really, what kind of beasts from Hell were these?

Brook scratched his head. "Strawberry-print is very unflattering. I personally like cherry or raspberry better."

Nami slapped Brook upside the head. "What the hell are you even talking about!?"

"They're just repeating dumb stuff!" Buggy shouted, voicing what many of the Strawhats were thinking.

"Beef steak!" manticores yelled.

That got Luffy's attention. He turned around eagerly and with drool running down his mouth.

"Don't react!" Buggy yelled as he smacked Luffy upside the head.

"For once, I agree with Buggy," Nami said as she rubber her head.

"Seriously, can't he go a few minutes without thinking with his stomach?" Usopp asked in annoyance.

Zoro sighed. "You ask for the impossible."

As the trio ran, Mr. 3 learned that Luffy wasn't escaping to the surface like he originally thought, but heading downwards to rescue his brother. After getting over the shock that Fire Fist Ace was Luffy's older brother, Mr. 3 became upset that Luffy was heading all the way down to Level 5.

After trying to run off initially, Mr. 3 suddenly changed his mind and gave both Buggy and Luffy a sly smile as he offered to take them to the staircase that led to Level 3.

"Huh, what is that shit head up to?" Sanji asked as he lit another cigarette.

"Looks like Buggy is not the only one up to no good," Nami muttered.

"Couldn't Luffy find better allies?" Usopp asked.

Zoro sighed. "It isn't like he can be picky." Dammit, he wished he was there.

On their way to the stairway, they came across even more bad luck. They ran into a beast that was much bigger than the Basilisk. It was purple and was shaped like a lion. Like the manticores, it had a human face.

Mr. 3 screamed in horror when he saw the beast. "It is the guardian of the stairs, the Sphinx!"

"A Sphinx, another beast from myth?" Nami asked in awe as she stared up at the monster.

"It...it's a lion! No, it's an old man?" Luffy stuttered.

The other beasts that were chasing the trio saw the Sphinx and took off running in the opposite direction.

"A beast that even other beasts fear," Franky muttered.

"Somen," the Sphinx muttered.

"Somen!?" everyone exclaimed in shock.

"Ramen!" the Sphinx shouted as it brought its paw down and attempted to crush them.

The trio was on the run again as the Sphinx attempted to smash them in the floor.

"It learned all the noodles types!" Buggy and Mr. 3 yelled together.

"I can't take this monster seriously when it's yelling food names like that," Sanji muttered.

"Some of these accursed beasts are just strange," Zoro concluded.

"This beast is actually making me hungry," Usopp said as he rubbed his stomach. When was the last time he ate anyway?

Luffy stopped running as his own stomach growled. "Sure has been a long time since I had some of Sanji's food."

Sanji growled. Seriously, was that all he thought about with him?

Luffy couldn't muse for long before the Sphinx attempted to impale him with its claws.

"Dammit, how strong is that thing!?" Luffy asked in annoyance. He jumped into the air and brought both of his hands down on the Sphinx's head. "Gum Gum Bazooka!"

The attack slammed the Sphinx's face down, but it largely had no effect. It just made the beast angry and it began to shake its head violently to get Luffy off.

Luffy screamed in fear as he grabbed the Sphinx's mane for dear life.

"Why would you upset it on purpose!?" Mr. 3 yelled.

Buggy screamed in panic and floated up one of the walls.

"You two are so unfair!" Mr. 3 yelled. "Escaping to higher ground like that!"

The Sphinx now turned its attention to Mr.3. He defending himself by making a wax dummy of himself that the Sphinx crushed instead of him.

"You fell for it, you simple-minded creature!" Mr. 3 bragged. "It doesn't have Miss Goldenweek's brilliant coloring, but it quite sufficient to fool a beast like yourself."

Robin sighed. Mr. 3 always talked too much.

Mr. 3 created wax statues of himself all over the floor. Soon, there were dozens of them and the Sphinx crushed them, trying to find the real Mr. 3.

"That's so cool! It's like a game of whack-o-mole!" Luffy yelled excitedly.

The Sphinx seemed to be having fun with the game while Luffy laughed and egged the Sphinx on to find the real Mr. 3.

"They're treating this like it's some kind of game," Usopp said as he watched the memory.

"Can't Luffy take anything seriously?" Nami muttered in annoyance.

The Sphinx eventually went a little too far in its game and after one big stomp the entire floor to the room collapsed and all the pirates and the Sphinx fell into Level 3.


	30. Between Life and Death

The memory went blank when the Strawhats heard a loud crash; most likely Luffy had lost consciousness from the landing. Nonetheless, the memory started to slowly return and it appeared that Luffy was in some type of desert.

"Where's Luffy now?" Usopp asked as he looked around the wasteland. "Is this still Impel Down?"

"It reminds me of Alabasta," Chopper said. He could see the heat waves rising from the floor, making him feel hot just from looking.

"Who puts a desert in a prison?" Nami asked.

Zoro folded his arms. "The same people who plant a forest created to rip people to pieces."

Robin could not help smiling as she looked at the Sphinx, who was lying flat on its back. Given the stories she had read about the Sphinx, he was right at home.

Luffy was sweating hard as he stood up. The Sphinx was behind him and the monster was clearly knocked out. Almost as soon as his feet touched the ground, Luffy screamed in pain as the sand burnt the soles.

"This ground is as hot as a frying pan!" Luffy screamed. He eventually stopped bouncing as he got accustomed to the heat. "Is this a desert? It's so hot here!" He looked around for any life. "Sure is quiet here."

Unlike the other floors, there were no screams of pains or cries for mercy. There was nothing, not even wind. It was almost like a tomb.

"Level 3...we sure came from one hell of a place," Buggy muttered as he turned towards Luffy. "Strawhat, why did you drag us down with you again!?"

"It was actually that idiot Mr. 3's fault," Sanji said with a note of humor.

"Looks like the lion is out cold," Luffy said instead of reacting to Buggy's anger.

"Listen to me!" Buggy screamed in frustration.

Mr. 3 cried as he attempted to create a wax figure of himself in his hands. It melted quickly in the heat. "This place is too harsh for me, who possesses the wax power."

Luffy jumped onto the Sphinx to get a better look at his surroundings. The entire area was covered in sand and what looked like ruins. It looked nothing like a prison.

"This place is huge!" Luffy yelled. "Where're the stairs?"

Mr. 3 said nothing for a moment. "I don't know." He sounded close to disinterest as beads of sweat ran down his face. He seemed close to collapsing.

"This guy won't last long if we stay here," Buggy said with a touch of concern towards Mr. 3.

"Mr. 3 never could stand hot weather," Robin said.

"Which is funny considering that he tried to take over a desert kingdom," Nami said with a hint of humor.

Chopper frowned. "Although, his tolerance _would_ be low, given the condition of his body; he's suffering from malnutrition and fatigue."

"Given what we have seen of Impel Down so far, he's doing pretty good just to have those problems," Franky said.

"Anyway, let's get going," Luffy said, becoming impatient from standing around too long.

The trio began their journey across the 'desert' and all of them were feeling the effects of the heat. Luffy was panting heavily like a thirsty dog and Buggy wasn't doing much better as he limped behind Luffy. Mr. 3 was the worst of all. He was barely keeping up with the group and had his head down throughout the walk.

Chopper became concerned for the three men's condition. By the flushness in their faces they were in real danger of suffering from heat stroke, especially Mr. 3. Where was this intense heat coming from?

During their walk a bird suddenly fell out of the sky. It was clearly dead, and well-done from what the Strawhats could see.

"A roasted bird just fell down!" Luffy exclaimed. It was still cooking too.

"That's impossible," Buggy said.

"A bird from the floor above must have gotten lost and been cooked by the hot air on the way down," Mr. 3 surmised as he lazily glanced upwards.

"It's not that hot here!" both Luffy and Buggy yelled.

"That poor bird," Chopper said.

Zoro tilted his head. "I bet that bird would taste good with honey."

"How can you be so cold!?" Chopper yelled.

Deciding not to let good food go to waste, Luffy walked toward the bird, picked it put, and proceeded to eat it with his usual eagerness. "It's roasted just right."

"That's nasty," Nami said in disgust as she winkled her nose. He ate it off the ground too.

"Well, it would just rot if it was merely left there," Sanji said.

"True, true. Eat while you can or you may end up like me! Nothing but bone," Brook laughed.

Buggy and Mr. 3 were equally disgusted.

"I would rather have meatballs made from those lions on that last floor," Luffy mused as they started their track again.

"You would actually eat an animal that can talk?" Buggy asked in a deadpan voice.

"Seriously," Usopp said as he stuck out his tongue.

"I'm surprised that you have even the slightest appetite in this situation," Mr. 3 muttered.

"The world could be ending and Luffy would still have an appetite," Sanji muttered. "And he would make me cook his last meal too."

After a few minutes of walking, they finally saw cages in the distance.

"Cages!" Buggy exclaimed happily.

"They're not exactly rare around here," Luffy said, still munching on his bird.

"Just proves how dumb you are!" Buggy screamed. "Over there, it might be a little cooler and it would be much safer to travel there!"

"Really, you sure are smart," Luffy complimented.

"Don't encourage him," Zoro muttered.

"Of course!" Buggy proclaimed proudly. "Mr. 3, I'm counting on you to make a key!"

Both Buggy and Luffy ran towards the cages with Mr. 3 dragging behind them. When they reached the holding block, it was just as quiet as everything else in the artificial desert. The prisoners they did find were ether half-dead or dried-up corpses.

The ones who were still alive were slumped against the walls not moving. They didn't even glance up to see who their visitors were. They bodies were bone thin and their skins were yellow and waxy. By their downcast eyes it was easy to see that they had lost their will to live and were just waiting for death.

"All these people are suffering from severe dehydration, heat exhausting, and starvation," Chopper said as he looked over the withered criminals. "Most of these people won't last another day without urgent medical care."

Nami frowned as she glanced over the cells. "From the looks of it, not too many come here to care for the prisoners." She wondered if they ever left their cells.

Sanji started to shake as anger over took him. "Not only do they torture these people, but they _starve_ them as well!?" He wanted to feed these people, but knew that was impossible. The asshole who ran this hellhole didn't even have the decency to leave a water bucket.

"You might not be able to see it any longer, but all the prisoners here on Level 3 were once famous criminals worth over fifty-million," Mr. 3 said as he joined Luffy and Buggy by the cages. "The heat rising up here from the Infernal Hell below us, as well as the fact that hardly any food or water is given to them, has left all of the prisoners half-dead. This is Level 3, the Famine Hell."

"Bastards!" Sanji hissed. He wanted to find the person in charge of this and break every bone in their body.

"For you, Sanji, this would be the true Hell," Robin said as she stared sympathetically at the cook. He was literally trembling in rage.

"No one deserves to starve. I don't care what crime or atrocities they've committed," Sanji said as he attempted to control his temper. The pain of his eighty days in starvation hell came rushing back to him.

"At least now you might be able to understand why this floor is covered in sand," Mr. 3 stated.

Buggy looked at the floor with dread. "Don't tell me..."

"Even the sand you are stepping on right now just might be the remains of a dead, dried up prisoner." Mr. 3 finished Buggy's thoughts.

"Creepy!" Brook exclaimed. The thought made his skin crawl...if he had any.

"So they just sit there and let these prisoners just _turn to dust_ in their cells!?" Usopp yelled in both disgust and disbelief. "I thought they would at least bury the dead or send them to their families or something."

"Too much like rights for the scumbags in the World Government," Franky growled. He couldn't help but wonder what they did to Tom's corpse. The mere thought sickened him.

"Remind me to never let the marines catch me alive," Nami said as she stared at the dried up skeletons. "Dying on the sea is much more preferable than living even a day in this place."

Whether they were pirates or criminals, she despised the blatant disregard for life. The dead at least deserved a proper burial.

"No kidding," Franky said. "I can see why most pirates prefer to be killed than captured." He suddenly felt a slight pang of guilt for all the pirates he turned in for their bounties.

"Then, let's hurry up to Level 4," Luffy said, not seeming disturbed by anything he heard.

"You're going there!" both Buggy and Mr. 3 yelled.

Although neither of them wanted anything to do with Luffy at this point, they were forced to stick together for survival reasons. Despite looking like they were in a desert wasteland, they were still in the most infamous prison in the world and the guards would undoubtedly be searching for them.

As they continued their walk, Buggy and Mr. 3 argued about directions and how they could reach the staircase. Somewhere along the way, they got completely turned around and ended up back at the Sphinx, who was still unconscious.

"Why...are we suddenly back here!?" Buggy screamed in dismay.

"Seems like we went the wrong way," Luffy said nonchalantly.

"Their sense of direction is almost as bad as Zoro's," Usopp said, causing the swordsman to scowl at him.

They spent several minutes arguing about directions and whether or not Mr. 3 agreed to help Luffy save Ace. As they bickered, a net seemingly appeared out of nowhere from the ground and entrapped the three fruit users. Within moments, all of them were dangling in the air along with the Sphinx who also got caught in the net.

"What the hell!?" Luffy exclaimed.

"Damn, it's a trap!" Buggy yelled as he struggled in the steel net. "They got us!"

Luffy attempted to chew through the net, but quickly found that he couldn't no matter how hard he bit. "It's a steel net!"

"Damn, I can't use my powers!" Buggy yelled in panic. "It's got seastone in it!"

"There is a horrible price to be paid for anyone who tries to escape," Mr. 3 said in somber acceptance. "We're done for."

The Strawhats watched the scene with interest. Luffy seemed truly trapped.

"We have captured the intruder, Strawhat Luffy, and his henchmen!" one of the jailers yelled as guards quickly surrounded the trio.

"What do you mean henchmen!?" Buggy screamed in outrage.

"Give it a rest, Buggy," Mr. 3 said. "There is no use struggling. This is the end of us."

"That wax guy's pessimistic attitude is grinding on my nerves," Franky said.

"All things considered, I can't really blame him," Nami said.

As much as she disliked Mr. 3 for trying to turn Vivi and herself into wax sculptures, she couldn't help but feel pity for the man.

Luffy struggled harder in the net, but it was useless. "Damn, I've got to get out of this net!"

"The jailers and the Blugori are here!" Buggy yelled.

"Have them restrained in seastone shackles!" someone yelled.

As Luffy continued to try to chew his way through, a short man who looked like an imp approached the net. He was even carrying a little pitchfork.

"What's that supposed to be?" Brook asked.

Zoro shrugged.

"What a cute little devil," Robin mused with a smile.

"Who the heck are you?" Luffy asked.

"I am Saldeath," the imp answered.

"You are? But you don't look like a monkey," Luffy said in confusion.

"No, you misunderstood," Saldeath said casually like this was an everyday occurrence. "I am Saldeath."

"You are?" Luffy asked again.

"Wrong, use your head a little more!" Saldeath exclaimed in annoyance before he calmed down. "Give it up already. It is useless to resist. You never had a chance to escape this prison anyway. Are you not glad that I was the one who caught you? After all, all four guard beasts in the lower level are waiting."

"Guard beast?" Chopper repeated. "Like the ones on Level 2?"

"True, I don't want to run into those or the prison warden," Buggy said after some thought.

"If only I picked the right path and escaped earlier," Mr. 3 moaned.

"That wouldn't have happened," Saldeath said. "I have been keeping an eye on you and I had a feeling you would end up back here."

"That's about right," Mr. 3 and Buggy said together.

At very that moment, the Sphinx woke up and didn't seem too pleased to find itself trapped in a steel net. It began to struggle violently to break free.

"Oh, the lion creature is awake," Zoro mused.

"We're going to get crushed!" Buggy screamed as his body was pressed against the net.

With one almighty thrust, the Sphinx broke the net, freeing Luffy and the others.

"Luffy-san really does have devil's luck," Brook said. What were the chances of that Sphinx suddenly coming back to life?

Luffy didn't waste a second running from the jailers. The Blugoris attempted to cut him off, but Luffy easily handled them with a Gatling. Once the Blugoris were dealt with he looked around in confusion.

"Huh, where did they go?" Luffy asked. Wax dripped on his nose and he looked up to see that Buggy and Mr. 3 had escaped upwards, leaving him with all the guards and Blugoris. "They climbed the rope holding the net all the way up there?"

"Strawhat, say hi to Ace for me when you see him!" Buggy mocked as he stuck his tongue at Luffy. "Tell him, if he survives, that we should drink together again!"

"You turned out to be the perfect decoy, fool!" Mr. 3 shouted teasingly, his cocky manner returning in full force.

"After we had finally met up again and all," Luffy muttered before he broke into a huge smile and waved at them. "Well, see you later! Thanks for helping me get this far!"

"Doesn't he even care that he just been used?" Franky asked.

Zoro sighed. Really, what could be said at this point?

"Given how fast he forgave Nami for betraying him and turning him to Buggy, I guess it's not that surprising," Usopp said before he backed away from Sanji who was giving him the evil eye.

Brook laughed. "Luffy-san just has a very forgiving heart."

Luffy was ambushed by more Blugoris and jailers, but it was nothing that Luffy couldn't handle. Thankfully, he didn't have to fight for too long since the Sphinx was running loose and taking out most of the guards.

"I guess they never bothered to tame that thing," Brook observed as the Sphinx viciously mauled over several guards.

"Really, how does this prison functions if they can't control their own beasts?" Sanji asked.

Luffy picked a random direction and ran, looking for the staircase to the next level. He quickly found himself lost as jailers chased him in all directions and shot seastone nets at him. Nonetheless, he was doing well avoiding them. He eventually lost them after several minutes of running and dodging.

Too bad he didn't have the same luck against the Sphinx who was able to sneak up behind Luffy and pin him under one of his paws.

"For such a big creature, that thing is quiet," Usopp noted.

"Well, it is a cat even if it has a human face," Robin stated as she finished her sketch of the Sphinx.

The Sphinx moved in to bite Luffy's head off when someone shouting got its attention.

"Stop right there, lion!" the voice yelled.

All the Strawhats looked at each in confusion. They all knew that voice.

"That sounded like Zoro," Nami said, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"It couldn't be. Unless Zoro isn't telling us something," Usopp said as he glanced at the swordsman.

Zoro's eye twitched. "I was nowhere near Impel Down. Someone is imitating my voice."

The Strawhats looked towards the source of the voice and found that it really was Zoro. He was standing on a ledge staring down at Luffy and the Sphinx. He was dressed in a standard prison outfit posed like a ballerina.

"Zoro, I didn't know you were captured!" Chopper yelled. "I also didn't know you could stand on your toes like that."

Zoro growled at the young doctor. Did these idiots really think that was him? "It's clearly an impostor."

"But he looks exactly like you, moss head," Sanji said with amusement. He was happy to finally have something on Zoro after the Okama incident. "He even has your pose, twinkle toes."

"I pose nothing like that!" Zoro yelled angrily.

"I'm here to help you!" the Zoro in the memory exclaimed as he twirled around, causing the Strawhats to both snicker and cringe.

"I've never seen Zoro-san smile like that," Brook said. "He looks very….happy."

Franky nodded. "Yeah, he actually has a personality."

"I think that smile is scarier than his shark grin," Nami muttered.

Luffy stared baffled at the new arrival for several seconds before a huge smile broke across his face. "Zoro!?"

The Zoro impostor grinned mischievously. "Just kidding!" the impostor yelled as he jumped and kicked the Sphinx in the face, knocking it down. The impostor was laughing the entire time.

"I know that voice," Sanji said.

"Only one person could disguise themselves that well," Robin said in mild amusement. He just had to impersonate one of her crewmates.

Once free of the Sphinx's hold, Luffy looked towards the stranger, "That's not Zoro..." He sounded a little heartbroken as he said that. "But I've heard that voice before."

"Long time no see, Strawhat-chan! It's me!" Bon Clay exclaimed happily as he spun around.

Luffy grinned when he saw his friend. "Bon Clay! I'm really disappointed that you're not Zoro, but at least you're still alive!"

The Sphinx attempted to attack again, but this time Luffy and Bon Clay beat the crap out of the beast, making sure it wouldn't get up again anytime soon. With the Sphinx dealt with, the two friends hugged each other.

"Hey, Bon Clay!" Luffy yelled happily. "I was sure you died back then in our place!"

Boy Clay cried happily. "Quit joking around! A true Okama never dies!"

"Don't I know it," Sanji murmured under his breathe.

Saldeath came along and broke the heart-warming scene. He ordered several Blugori to surround Luffy and Boy Clay.

"While we're at it, Strawhat-chan, is it true you're heading towards Level 5?" Boy Clay asked, ignoring the Blugori.

"How does he know that?" Chopper asked.

"Bon Clay was most likely freed by Buggy and Mr. 3," Robin surmised. "They may have thought they could use his powers to escape, but instead he came to help Luffy."

Nami nodded. "That seems likely that was what happened."

"Yeah, mind showing me the way?" Luffy asked.

"Well, I shall accompany you then," Bon Clay said with a huge smile. "After all, I also have someone I would like to meet up with in Level 5!"

"Seriously?" Luffy asked in surprise.

"Yes, so let's go together!" Boy Clay exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Luffy yelled as they moved in to attack the Blugori.

Between the two of them, it wasn't a tough fight. When they broke through the barricade, they made a run for it before Saldeath could call for more backup.

"Hey, Bon Clay, how do we get to the lower levels?" Luffy asked.

"There's a staircase just on the other end of here," Boy Clay said as he led the way.

"Really? I'm sure glad I ran into you, Bon Clay!" Luffy said happily. "Thank a lot!"

"Strawhat-chan, there's no need to thank me. It was nothing! Our reunion was inevitable!" Bon Clay exclaimed.

"At least Luffy found a real ally now," Usopp said.

Nami nodded her head in agreement. "Bon Clay may be a fruit loop, but there's no doubting his loyalty."

During their run to the staircase, they ran into another guardian of the prison. This time, it was a strange looking cow-like creature that walked on two legs and it held a huge club in its hands.

Bon Clay panic immediately when he saw the creature and all the color left his already pale face. "S...Straw-chan, this is bad!"

Before Luffy could ask why, the cow monster charged Luffy with amazing speed and attempted to slam its club upside Luffy's head. The attack missed, but it was so powerful that the monster put a giant dent in the stone floor.

"W...what is this thing!?" Luffy exclaimed. "It's sure is fast!"

"It's the Minotaur!" Boy Clay exclaimed.

"The Minotaur?" Luffy repeated.

"A cold-blooded Demon Guard!" Bon Clay yelled. "A monster that tosses people like trash! That's what it is!"

"We're seeing a bunch of legendary creatures here," Sanji said.

Franky looked over the Minotaur. "Looks more like a cow on two legs to me. I thought Minotaurs were supposed to be bulls."

"Maybe it is a female," Robin offered in thought.

"Well…it does have the eyelashes." Usopp said as he stared closer at the Minotaur's face.

"It seems too silly looking to be a creature from Hell," Brook said. He saw the Minotaur's nose run. "Does it have a cold?"

"A monster? A Devil Fruit user?" Luffy asked.

"How would I know!?" Bon Clay yelled as the Minotaur seemingly disappeared.

Robin rubbed her chin. It was indeed a fruit user. Was it an awakened zoan? She heard Crocodile mention them once a long time ago.

Before Luffy knew what had happened, the Demon Guard smashed its steel club into Bon Clay's head, sending him flying back into a metal gate.

"Bon Clay!" Luffy yelled.

"That hurts!" Boy Clay screamed in anguish as he rolled on the floor.

"That thing is fast!" Luffy exclaimed as the Minotaur appeared behind him.

It attempted to attack, but Luffy avoided the monster. He was hit, however, when the Minotaur followed up its attack and knocked Luffy across the floor with it club. Luffy had no time to recover as the Minotaur charged him again.

Bon Clay came to Luffy's rescue and kicked the Minotaur out of the way. The beast was tough, though, and didn't fall. Instead, it grabbed Bon Clay by his neck and slammed him into the floor, cracking several stone tiles. The monster squeezed his neck, ready to break it.

Luffy quickly got serious and went into his Second Gear. "Gum Gum Jet Bazooka!"

The Bazooka slammed into the Minotaur's sides and sent the creature flying across the room where it crashed into one of the archways and kept going. Soon, it was out of sight.

With the Minotaur gone, Luffy disengaged his Gear.

Bon Clay was left gasping for air on the floor for several seconds.

"That was one tough creature," Brook said. "He gave Luffy-san such a hard time and there're more than one of those things."

"It's to be expected from a place known as Hell," Zoro said. He became a little worried that Luffy had to use his Second Gear already. He doubted that his captain had seen the more powerful people yet.

"Are you alright, Bon Clay?" Luffy asked in concern as he knelt by his friend.

I...I thought I was dying..." Bon Clay muttered as he sat up. "I saw a field of Okama before my eyes."

Sanji shuddered at the mental image.

Bon Clay slowly stood up once the shock had worn off. "You really are strong...I'm sure that monster is still alive, but he must be hurt."

"I want to get down from here now. I'm thirsty and hungry," Luffy said.

"There's no need to be concerned! Getting from Level 3 to Level 4 is as easy as puke!" Boy Clay exclaimed.

"Could he find a better analogy?" Nami muttered.

"Really!?" Luffy exclaimed.

Bon Clay pointed to a nearby wall. "There it is. Just climb that great, big wall over there."

Up above them was a tall wall with large archway windows. There was a bright red glow coming from them.

"The wall? You mean up there?" Luffy questioned.

"That's right, but don't get too excited that you leap over it," Bon Clay warned.

"Right!" Luffy yelled as he stretched his arms and reached the edge of one of the windows. He suddenly retracted his arm as he started to scream in pain and fan his injured hand. "Hot, hot, hot, hot! What's with this wall!? It's as hot as a frying pan!"

"A frying pan, huh? Well, that's exactly right," Bon Clay said.

They both carefully leapt onto the edge of the window and Luffy bounced on one foot to another as the heat burned right through his sandals.

"See this, Straw-chan. Look down there," Boy Clay said as he looked towards the rising steam. He wasn't bothered at all by the increased heat.

Once Luffy got used to the heat he walked to where Bon Clay was standing and was blasted by a wave of pure hot air. All Luffy could see was fire and steam.

"What is this place!?" Luffy exclaimed. "There's so much hot air and smoke! It's too hot to stand up!"

"Right, however, the place below us is indeed where you want to go: Level 4, Inferno Hell," Boy Clay said.

"Looks like Hell classic to me," Franky muttered. He was hot just looking at Bon Clay and Luffy.

Even if Inferno Hell was the least surprising and unoriginal of all the Hells that they had seen, it was terrible to think about all the prisoners who must be boiling down there. Just the rising heat from Inferno Hell all but killed the prisoners on this level.

"How can anyone survive in such heat for so long?" Chopper whispered. "The prisoners down there must be cooked."

"If Level 3 is anything to go by, they passed cook and went straight to overdone," Sanji said.

"I would call Level 3 steam, personally," Zoro said nonchalantly.

"Are you two really arguing about cooking metaphors?" Nami asked in frustration.

"The Inferno, it's below here?" Luffy asked as he sweated heavily. His shirt and shorts were drenched in his own fluids.

"Indeed, it's as you say, Level 4 is a massive frying pan. A sea of boiling blood and fire waits for you down there," Boy Clay explained.

"Bo...boiling blood!?" Usopp stuttered. "I'm with Nami! Give me a death on the sea!"

"Impel Down is certainly living up to its reputation," Brook said as he stared the pit to Level 4. Now he had to wonder, what was worse than being boiled alive?

"The heat on this floor is nothing compared to down there," Luffy said as he wiped some sweat off of his face. He moved closer to the rising smoke.

"You can try jumping down if you like, but if you don't take care in landing you won't escape with just burns," Bon Clay warned. "Beyond this point, every move forward is risking your life."

"What was the rest before?" Nami asked.

Luffy said nothing for a moment. "Bon Clay, you said there was someone you wanted to see? I would like to know, who is this guy you're risking your life to see?"

Bon Clay smiled. "People call him the Miracle Man. Locked away for a crime he didn't commit. He's known as Ivankov!"

This got Sanji's attention. "Iva? So that bastard was here?"

"Isn't Iva the person who trained you?" Chopper asked.

"I told you! That tranny didn't train me!" Sanji shouted, burning hotter than the heat of the Inferno.

"The Queen of the Drag Queendom on Momoiro Island in the Grand Line! The Great Okama Queen, admired by all Okama across the world!" Bon Clay exclaimed with stars in his eyes.

"Okama Queen?" Luffy repeated in disbelief. "Okama have queens? Awesome!"

"Spend two years with them and tell me if they're _still_ awesome!" Sanji yelled at his captain.

"That's right, I want to meet him!" Bon Clay gushed. "And if I can, I would like to save him!"

The sounds of someone running stopped all conversations between the two men as they both looked to their right. Running at full speed towards them were Buggy and Mr. 3. They were screaming as the Minotaur from earlier chased them.

"Well, they didn't get far," Sanji mused.

"Karma does have a way of biting you in the ass," Zoro said.

Bon Clay screamed when he saw the Minotaur. "Hey wait! We were in such a nice mood here and you go and bring that thing back here!"

Luffy laughed as they were chased by the Minotaur along with Buggy and Mr. 3 across the stone ledge.

"I thought you escaped!" Bon Clay yelled.

"Strawhat!" Buggy screamed in surprise and annoyance upon seeing Luffy.

"So you wanted to come after all!" Luffy yelled happily.

"As if anyone wants to go to Hell!" Buggy screamed.

"We were just hiding and this thing came flying at us!" Mr. 3 yelled. "I don't know why though!"

"Oh, I sent him flying towards you," Luffy informed casually.

"Perfect aim," Franky teased.

"I've had enough of this!" Mr. 3 yelled out of breath. "I would rather be caught."

"I have no choice but to reveal my trump card!" Buggy suddenly yelled as he turned towards Luffy. "Hey, Strawhat, you remember my super powerful weapon that I used to strike fear into your heart, my special Buggy Bombs!"

Luffy stared at the clown. "No."

Buggy deflated when he heard the answer.

"Burn!" Franky yelled before he burst into laughter.

"Luffy would forget something like that," Nami said with an amused smile.

"It's not like they're worth remembering," Zoro said dismissively. "Luffy made Buggy blow up his own crew by bouncing one of those bombs back."

Buggy quickly put himself back together. "Like hell! I'm talking about my Buggy Bombs you know! Don't you remember me blowing up a whole town in one blow with it!?"

"Nope," Luffy answered bluntly.

Buggy deflated again and fell behind the group, making some of the Strawhats snicker.

After a moment of encouragement from Mr. 3, Buggy got to his original point. Apparently, Buggy made a miniature version of his Buggy Bombs called Muggy Bomb. It was so small that Buggy could hide it on his body without detection.

"Oh, that's pretty handy," Sanji said as he listened to what a Muggy Ball was.

"If he was not such an uninspiring, lazy moron he would have had a promising career as a chemist," Robin noted.

Buggy turned around and shot his Muggy Ball at the Minotaur. There was a cannon hidden within his shoe and the ball was no bigger than a pea. But as promised, it had the same destructive force as the original Buggy Ball. The bomb blew up on impact, sending the Minotaur reeling.

"Wow, look at that!" Chopper exclaimed in awe.

"Looks like Buggy is useful after all," Nami said.

"Although, how the hell did the guards miss someone carrying a cannon in their shoes?" Franky asked. "Those aren't even his shoes."

Brook tilted his head. "That's a good question. Then again, it appears that the guards didn't even know that Buggy was a fruit user. How else could he escape from his cell?"

"It's like Impel Down is both secure and unsecure," Usopp said.

The Minotaur screamed in agony as the flames engulfed it.

"Awesome!" Luffy exclaimed. His eyes were wide with awe.

"It worked!" Bon Clay exclaimed.

Buggy smiled proudly at himself. "Well, that's how it works. How's that? You remember now, Strawhat!?"

Minotaur, however, was far from finished as it stood up from the flames. It was literally on fire, but it kept moving towards the group.

"That thing took a full blast that can destroy a town to the face and it can still move!" Usopp yelled. What was this monster made of?

"Pretty durable creature for an overgrown cow," Franky said.

Sanji looked over the Minotaur. "He's hurt, though. He's not moving as fast as before."

"Shit, it's still conscious!" Buggy screamed in horror.

Bon Clay got into his battle position. "Let's do it, Straw-chan!" He charged right for the Minotaur.

"Hey Three, you really can't use your Wax Wax powers here?" Luffy asked.

"It will just melt in three seconds," Mr. 3 said.

"Then, I have to do it in three seconds," Luffy said.

While they were talking, Bon Clay did a spinning kick to the Minotaur's head, sending it crashing into the floor.

"Here I go, Strawhat!" Mr. 3 yelled as he put a candle lock on Luffy's arm.

"Gum Gum Hammer Rifle!" Luffy yelled he shot his spinning arm right into the Minotaur's chest, putting it down for keeps this time.

"That's some pretty good teamwork," Zoro complimented.

"Who would have thought those three could work so well together?" Usopp asked.

While the pirates were celebrating their victory over the hell beast, they failed to notice that their battle had taken a toll on the floor they were standing on. Before any of them knew it, they were falling and heading straight towards the boiler below.

They all would have died by landing into the boiling pot of blood if they hadn't jumped at the very last second, sparing their lives.

Once they did reach the safety of firm ground they all, save for Bon Clay, began to dance around as the heat burnt their feet.

"Hot!" Buggy screamed in anguish. "What's up with this corridor, it's flashily hot!"

"The air is so hot even my lungs feel hot!" Mr. 3 yelled.

"Hurry up, we've got to hurry and get out of here!" Luffy yelled as the floor burned him. "Which way should we go!?"

Bon Clay spun around happily. "You guys are just helpless! If you clear you mind, this fire is just another Okama! Not that I don't understand how you feel though. This floor is even hotter than the one above us." His voice started to falter. "It is kind of hot...I do kinda feel like I'm roasting here..." He finally stopped spinning as his face turned completely red. "HOT!"

"You're the one who can't stand the heat!" Luffy, Buggy, and Mr. 3 all yelled.

"I guess when it gets too hot, you can't just do mind over matter," Franky mused.

"This heat would melt the skin right off your bones. Good things I have none!" Brook joked.

Luffy suddenly turned his head and smiled. "Over there, let's go!" He ran off from the group.

"Where's he going in such a rush? He doesn't know how to get to the next level," Usopp said.

"If I know Luffy, it's straight for the kitchen," Sanji said dryly.

"The kitchen is over there!" Bon Clay yelled as he ran after Luffy. "I'm starving too! Straw-chan, wait up!"

"I knew it," Sanji muttered as he put his hand on his face.

"In all fairness, when was the last time Luffy-san ate, besides that bird," Brook said.

"You know, Luffy has been going through Impel Down pretty fast. He couldn't have been here for more than a couple of hours and he's already a Level or two away from Ace," Nami said.

Robin nodded. "Good observation, Nami. Given what we know, Luffy failed to reach his brother in time, but he is making such good time. Something catastrophic must have happened to keep Luffy from reaching Ace."

"Something catastrophic?" Usopp repeated in worry.

While the Strawhats were talking, several jailers confronted Luffy, but nothing was going to get in the way of Luffy and food. That was until the unexpected happened.

Several purple blobs of goo nearly landed on Luffy's head, forcing him to step back. The goo actually burned the stone floor.

"What's that?" Usopp asked.

"I think it's some kind of toxin, or maybe an acid by the way it can burn through stone," Chopper observed. "But where is it coming from?"

"Damn, I thought it was a spear or something," Luffy said as he looked at the goo. "What is that?"

Several more purple drops of goo dripped from the ceiling, nearly hitting Luffy.

"Hot! Is it jelly or poo?" Luffy asked.

"Straw-chan, look out!" Bon Clay warned.

From the ceiling, a giant man fell and cracked the floor up with his landing. He wore a black uniform with a hat to match and had two huge bat-like wings on his back. He also had horns and generally looked like a stereotypical demon. The man towered over Luffy and Bon Clay.

Bon Clay screamed in terror when he the new arrival. None of the Strawhats had ever seen him this frightened. Even the Minotaur didn't scare him like this.

"You have been running around freely for far too long!" the man exclaimed as he glared at Luffy. He appeared to be sweating purple ooze from his face, making him look like he was made out of wax.

"Is it some kind of job requirement that you must look like a monster to work in this place?" Usopp asked as he stared up at the man.

"He looks scarier than some of the zombies at Thriller Bark," Brook said.

"Who are you!?" Luffy demanded.

"M...Magellan!" Boy Clay screamed when he found his voice.

"Magellan, isn't that the warden?" Sanji asked.

Robin nodded. "I remember that name when Luffy first arrived here."

"What's that ooze coming out of his body? Is he a fruit user?" Nami asked.

"Maybe he's acid," Franky suggested.

"This is the end for you, persistent vermin," Magellan sneered as more ooze dripped from his face.

Zoro couldn't stop himself from smiling. "So, we get to see the big cheese of Hell himself. I guess he would be the Devil."

The reawakened jailers saw Magellan and made a run for it. They were screaming something about it being dangerous and being affected by poison.

"The Inferno floor sure is hot." Magellan said nonchalantly as he fanned his face.

"What the hell?" Luffy asked as he continued to watch Magellan sweat ooze. "And I almost got to where that nice smell was coming from too! I'm hungry, get out of the way!"

"You are quite high-spirited, but rest assured, soon there will be no need for you to eat anything ever again," Magellan said.

"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked in annoyance.

"S...Straw-chan, you can't fight him!" Bon Clay yelled as he regained his senses. "That's Magellan, the Warden of Impel Down! He got the power of the Poison Poison Fruit!"

Chopper's eyes widened as he took in this information. "Poison!?"

"Run away. This guy's too much for you to handle!" Boy Clay continued to scream.

"Poison Poison, so he's a poison man," Luffy said.

"That is right," Magellan said. "Strawhat Luffy, the rookie I hear that had caused trouble wherever he has gone, has opposed both the marines and the World Government, and has a three-hundred million bounty on his head. I never dreamed that man would break into the legendary, impenetrable prison."

"Luffy tends to do that kind of stuff," Nami muttered.

"This is bad!" Chopper yelled. He was close to panic.

"What's wrong, Chopper?" Brook asked.

"Remember how Luffy now has an immunity to nearly every type of poison?" Chopper asked.

Usopp nodded before he understood Chopper's line of thinking. "Yeah, he said it happened because he nearly got killed, right?"

"You mean this demon looking guy beats Luffy and nearly poisons him to death," Sanji concluded.

"That's a high possibility," Chopper said in dread.

"That would explain how Luffy did not reach Ace in time," Robin said as she put her hand to her chin. She had a feeling that they were going to see something terrible.

"So, we could be looking at another Crocodile fight," Franky said with a hint of worry.

Zoro lost his smile and began to look at the two fighters with even more intensity.

"As the warden, this is a very disgraceful to me," Magellan went on as his temper rose. "I know what you have come for. You want to free your brother, the commander of Whitebeard's Second Division, Portage D. Ace! However, it will be absolutely impossible for you to reach him, much less escape from Impel Down. Strawhat Luffy, your luck has run out."

Luffy growled at the warden.

"After capturing you, I will take my time with you to learn just how you managed to break in here," Magellan said.

Luffy's narrowed his eyes, undoubtedly thinking about Boa and how she risked everything to sneak him in here. "I would die before telling you that!"

Magellan grinned at him, relishing the challenge. "Before we torture them, all prisoners say that. Then again, Strawhat, what you are about to experience is nothing as pleasant as mere torture."

The Strawhats, save for Zoro, Robin, and Sanji, cringed at the mental image of what Magellan had in mind for Luffy. Unlike that brute, Porchemy, Magellan had many years of experience torturing tough pirates. They also didn't want to think about what Magellan meant when he said not as pleasant as mere torture.

"Straw-chan, Magellan's entire body is poisonous!" Boy Clay yelled. "You'll be in huge trouble if you so much as touch him!"

"Is he a logia or something?" Franky asked.

"No, the Poison Poison Fruit is a paramecia type, but its abilities coats the user's body in an armor of poison," Robin explained as she became more concerned. "For that reason, Magellan is as close to a logia as a paramecia type can get."

"Then how the heck is Luffy supposed to hit him!?" Usopp yelled.

"If Luffy could use Armament Haki, he could use it protect his hands from the poison," Sanji suggested in thought.

"If Usopp was there, maybe he could have set the poison on fire," Robin mused out loud.

"Luffy can't use Haki yet and I'm not there!" Usopp yelled, annoyed at how calm and nonchalant Sanji and Robin were being.

Nami's eyes became downcast. "Yeah...we weren't there."

"Get back to the Cauldron of Blood where we were before and turn right!" Bon Clay yelled in a panic. "Straw-chan, give up on the food and let's make a run for Level 5!"

"That will not work!" Magellan yelled. "The stairway leading to Level 5 is guarded by a Head Jailor and three Demon Guards!"

Bon Clay's face said it all at that moment.

"We have also sealed off all escape routes on this floor!" Magellan continued. "No matter where you run, you cannot escape!"

"Noooo, no way!" Bon Clay screamed in a dramatic fashion.

"Did Bon Clay really believe that the warden wouldn't completely seal this floor?" Brook asked.

"He's most likely not thinking straight," Zoro said.

Luffy knew at that moment that he had to fight. There was no other option.

Magellan's entire body turned purple as poison coated his body. "Hydra!" A dragon-shape formed in the poison and grew upwards until it towered over everyone.

"What is that!?" Luffy exclaimed. "Is all that poison!? A huge cluster of poison!?"

"That Hydra is composed out of several different types of poisons!" Chopper exclaimed in horror. "If Luffy is hit by it, or even touch it, it would nearly be impossible to recover!"

"What do you mean impossible!?" Brook yelled.

"The amount of antidote that it would take to neutralize that amount of poison could kill a person," Chopper explained. "Not to mention, it could cause permanent nerve and muscle damage if the person does survives."

The Hydra attempted to 'eat' Luffy, but he jumped out of the way at the last moment.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy yelled as he attempted to punch the Hydra. Boy Clay intercepted the attack and took the blow before the punch could reach the Hydra.

"Straw-chan..." Bon Clay muttered in pain.

Luffy was taken off-guard and pulled his fist back. While Luffy was stunned, Bon Clay pulled him to safety before the Hydra could hit him.

"What are you doing, Bon Clay!" Luffy screamed.

"Like I said, it won't work!" Bon Clay shouted at Luffy as he shook him. "If you get soaked in it or even touch it, you're gone!"

"You can say that, but how am I supposed to fight without touching him!?" Luffy yelled back.

"Like I said, you can't fight him!" Bon Clay yelled.

"No way, I can't do anything here!" Luffy screamed in disbelief.

The Hydra lunged at Luffy and Bon Clay while they argued, but they both managed to dodge at the very last second. The cluster of poison left an explosion of smoke that temporally blinded the Strawhats.

When the smoke began to clear, the crew saw Luffy preparing to launch what looked like a Pistol.

"Dammit, didn't Luffy listened to Bon Clay at all!" Usopp shouted in worry and frustration. Even if Luffy was destined to lose this fight, it didn't mean he had to like it.

Zoro's eye twitched as he got a good look at his captain. "That's not Luffy."

"What do you mean that's not Luffy?" Franky asked in confusion.

"Gum Gum..." Luffy said, but his voice sounded wrong. It was his voice, but the pitch was higher than how he usually spoke, especially when preparing to launch an attack.

Chopper tilted his head. "What's wrong with Luffy's voice? Is the poison affecting his vocal cords?"

Robin had to fight not to chuckle. "I see."

"Gum Gum..." 'Luffy' repeated. "Drag Queen Pistol!" He threw his fist. Naturally, it didn't stretched.

As the smoke from the poison cleared, the Strawhats clearly saw it was Bon Clay impersonating Luffy with his powers.

Magellan was not amused as he stared at the transformed Okama.

There was a long silence among the crew.

"Really..." Usopp asked slowly. He wasn't sure what to think of this.

"Even with his powers, who would be fooled by that?" Nami asked in a dry tone.

Sanji sweat-dropped. "That moron didn't even get Luffy's attack name right."

Bon Clay was far from done. He did a series of Luffy's most known attacks like his Galting, Scythe, and even some techniques he made up. It add even more weirdness, Bon Clay kept adding Drag Queen to all of his attacks. If they weren't about to be killed by the warden, most of the crew would be on the floor laughing.

"Now which one is the real Strawhat-chan!" Bon Clay in Luffy's form gloated as he spun around. He had a huge goofy grin on his face.

Luffy watched the entire things completely blanked face. He literally had no expression on his face. Either he was so bewilder that he couldn't form a reaction, or what was happening was so bizarre that he could only stand there and watch.

"I'm sure you're completely lot now!" Bon Clay continued to gloat as he struck a pose.

"Very doubtful," Sanji mummer.

Brook laughed. "One thing for sure. That Bon Clay fellow can certainly lighting the mood."

"But the plan could work," Chopper argued. "I mean, Bon Clay's transformations are flawless."

"Too bad his personality isn't," Zoro said. He still was going to cut Bon Clay up for doing that terrible impersonation of him.

Luffy slowly turned his head towards his friend. "Bon Clay, your jumpsuit."

Franky busted into laughter. "If even Luffy isn't fooled, you know you really messed up."

Sanji nodded. "Seriously. That rubber moron could be fooled by sock puppets."

Bon Clay turned towards Luffy and put his face so closed to his that they were touching noses. "I'll distracting the Hydra. Take that chance to escape, Strawhat-chan."

Robin smiled. "The gesture is sweat and if Bon Clay had the proper tools, he could pull it off."

"But the plan would only work here if the warden was blind," Usopp mummer.

"Huh?" Luffy muttered. Either he didn't get the plan or thought it was so silly that he was shock that Bon Clay believed it would work.

Bon Clay stared to spin around again. "Look! Over here, Hydra-chan!"

The Hydra glared at Bon Clay like it was a living creature.

"Come on, come on! Oh, come on!" Bon Clay yelled.

"I told you it is useless. Do you not understand?" Magellan asked in annoyance as he created two more Hydra heads, making three in total.

Luffy and Bon Clay made a run for it when they saw the extra Hydras. As the duo ran, they passed by some of the jailers who didn't manage to escape in time. They were hit by the Hydra and left screaming in agony as the poison soaked right into their skin.

"No concern for friendly fire," Sanji said in disgust.

Brook shook his head. What a disgrace.

"What's he doing to his own allies!?" Luffy yelled in horror.

"The Hydra is made of a paralyzing nerve poison!" Bon Clay yelled. "Excruciating pain spreads through your entire body and eventually kills you!"

Magellan moved slowly towards Luffy and Bon Clay, not even bothering with running. "Do not get in the way of my attack, you fools," he said pitilessly to the screaming jailers.

"I'm so hungry, I'm so hungry, I'm so hungry!" Luffy repeated like a chant as the Hydra continued to chase them across the passage.

"You still got an appetite even now!?" Bon Clay yelled in disbelief. "You're definitely not normal!"

"This coming from a cross-dresser," Nami muttered.

Luffy attempted to escape the Hydra by grabbing the one of the walls and swinging himself to the other side, passing all the flames. The fire melted the Hydra's head, but it also set Luffy's backside on fire. Luckily, the rubber captain was able to put off the flames before they did any real harm.

"I expect no less from Ace's brother. You've got talent," Magellan complimented. "However, this is as far as you go!" He shot a blue bubble at Luffy from his mouth. It looked kind of like bubblegum. "Chloro Ball!"

The area that Luffy was standing exploded, forcing him further up the wall. Within seconds, Luffy was assaulted by a bluish smoke that made his eyes water and he began to sneeze uncontrollably.

"What did he release? Tear gas?" Sanji asked.

"It's a poison that irritates the eyes and nose much like tear gas," Chopper noted.

"So, not all the poison he produces is toxic," Franky said.

"Given that he still wants to capture Luffy alive, it would make sense for him to use less lethal force," Zoro observed.

While Luffy was distracted, a Hydra head came at him. The Hydra, however, suddenly stopped before it reached Luffy. To everyone's surprise, Magellan flowed up the Hydra like it was an elevator and he shot himself out of the Hydra's mouth like a cannonball.

"It does not matter how hard you struggle, you will never leave this place!" Magellan yelled as he removed the horns from his head and ruthlessly attacked Luffy with them.

"Oh, those horns were fake," Brook said in relief. "I thought he was a real demon there."

Luffy dodged, but his coordination was off because of the tear gas-like poison. His eyes were so watery that the memory itself was slightly blurred and things kept fading in and out for the Strawhats.

"If you think you can touch me, go ahead and try!" Magellan dared as he continued his relentless assault. His attacks were so powerful that he easily destroyed stone even without his poison.

"That warden is no joke!" Usopp exclaimed. "He's dangerous even without his poison ability!"

"You don't become the warden of the world's greater prison by being completely dependent on their Devil Fruit," Robin stated.

"Even worse, Luffy can't even touch the bastard," Franky growled.

Nami shook her head. "How is Luffy supposed to beat him?"

"This could be an unwinnable battle," Robin said in her usual calm manner. All the Strawhats could tell, however, that she was worried.

"Don't say things like that!" Usopp yelled, nearing tears.

"Regardless of what happens, this battle has long been decided," Zoro said as he continued to watch his captain struggle, looking as impassive as ever. "We are just watching the shadows of Luffy's memory."

Usopp went back to watching the fight. "Even still…how can you watched this so calmly?"

Zoro didn't answer. Despite keeping his outward appearance calm and emotionless, his heart was rapidly beating in his chest as he watched Luffy get overwhelmed by Magellan. At the rate this fight was going, he was almost afraid of the ending. Magellan didn't strike him to be like Crocodile, who would leave a person unattended once he assumed they were dead.

Luffy sat on the floor, not sure what he should do. "If I touch him, I'm done for." He looked up and saw that Magellan had melted the wall where his arm was embedded. "He melted the stone wall!"

"You are next!" Magellan proclaimed.

Luffy forced himself to his feet as he wiped his eyes. The last effects of the Chloro Ball were finally fading. "I must save Ace..."

"In the end, you and your brother Ace will suffer the same fate!" Magellan yelled as he went back to attacking Luffy.

He destroyed the archway that Luffy was standing on, nearly making Luffy fall into the flames below. The rubberman saved himself by swinging to the other side using his ability, but the warden was on him in seconds. Luffy quickly used a Stomp to ricochet himself back to the main floor, giving him a much needed breather.

"You know, I just realized, what happened to that Bon Clay fellow?" Brook asked.

Sanji looked around. "Huh, I haven't seen him in a while."

"Did he run away?" Robin asked. Bon Clay was usually the type not to run, unless the battle was truly hopeless.

"But Bon Clay would never abandon Luffy!" Chopper yelled. "He risked his life and freedom back in Alabasta for us! We're friends!"

"There he is," Nami said as she pointed towards one of the stone columns. He was hiding behind one of them and looked straight at Luffy as if he was debating rather he should help.

After a moment, Bon Clay lowered his head as if to apologize to Luffy. Without a word, he ran away from the battlefield in tears. He never looked back.

The Strawhats silently watched Bon Clay run, leaving Luffy to his fate.

"He...he really did run away," Usopp muttered, breaking the uncomfortable silence. It was the last thing he ever expected Bon Clay to do.

"That coward!" Franky yelled. "That was so not super!"

Robin seemed disappointed at her former comrade. She supposed it was too much to expect from him.

"I can't say whether he was right or wrong. He stood no chance of winning and couldn't really help Luffy," Sanji said slowly as he knocked some ashes off of his cigarette.

"But to abandon him like that...and he called himself Luffy's friend," Nami whispered in disgust. Maybe she was being a hypocrite, but she didn't care at the moment. Luffy was now truly alone in Hell.

"Is it better to fight and die for your friend, or to run away and leave that friend to die?" Brook mumbled. "If it was me, I couldn't live with myself if I took his choice."

"It's moments like these that reveal who we truly are," Zoro said in a cold voice. If he ever saw Bon Clay again, there was going to be hell to pay for this betrayal.

"Bon Clay..." Chopper whispered in tears. He felt crushed at Bon Clay for abandoning his captain.

"You still have no intention of giving up?" Magellan asked as he approached the exhausted strawhat captain.

"I'll break Ace free and get out of here! There's no way I'm going to die before I get to him!" Luffy proclaimed as he caught his breath. He went into his Second Gear. "I won't let Ace be executed!"

"What is that steam?" Magellan asked, although he didn't sound overly concerned.

"If I'm doomed to lose because you're poisonous and I can't touch you, then I would rather touch you and give up my arms beating you!" Luffy yelled as he looked at his hands.

"You can't be serious!" Nami yelled. He couldn't be that reckless.

"That poison will do more than eat up his arms!" Chopper yelled, completely panicked. "If that poison makes contact with his skin, it will immediately go through it and into his blood vessels. It would only take minutes before Luffy becomes completely paralyze!"

Zoro gritted his teeth. "He's getting desperate."

"If you do not want those arms, then I will grant your wish and take them," Magellan said as he held up his hands as he prepared for his attack.

"Gum Gum Jet Bazooka!" Luffy screamed as he nailed Magellan in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He obviously wasn't expecting Luffy to hit him.

"He touched him!" Franky yelled.

"But was that really a smart thing to do?" Sanji asked in deep worry.

Magellan fell to his knees and coughed up poison as he clutched his stomach.

Luffy winced as his poison covered hands started to burn. He gave a scream and he fell to his knees just as Magellan was regaining his bearings.

The muscles in Luffy's arms started to contract and spam, causing waves of agony to pulse through Luffy's system. The pain was so unbearable that the Strawhats could see tears in their captain's eyes.

Magellan looked more annoyed by Luffy's attack than seriously injured. "To think you could bring me to my knees. A cornered mouse is a frightful thing." He stood up and stared with dispassionate eyes at Luffy's quivering form.

"That Jet Bazooka barely hurt him!" Brook exclaimed in shock. "What a monster!"

"That same attack took out that bull agent and made Moriah spit out shadows!" Franky yelled in equal disbelief.

"Luffy crippled himself in his failed gamble," Robin said in concern as she watched Luffy cradle his arms in agony.

"It looks like his arms are melting," Usopp whispered as a shiver ran down his spin.

"No matter, the poison covering your arms will be more than enough," Magellan said. "It will rob you of your strength bit by bit."

Luffy glared at the warden, still not willing to give up.

"You are suffering, are you not? How shameful," Magellan said.

Luffy forced himself to his feet and faced the warden again. He was shaking badly as the poison flowed through his system causing the memory to pulse along with his pain.

"You are still not done!?" Magellan asked in irritation.

"Gum Gum Twin Jet Pistol!" Luffy screamed as he hit Magellan again.

The attack sent Magellan sliding back several feet, but it was nowhere near as effective as his Bazooka.

"Poison Puff Fish!" Magellan yelled as he blew poison bubbles at Luffy.

Luffy evaded the bubbles, but his Gear Second wasn't as fast as usual. To the Strawhats, it was painfully slow and unsteady. The memory also fuzzed and it became harder for the Strawhats to see.

"This is bad, Luffy's increased heart rate will make the poison spread even faster," Chopper said fearfully. "He's going to be paralyzed in a few minutes."

The other Strawhats could only watch as Luffy fought a hopeless battle. The memory became foggier and the colors blurred as the fight continued. There was also a faint ringing noise in the distance.

Luffy attempted to take Magellan's back and hit him with a Jet Pistol. Magellan saw the attack coming and created another Hydra. Undaunted, Luffy punched the Hydra. This only caused more poison to spread over his body, weakening him further. He became so weakened that he lost his Second Gear.

"It didn't work..." Luffy muttered as he fought to stay on his feet.

Without any warning, Magellan began to release a poison purple fog from his mouth, covering the entire area.

Before Luffy knew to hold his breath, he started to cough and gag as he breathed in the poisonous gas. He grabbed his chest as he felt his lungs burn with each breath he took.

"It is pointless," Magellan said as he watched Luffy attempt to fight the poison fog. "This poison is a part of me. It is a living being!"

Luffy was soon having problems breathing as he coughed up blood and his vision hazed even more. The ringing in the memory also got louder to the point that it started to hurt the Strawhats' ears.

"The poison is damaging the tissue in his lungs!" Chopper yelled in horror. "He's literally being poisoned to death!"

"Luffy-san!" Brook yelled.

"Dammit, this bastard really can make any kind of poison!" Sanji yelled as he watched the memory helplessly.

Zoro growled in frustration. He wanted to help, but knew that it was pointless. This was just a memory of a fight that had already happened. Still, he couldn't stand to see Luffy losing this badly. It was one thing to be defeated by bodily injuries, but being poisoned to death was both cruel and somewhat cowardly. It just came across as cheap.

"Are your eyes getting blurry?" Magellan asked nonchalantly, although he already knew the answer. The warden's figure was blurry and wavy like Luffy wasn't really seeing him. "Are your ears ringing?"

Luffy jumped into the air and used a Gum Gum Balloon to blow the fog away. It was far too late. The gas had done its damage and Luffy was left heaving on the floor as more blood came gushing out of his mouth.

"I am telling you that it is pointless! Do you not get it?" Magellan asked in frustration. He easily made the poison fog reappear. "No matter how hard you struggle there is no escape for you. Both of your hands must be useless by now. The poison will take everything from you before long."

As if to prove his point, Luffy collapsed onto the floor as he coughed, gagged, and trembled violently.

When Magellan cleared the fog for good, Luffy somehow managed to get to his feet, although it was clear that he wasn't in a completely lucid state. His eyes were bloodshot and dilated and he was shaking so badly that he could barely stand. His skin was also deathly pale and he had a tinge of gray on his lips.

"You do not know when to quit," Magellan stated in annoyance. "Do you really want to save your brother that badly?"

Luffy said nothing as he fell several times. He banged his head into the floor in an attempt to wake his senses. It seemed to work a little since the memory cleared a little and he was finally able to stand without immediately falling.

The Strawhats watched with baited breaths as Luffy faced Magellan again.

"It would be easier for you to just lie down and close your eyes," Magellan said.

Luffy made another charge at Magellan. "Gum Gum Pistol!"

The attack was slow, sloppy, and Magellan put no effort in avoiding it. He ruthlessly grabbed the stretched arm and slammed Luffy into the floor. Luffy forced himself to stand up and faced Magellan as he coughed up more blood.

For the Strawhats, this was too much for them to watch. This was far worse than watching the Crocodile fight. At the very least, Luffy wasn't slowly dying while fighting the Warlord the first time. Even when he was poisoned and dying during the third fight, Luffy was still strong and determined as he beat the living crap out of the Warlord.

Here, Luffy wasn't even harming Magellan. His best attack only knocked the warden down for a few seconds. At Luffy's full strength, Magellan would have been a tough fight to win, but now it was simply impossible.

Even if he did miraculously beat Magellan, the poison would eventually cripple him to the point where he wouldn't be able to move. Once that happened, Luffy would be at the mercy of the demons of Hell. Even the knowledge that Luffy would survive and escape Impel Down did nothing to ease his crew's worries.

"You stupid fool," Magellan growled. "Why would you go this far? Portage D. Ace is a felon sentence to death and you are an intruder trying to rescue him! I will not forgive any sin! Ace's fated death at Marineford has long since been set in stone! There is nothing you can do about it."

Most of the Strawhats winced at Magellan's words. He was right on so many levels. Ace's death at Marineford was indeed set in stone from where they stood and everything Luffy was doing would all be in vain.

The mention of Ace's death gave Luffy the strength needed to attack Magellan again, but his vision was so skewed that he completely missed the warden and hit a wall. Luffy attempted several more attacks, all which missed. Magellan didn't even have to move.

"You are only hurting yourself," Magellan said casually.

Luffy growled in frustration as threw caution to the wind and activated his Gear Second again.

"Hydra!" Magellan yelled a he created several poison Hydras.

Luffy did one last charge right at one of the Hydras. Whether he even saw it or not, no one knew.

"Give Ace back!" Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs as the Hydra consumed him.

The entire memory shook and turned red and purple as Luffy was slammed into the floor by the Hydra and drenched in poison slug that covered his entire body. This time, Luffy didn't get up.

The poison covered Luffy like an acid that was slowly melting him. His eyes were wide open, and his pupils were completely white. His mouth was also opened in a silent scream. Luffy made noises like he wanted to scream in agony, but nothing came out except weak gasping noises that sounded like a dying animal.

Almost all the Strawhats gasped when they saw their captain.

"This is your punishment," Magellan said as he stood over the fallen pirate. "After being exposed to this much poison, no antidote can save you. You will be in agony for twenty-four hours and then you will descend into the _real_ Hell!"

"Ace..." Luffy stuttered through his dying lips as the memory steadily darkened.

The Strawhats were left stunned and speechless for several seconds by what had happened.

"That...that can't be true," Nami whispered in disbelief. "Luffy can't…" She couldn't finish the sentence.

Chopper stared at his captain. "It's...it's true. From what I can observe, Luffy has been affected by at least ten different types of poisons that range from neurotoxins, cytotoxicity, and crotamine, along with several other types of non-fatal but harmful poisons. With all those types of poisons affecting his system at once, it is impossible to cure. If they did attempt to give him an antidote, it would just kill him faster."

"But that can't be right," Brook said after finding his voice. "I mean, Luffy-san still lived after all of this. So, they must have found a way to cure him."

"I know, but...it's impossible for him to be alive!" Chopper exclaimed in frustration as he felt hot tears build in his eyes. "No doctor could have cured him. No one could cure him! Nothing short of a miracle could save Luffy!"

"At the very least, Luffy being fatally poisoned saved him from the pain of being slowly tortured until they squeeze every bit of information out of him and eventually sending what was left of him to be executed," Robin stated calmly.

Usopp paled. When Robin put it like that, being poisoned to death didn't sound so bad. The mental image of Luffy's broken body sitting on an execution stand awaiting death was far from a pleasant sight.

"Well done, Warden Magellan," they heard one of the jailers say. They sounded far away. "What about the fallen Strawhat Luffy?"

"He will die soon enough," Magellan said nonchalantly. "If we leave him there, he will just be in the way. Throw him into the central chamber in Level 5."

"Yes, sir!" the jailor exclaimed.

Within a few minutes, the jailers loaded Luffy onto a wagon and rolled him down to Level 5. They were careful not to touch him too much since Luffy was toxic even with gloves. The Strawhats followed the jailors, never taking their eyes off their captain. It almost looked like a funeral march.

When they got to Level 5, the Strawhats were surprised to see that the floor was the complete opposite of Level 4. Instead of being burning hot, the entire floor was freezing to the point where snow fell like a winter island. The jailers had to put on heavy winter coats in order to enter the floor.

"First they roast them in an inferno and then they freeze them to death," Franky said as he looked around. "These people are truly inhuman."

"This place looks even colder than Drum," Usopp said. He felt like shivering just from looking.

"At the very least, the cold would preserve Luffy longer," Nami said.

"That's not a mercy," Zoro said darkly. "Magellan undoubtedly did this on purpose to make Luffy live longer and prolong his suffering."

"Spending your final hours alone in the freezing cold is undoubtedly cruel," Brook said.

He knew that the warden was doing his job, but the cruelty of his work left a bad taste in his mouth. Although, he had no tongue or taste buds. He would have laughed at his own Skull Joke, but things were too serious for that.

When they reached the proper cell, Luffy was thrown in like a rotten sack of potatoes and left alone with the other prisoners in the cells. All of the prisoners were half-dead as the freezing cold got to them. They were forced to wear the standard prison uniform, which was made of thin cotton, unsuited for the cold.

Luffy lay on the floor crying in agony as the poison rapidly pulsed through his system. He coughed up more blood from his damage and burning lungs as he gasped for air. It was only then that most of the Strawhats fully realized that Luffy was indeed dying. It was all but a certainty at this point.

"We've got an unusual fellow here," one of the prisoners said almost distantly. From what the Strawhats could see from the fading memory the prisoner was a huge man sitting next to their captain. "They need us to get his time of death or something?"

Luffy managed to roll himself over to his stomach and lifted himself slightly on his arms. "It hurts..." He cuddled himself like a small child as another wave of pain hit him. He was shivering violently in a desperate attempt to keep warm.

Nami had to turn her head. It was too much to see Luffy like this and unable to do anything to help.

Chopper was in tears. It was his duty as a doctor to help people, yet he was helpless to save his own captain. Even if he had been there to care for Luffy, there was nothing he could have done for him except make him comfortable in his last hours.

Luffy slowly stood up and focused on the bars in front of him. He forced himself to walk over towards the cell bars and leaned heavily against them.

Using his remaining strength, Luffy banged his head against the steel bars, desperately trying to break them. If Luffy was at his full strength, he could have shattered the cell in minutes since the metal was not laced with seastone from what the Strawhats could see. The poison, however, robbed Luffy of his power. He could barely stand. Bending steel was impossible for him.

The Strawhats could see tears forming in Luffy's eyes out of frustration that he couldn't break something so simple. He kept banging his head, but the steel bars didn't even appear dented.

Eventually, Luffy collapsed in exhaustion, still clinging to the bars.

"Quit wasting your breath," the prisoners who was sitting close to Luffy said. "After being poison this badly, there is no way you can survive. Your eyes might be failing you, but you can still hear me, right? Just accept your death."

"No way! I won't die!" Luffy screamed as more blood flew out of his mouth. He coughed for several seconds. "I...refused to die...until I save Ace!"

"He is on the edge of death, yet he can only think of his brother," Robin whispered. She always admired that determined and caring nature from Luffy.

Now, it was painful to watch her captain, withering in pain and on the verge of dying, speaking about saving a man that was destined to die regardless of all his efforts.

The other prisoners mocked his ideals about saving others before himself, but Luffy was far from listening to them as he lay limply on the icy floor.

It was hard to say how long the Strawhats stood around their captain as he laid half-conscious, muttering Ace's name as he clung on to life. The memory blurred and faded as the minutes passed until it became completely blank.

"It appears that Luffy lost consciousness," Chopper muttered. He was mostly glad for the small mercy for both themselves and Luffy.

The void suddenly shifted and a scene appeared before the Strawhats. They were not back in the prison. Instead, they stood in Sabaody, except this version of Sabaody was colored red and amber. There was also a strange white fog covering the bubble city and the memory shook and faded every few seconds.

"Huh, what's happening?" Usopp asked fearfully.

"A dream, perhaps?" Robin surmised.

A noise caught the crew's ears and they looked up to see themselves fighting against Kuma. Luffy was replaying the events of that terrible day when they were separated. Although this time when one of them disappeared, they heard the voice of the Baron counting down.

" _One arrow. What happened to that determined spirit?_ " the Baron asked as Zoro disappeared.

Luffy could only watch helplessly as he crew disappeared before his eyes.

" _Another one of your friends is disappearing,_ " the Baron stated coldly as Brook and Usopp vanished.

Luffy's face was a mask of terror as he attempted move, but he seemed frozen in place. He could only sit on his knees and watched his friends disappear.

" _Who will be next? I see, the cook._ " Sanji disappeared as he attempted to charge Kuma.

Zoro growled in anger as he watched the nightmare. Even from the grave, that bastard Baron continued to torment Luffy.

This continued for several long minutes as each of them vanished before Luffy's eyes. Luffy was screaming desperately for Kuma to stop, but no words came out of his mouth.

Soon, only Robin was left and Kuma was quickly approaching her.

" _The very last of your friends is starting to fade away,_ " the Baron said.

Luffy could finally move and rushed to save his final crewmate. Just like the first time, he was too late. Robin vanished before him. Her pleading eyes were the last thing he saw.

"NO!" Luffy screamed as sound returned to him. He fell to his knees and cried

" _You have no friends left. You are utterly alone on the vast Grand Line,_ " the Baron's sadistic voice said to the grieving captain.

Luffy could only sob in acceptance.

"Why...why is he forced to relive this?" Sanji asked as tears built in his own eyes.

" _And now, your last brother will disappear too,_ " the Baron mocked as he laughed at Luffy. It was the same cold, ruthless laugh he gave as he murdered Luffy's crew.

Luffy looked up to see Ace on a platform with two marine guards dressed in the traditional executor uniform on his sides. They had long blades poised at Ace's neck as the fire user sat on his knees and his hands were chained behind him. His head was down and his eyes were shadowed.

"ACE!" Luffy screamed as the blades moved to take his brother's head.

The memory jolted and the Strawhats were back in the cold prison cell. Luffy was gasping for air and coughing blood as the images of the nightmare lingered in his mind.

All the Strawhats were left more than a little unnerved.

"What...what a terrible dream," Franky whispered. He remembered having similar nightmares when Tom was taken.

Usopp was left speechless. Was this what it was like to die? Being forced to relive all your fears and failures?

Brook could say nothing. He knew these kinds of nightmares all too well. He watched his crew die an endless amount of times.

Nami shivered. "It was a combination of all his fears." What really upset her was that the last part of nightmare came to pass.

"It...it isn't unusual for a dying person to experience waking nightmares. As the brain shuts down, it causes a chemical imbalance that can lead to hallucinations. I'm also certain that some of the poison in Luffy's system is contributing to his fading mental state. As he gets closer to death, he'll become even more disconnected from reality," Chopper stated, in full doctor mood. It was the only thing he could do to keep from crying.

"How can you say that so calmly!?" Usopp yelled at the young doctor.

"Leave Chopper alone," Zoro said harshly, startling Usopp. "He's taking this worse than any of us. Do you think it's easy for him as a doctor to see someone dying before his eyes and he can do nothing to stop it?"

Usopp was left speechless for a moment. He knew Zoro was right. He had allowed his emotions to get the best of him. "Chopper...I'm sorry..."

Chopper wiped some tears from his eyes as he accepted the sniper's apology.

A few minutes pass when the small pirate crew suddenly heard crunching in the snow.

They turned to see Bon Clay approaching the cell. He was out of his prison uniform and was dressed as the vice-warden. At least, what was left of the vice-warden's outfit. It looked like it had been torn apart by wolves or another savage animal. He was also half frozen, which wasn't surprising since he was walking around with no shirt.

"Straw-chan...I've come to save you!" Bon Clay yelled as he held up the keys to the cell. "In the name of our friendship!"

The Strawhats could feel some of their respect for Bon Clay returning. He could have escaped if he did manage to impersonate the vice-warden. Instead, he chose to return and save Luffy. Although, none of them knew how helpful he would be given the situation.

"Earlier, I was...I'm sorry that I ran!" Bon Clay cried, truly remorseful.

Luffy forced his head up and stared at Bon Clay with dazed, unfocused eyes. He clearly wasn't all there and didn't seem to immediately recognize Bon Clay.

"How do you know this guy?" one of the prisoners asked.

"I'm his friend!" Bon Clay proclaimed. "Straw-chan, I won't let you die!" He walked up to the cell and knelt before a Luffy's semi-conscious form. His eyes watered when he saw how fast Luffy was fading. "We better go!"

He opened the cell door and loaded Luffy onto a nearby sleigh, being careful to handle the boy captain gently without touching too much of his poisonous body.

"I knew Bon Clay wouldn't abandon Luffy like that," Chopper said happily.

"That's nice and all, but what can he do?" Zoro said as he stared at Luffy's trembling form. "He's no doctor and no antidote can save him."

Once Luffy was safely loaded onto the sleigh, Bon Clay asked the other prisoners in the cell where Iva was. None of them, unfortunately, knew and didn't really care.

"Of course, Iva. How could I forget that bastard? He's called a miracle worker!" Sanji exclaimed, feeling stupid for not realizing sooner.

"But can he really save Luffy-san?" Brook asked as he looked over his dying captain. He had seen that look too many times in both of his lives. Those staring half-dead eyes. It was amazing that the memory was still as vivid as it was despite everything growing darker and less focused by the minute. The shadow of death was quickly consuming Luffy, much like how poison claimed his old crew.

"Chopper said that Luffy needed a miracle and that is exactly what Bon Clay is looking for," Robin said. Being part of the Revolutionaries for two years, she heard many stories of Iva's exploits.

Chopper frowned. "But what kind of miracle can Iva give him?" He could think of no scientific solution to save Luffy. He did believe in miracles. His dream was to cure all diseases, after all, and Luffy did survive this. The question was, how.

"If anyone can do it, it's that cross-dressing shit head Iva," Sanji assured is crew.

With no leads, Bon Clay marched across the winter wasteland, searching for anyone who knew where Iva was.

The memory shifted occasionally as Luffy continued to have waking nightmares. Most of his nightmares were those of his previous battles like his two defeats from Crocodile and when Lucci beat him in the Galley-La mansion. Both emphasized how weak Luffy was and how he couldn't protect anyone no matter how hard he tried.

Thankfully, these dreams were nowhere near as bad or as long as the Sabaody nightmare, which never came up again.

Sometimes, Luffy had pleasant dreams like seeing his brothers when he was younger playing around in Goa and causing mischief. His brothers would even address Luffy directly like asking him why he was lying down and he should play with them.

He also had dreams of his crew. Sometimes he was on the Going Merry watching Usopp and Chopper play games while the other crewmembers did their normal routines. Like his brothers, one of his crewmates would ask why he was just lying there and ask him to either do a task or join them in a game.

Most of the time he was on the Thousand Sunny. It was a very similar scene to the Merry, except Franky and Brook were there. Franky would be working on one of his mechanical masterpieces, while Brook played and sang in the background. It was Brook who often turned towards Luffy and asked what kind of song he wanted to hear. Franky would address Luffy at times too, mostly asking how he liked his new invention.

Despite how bad off Luffy was, the Strawhats were happy that he had some comfort and happiness during those moments. Luffy would smile a little when he had dreams of his brother and crew.

After nearly an hour of aimlessly wondering, Bon Clay finally found a clue about Iva's whereabouts. There was a forest on this level where an abandoned jailer's room laid. Iva could have been there. Without a moment of hesitation, Bon Clay made his way into the forest.

"Why is there a forest down here anyway?" Franky asked once the memory stabilized again. "Did they want to mimic a winter island that badly?"

"I guess it makes this place more real," Nami said as she followed Bon Clay.

She didn't like how pale Luffy now looked. His breathing was also more labored and it sounded like his lungs were filled with liquid, most likely his own blood. The hallucinations were also happening more often.

"If Iva is really down here, why is Bon Clay having such a hard time finding him?" Usopp asked, wanting to get his mind off his dying captain.

"From what I've gathered from those prisoners, Iva disappeared without a trace years ago and is assumed to be dead," Sanji said.

"Strange that someone can disappear inside a prison and no one seems to care," Nami mused.

"I guess as long they don't appear in the outside world, it doesn't matter," Zoro said as he kept his eye on his captain. Luffy was fading fast and the memory was so dark now that he could barely see.

As Bon Clay dragged Luffy through the forest wolves attacked them. These wolves were so vicious that not even Bon Clay could handle them. They attacked from all angles and ruthlessly bit the Okama all over his body.

"Damn, he's about to be killed!" Sanji yelled.

Some of the wolves attempted to attack Luffy, but Bon Clay wouldn't allow it. He constantly jumped in the way of any wolf that went after the dying man and took even more damage.

"Bon Clay!" Chopper screamed in horror as he watched his friend slowly being ripped to shreds.

To all the Strawhats' surprise, Luffy got up from the sleigh and bit one of the wolves on the back, causing it to scream in pain. Apparently, this also shocked the other wolves since they stopped attacking Bon Clay and stared at Luffy.

"Straw-chan!" Bon Clay exclaimed in shock.

" _What_ do you think you're doing...to Bon Clay?" Luffy whispered in a hushed voice. The memory cleared somewhat as he forced himself back to reality. His eyes also took on that familiar look that the Strawhats had come to know. "Leave Bon Clay alone!" he screamed to the top of his lungs as he released a wave of Haki, knocking all of the wolves unconscious.

"He can do that even being so close to death?" Usopp asked in surprise.

Sanji nodded, greatly impressed.

Releasing his Haki took the remainder of Luffy's strength and he immediately passed out onto the snow and the memory went blank. Thankfully, there were no dreams this time.

There were several minutes where the Strawhats were left in darkness and they began to wonder if Luffy would wake up anytime soon. The slushing sounds of someone walking in snow were the first sign that Luffy was coming back into awareness.

When the memory returned, Luffy was lying on the ground, shivering. Standing beside him were two men, although one of them could barely be called a man with his bright bluish purple afro with matching lipstick and long eyelashes. His outfit was also bright pink and quite revealing, not fitting at all for the winter environment.

His companion wore a long coat that went down to his boots. Bright orange sunglasses so thick that you couldn't see his eyes covered his face. What made him look odd was that half his coat was white while the other side was orange. He also had an afro, which was divided into three different balls and was half bright orange.

"Who're those people?" Chopper asked.

"That's Iva and his companion Inazuma," Sanji said.

"So, that is the legendary Ivankov," Robin whispered.

"He looks even more like a tranny than Bon Clay," Zoro observed. He was going to say Sanji as an Okama, but he wanted to redact that from his memory.

Luffy attempted to sit up, but his body quivered too badly for him to get halfway. He eventually collapsed back to the ground.

"I've been watching you two on the monitors," Iva said as he looked down at Luffy. "Strawhat-boy, I'm very impressed that you made it this far. I can hardly believe how lucky you've been."

"Given the state that he's in, I'm not sure lucky would be the word," Brook said.

"B...B...Bon Clay...tried to save me...beaten by wolves...please...help him..." Luffy begged with all his remaining strength.

Iva was surprised by the request. From a dying man, one would not expect him to beg for the life of another.

Nami shook her head and smiled. Luffy could be too kind at times. He should be worried about himself since he was the one dying.

Zoro felt a smirk form on his lips.

"Please..." Luffy pleaded as he continued to stare at Iva. He took several breaths. "H...He's...my friend!"

Iva looked at Luffy for a moment before his face softened. "Don't worry. We'll take care of both of you."

The memory faded and the Strawhats were in the dark once again. It didn't take as long this time before Luffy regained consciousness.

When he did, he was strapped down with chains to a steel table. He was stripped of all his clothes save for his shorts and he shivered helplessly from the chill in the room.

"What the hell is going on here!?" Franky exclaimed, not expecting to see this. It looked like Luffy was in a torture chamber.

"Magellan really did a number on you, Strawhat-boy," Iva said as he looked Luffy over. "You'll die in a couple of hours. I could help you, but the process will be so painful that you may prefer death."

Luffy said nothing, but Iva could tell by looking at Luffy's face that he was interested.

"It's up to you. Go through an extremely painful process and risk a slow, agonizing death, or I can put you to sleep and let you die in peace," Iva said as he crossed his arms. "Those are your only two options you have."

"What wonderful choices," Sanji said in a deadpan voice.

"How can he help Luffy? Is Iva a doctor?" Chopper asked.

"No, he's a Devil Fruit user who can control hormones," Sanji stated.

"Hormones?" Chopper repeated in mild disbelief.

"There's a Devil Fruit that can do that?" Nami asked in awe. These fruit users were getting stranger and stranger.

Luffy gritted his teeth as he gave Iva his answer. "I...I...have to save...Ace. I'll...do...whatever it...takes."

"Don't be in such a rush to make up your mind," Iva warned. "When I say the process will be painful, I mean you will experience agony beyond the likes you have ever felt before in your life."

All the Strawhats gave Iva horrified looks. Although only Sanji personally knew Iva, he struck the small pirate band as a man who wouldn't lie or exaggerate in these kinds of matters.

"Look at yourself, have you not wondered why you are chained down?" Iva asked.

Luffy numbly pulled on his shackles. It was obvious that the thought never occured to him as to why he was chained down.

"You are restrained for your own protection. If you were allowed to move freely, you'll tear your own skin off during the healing process," Iva explained.

"He...he can't be serious," Nami muttered. She felt a pang of panic as she continued to watch the memory.

Sanji had a grave look on his face. "Iva's being dead serious."

"As I said, you will experience great anguish that will go on for hours and then days, tearing your body apart as you lie there. You also won't be given the bliss of losing consciousness, so you have to endure the pain fully," Iva continued his warning. "By the end, the only thing you may be praying for is a quicker death."

Zoro paled as he listened to Iva talk. What the hell was he going to do to Luffy?

"Are you sure you still want to be healed?" Iva asked firmly.

Luffy looked directly at Iva with his fading vision. "Y...Yes." There wasn't even a single hint of hesitation or fear in his voice.

Iva stared at Luffy, impressed that he would risk such pain and possibly death. "Ten years of your life. I will be cutting ten years off your lifespan."

"WHAT!?" Chopper exclaimed in shock.

Luffy took several deep breaths. "Okay..."

"However, even using ten of those years, I can't guarantee that you will survive," Iva stated honestly. "It will only increase your odds from zero to two or three percent. Whether or not it's possible for you to survive depends entirely on you own will to live. If you die, the poison wins. If you escape with your life, you win!"

Luffy stared at Iva with wide eyes, not quite believing what he was hearing. Even if Luffy sucked at math, he knew two or three percent was not good odds.

"What, is he seriously!?" Usopp exclaimed in horror.

"Luffy-san sacrificed ten years of his total life?" Brook asked in disbelief.

That was horrible. Ten years may not mean much to Luffy, given his age and maturity, but those were ten years of his precious life being taken. Ten years' worth of accomplishments, friendships, and adventures, all gone. The thought nearly made Brook cry.

After dying and coming back, he had a new appreciation towards life. He knew that every moment, no matter how minor or insignificant, was precious. The years that Luffy was so willing to give away were time lost for all of them.

Zoro gritted his teeth as he took in this new information. He balled his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white. At the rate Luffy was burning his own life like firewood, Luffy may not live to see his thirties. He knew that the path Luffy had chosen to become the Pirate King was full of risks, but ten years of one's total life was a heavy price to pay. It wasn't like Luffy could get those years back.

Still, this was the only way for Luffy to be saved. If nothing was done, Luffy would have died in this hellhole prison.

Iva made long spikes grow out of his gloved hands. "Have a nice journey to the brink of death." With that, he stabbed Luffy in his right side. He took his other hand and did the same to his left.

Luffy's eyes widened as a new kind of pain overtook him as he was pumped full of hormones. He began to wither and twist before he let out the most inhuman scream that the Strawhats had ever heard in their lives. There was nothing that could compare to it.

The muscles on Luffy's body started to spasms violently and his body shuddered like he was having a seizure. His eyes rolled back into his head as the screams echoed across the room. Luffy frantically pulled on his chains, tearing the skin on his arms and ankles.

"What...what did that bastard do to him!?" Franky exclaimed as Luffy's screamed reverberated into his ears. It hurt listening to Luffy. Was this really healing? It sounded like Luffy was being tortured to death.

"I...I think he used his ability to speed up Luffy's immune system," Chopper said as he attempted to ignore Luffy's screams, although he was failing miserably. "He made Luffy's cells destroy and rebuild themselves at a rapid rate in an effort to combat the poison."

"So, the hormones that Iva injected was like a booster shot to drive Luffy's immunity beyond its normal limits," Robin observed as she too attempted to block out her captains cries of anguish.

Chopper nodded. "That's why Luffy is losing ten years of his total lifespan. The cells in the human body can only repair and rebuild themselves so many times over the course of a lifetime. Once that limit has been reached, a person dies because the body loses its ability to heal itself."

"It sounds like it's killing him!" Nami yelled as she attempted to cover her ears.

"Cells being destroyed and rebuilt at such a rapid pace would undoubtedly be painful. It must feel like Luffy's entire body is being ripped and torn apart from the inside," Chopper stated in his most professional manner. As he said that, however, he was close to tears. His captain was in such pain and there was nothing he could do to ease it.

"Couldn't they've given him a painkiller, a sedative, or just something to ease his pain?" Usopp asked as he cried openly.

Chopper somberly shook his head. "Because of how rapidly Luffy's body is destroying his cells any drugs given to him would burn right through his body in seconds. As Iva said, Luffy can only endure the pain until his body beats the poison."

Luffy's screams were endless and the memory twisted with each wave of agony that wracked through his body. Blood was soon pouring out of Luffy's eyes, ears, mouth, and nose. Blood was also shooting out from any open wound on his body and pooled onto the ground like a waterfall. The blood itself wasn't the usual bright red. It was a black, oily substance that was caused by both the poison and dead cells.

Luffy didn't look human anymore as his twitching and spasms got worse. His muscle movements got so out of control that it looked like large insects were crawling under his skin.

The sight made the entire crew sick. All the Strawhats wanted the memory to end. They didn't want to see any more of this.

Nami became physically ill looking at the memory. It literally felt like she was going to vomit. She buried her head into Robin's chest, unable to see anymore.

Robin herself lowered her eyes, not wanting to see her captain like this. Still, it was his screams that would remain with her forever. Unlike with Porchemy, Luffy didn't lose his ability to scream. In fact, his cries grew louder, more frantic, and desperate as the minutes turned into hours.

Chopper gritted his teeth and tears ran down his eyes as he watched helplessly. He knew this process was necessary to save his captain's life and there was no other way. Luffy would have died for certain by the poison if left alone.

Nonetheless, he couldn't stop himself from being angry with Iva for doing this to Luffy. How could he leave Luffy to suffer like this alone? There should at least be someone in the room with him. Someone to tell him it would be okay. That wasn't alone.

He knew he was being unfair. Iva most likely isolated Luffy because no person could stand to be in the room with him. It would take someone who was a true professional to stay in a room with someone who was screaming in agony and dying before their eyes.

Sanji was one of the last to turn away, unable to watch anymore. A part of him wondered how Luffy was able to bleed so much without dying. He must have lost his entire body weight in blood in the time they were looking at him. Most likely, when Iva increased his immune system, he also increased the production of blood that Luffy was able to make.

Still, he wished Luffy would stop bleeding. The blood was starting to reach the door and looked like someone had struck oil.

Zoro was able to watch the longest of everyone on his crew, but even he turned his eye after a while. It was one thing to see his captain being tortured, beating within an inch of his life, or fighting a losing battle, but to watch Luffy's body literally melt from the inside in an effort to actually save his life was too much for him to watch. It also hurt that Luffy went through all this suffering alone in this frozen hellhole. They should have been with him! He should have least felt their presence.

"Ace!" Luffy screamed through his anguish. His determination to save his brother even now still glowed strong despite his body dying on him and the pain taken hold of every part of his mind.

None of the Strawhats knew how long the memory lasted. Only that it went on too long as they watched their captain suffer. It had to be hours, that much they knew.

Without warning, Luffy suddenly broke the chains that bounded him to the table. He was still screaming, but the screams became lesser and the bleeding was beginning to stop. Soon, Luffy was completely free of his shackles and began to stand unsteadily on his feet.

Luffy looked horrible. The healing process had left Luffy looking like a man who hadn't eaten in months. He was complete starved to the point where all his bones could be seen through his withered and pale skin. He was also drenched in his own black blood, looking like he had crawled out of a tar pit.

Sanji shook when he saw the condition that Luffy was left in. It reminded him of himself when he was found on that forsaken island. It was amazing that Luffy didn't die where he stood from starvation.

Brook winced when he saw his captain. Luffy may have survived his ordeal, but it came at a terrible price. Too high of a price for his liking. He couldn't stop wondering if all of this could have been prevented if they were with him.

"How...how can he stand?" Chopper whispered in shock. "All his muscles have nearly been destroyed. He could also have heart failure just from moving."

Luffy walked like a zombie towards the wooden door on the far side of the room. The walk was slow, painful, and it looked like Luffy could drop dead at any given moment. He also gave a low groan as he made his way towards the locked door. With amazing strength, Luffy pounded on the door with so much force that the door actually buckled.

After a couple of knocks, Luffy took a deep breath. " _MEAT!_ "


	31. Unlikely Alliance

Apparently the people who were watching over Luffy were surprised and shocked by his rapid recovery as they began to feed him a never ending supply of food.

Luffy ate at a rate that the Strawhats had never seen before, surpassing his pig-outs in Alabasta and when he woke up from his six day coma two weeks ago. He ate so fast and for so long that his body no longer appeared human. It was the shape of a blob, but he still kept eating, not even bothering to chew most of his food.

Still, Luffy's current state was much more preferable over the half dead skeleton he had been not that long ago.

"How long has he been eating?" Usopp asked. He was getting a stomach-ache from watching Luffy inhale his food.

"I lost track after twenty minutes," Nami said almost dryly as she watched her captain eat. She should be disgusted, and part of her was, but given how close Luffy had come to dying, she was happy to see her captain trying to regain his strength.

"I wonder how many days' worth of food he has ate?" Sanji mused out loud.

Sanji started to notice that most of the food that Luffy was eating now wasn't cooked or prepared properly. Eating raw food was dangerous and something he wouldn't have tolerated if he were there. He understood that the people were trying to help Luffy by hastily giving him food, but giving Luffy food poisoning, a parasite, or other food-related diseases would only set him back.

"I hope they're feeding him enough iron," Chopper said as he attempted to keep track of everything that Luffy was putting in his mouth. "After all the blood he lost, Luffy should be anemic, among other things. He would also need foods that are high in fats to regain his body weight."

"So, meat it is then," Zoro stated nonchalantly.

Luffy finally stopped eating and walked out of the room, still in his blob form. He could barely fit through the door and had to duck to keep himself from hitting the doorframe, since his enlarged gut caused him to be so high off the ground.

After a second, Luffy reconfigured his body back into its proper shape. Color returned to his skin and Luffy looked as healthy as he did when he first came to Impel Down; although he still had some dried blood on himself.

"How did he do that with his body?" Brook asked in awe.

"It's part of him being rubber," Chopper said. "I'm not completely sure how, but Luffy is able to move nutrients into any part of his body. It's one of the reasons he can heal so fast."

"I'm back!" Luffy shouted to the heavens as he pumped his arms up.

"Well…now we know how he got his poison immunity," Zoro said with a tight voice.

"Yeah, it only took ten years off his life," Usopp said, extremely upset. Was Luffy trying to die early? Why did Luffy have to be so selfish all the time? Didn't he _understand_ or _care_ that those were ten years that they had lost with him?

"You're unbelievable! You're not human!" someone from the crowd watching Luffy shouted. They were all a very colorful-looking bunch. By the way many of them dressed, it looked like Halloween.

"Who are these people, anyway?" Nami asked. "They can't all be prisoners."

Robin frowned. This was one of the few times that she had no answer or theory.

"There's no way you could have survived Magellan's poison!" someone else yelled.

"He beat the poison in only twenty hours!" a man shouted. "It's an unbelievable miracle!"

"That was only twenty hours? It felt…so much longer," Brook said. He would never forget Luffy's screams. It would follow him into the afterlife.

"They're right, though. Luffy shouldn't have survived all that poison," Chopper said as tears built in his eyes. The full impact of what had happened hit him like a seatrain. "It truly was a miracle."

Sanji smiled to himself. Looks like they owed Iva a big one for saving their captain.

"A miracle? This is more than a miracle!" Iva yelled in complete shock. He stared at Luffy like he was some kind of risen spirit.

Franky looked at Iva. "Why's he so surprised? Did he really believe that there was no hope after putting Luffy through all of that?"

"It seems we are only getting half the story of Luffy's miraculous recovery if it has left the miracle-worker stunned," Robin observed.

Now that she thought about it, Iva had said that Luffy would be in pain for days. If so, Luffy healing in less than twenty-four hours would be a miracle in and of itself. It did not surprise her. Her captain pulled miracles off on almost a daily basis.

The group of people ran towards Luffy and started to throw him into the air as they celebrated his victory over death. He went to the jaws of abyss and lived to tell the tale.

Through the cheering, Luffy finally took notice of Bon Clay. He was crying and was bandaged like a mummy from his encounter with the wolves. At least he was still alive.

"Bon Clay, you're alright after all!" Luffy yelled happily.

"Stupid, quit joking around!" Bon Clay yelled angrily through his tears. "I'm the one who should be saying..." Before he could finish the sentence, he suddenly collapsed.

Luffy gasped in shock and dropped himself from the cheering crowd.

"Bon Clay, hey!" Luffy yelled in a panic as he patted his friend's cheek. "You okay!? Hang on! What's wrong!?"

Bon Clay was completely knocked out. There was blood coming out of his mouth and his eyes were rolled into the back of his head.

"Oh no, did he relapse!?" Chopper asked, nearly as panicked as Luffy.

"He just overexerted himself," Iva assured. "His injures have nothing to do with it."

Sanji tilted his head. "Overexerted?"

"Oh, Iva," Luffy said, surprising the people with how casual he was toward the Okama Queen. Only friends called Ivankov by his nickname. "We survived! Thanks a lot for everything you've done for us!"

Iva stared at Luffy before his eyes moved to Bon Clay. "It's this Mr. 2 Bon-boy you should be thanking. I just used my ability and lent you some strength. But he...he kept shouting for hours on end until his throat was dry and he was coughing up blood. He stayed here all along, sharing in your pain, constantly shouting for you to hang in there and live on!"

Luffy was taken back by what Bon Clay did for him. He was so lost in his own anguish that he was aware of nothing else.

"Bon Clay did that?" Nami whispered as tears welled up in her own eyes.

"I guess when it counts, that cross-dressing bastard knows when to come through," Sanji said softly.

Even so, his feelings were still mixed. Bon Clay saved Luffy, but he had abandoned their captain when he needed him most.

Robin gave a soft smile, deeply impressed by her former comrade. She knew Bon Clay valued friendship above all else. Still, what he did was beyond measure. "Even in the depths of Hell, the light of friendship still manages to shine."

"I guess...he isn't such a coward after all," Franky said as he finally forgave Bon Clay for running on Luffy.

"I'm pretty sure he made at least some difference in your struggle to survive," Iva stated.

"But Luffy didn't hear him at all," Usopp said.

"Maybe not, but I'm certain Luffy felt Bon Clay's spirit and took strength from his presence," Chopper said with a huge smile. "He knew…that he wasn't alone."

Luffy looked down at Bon Clay with gratitude in his eyes. "I see. Bon Clay, thank you. I owe you one," he said in a gentle voice as he bowed before the unconscious man.

Inazuma took this time to walk in with Luffy's clothes in his hand. His straw hat was there, but Inazuma provided him with a different shirt. This vest was a bright yellow color.

"Here is your hat and some clothes. You have survived, but that is all," Inazuma said in a firm voice as Luffy took the offered garments. "You will not make a full recovery until you have rested for two days."

"Makes sense," Chopper said with a nod. "Luffy's body went through a long, traumatic experience. Even for Luffy, it will take time to recover. He should barely be able to walk and could even be feverous."

Zoro snorted. "Like Luffy will actually stand still."

"Asking Luffy to rest is like telling storm clouds not to rain," Franky muttered.

Luffy, naturally, protested. "I don't have time for that! I've wasted enough time already! Sorry, but can you guys take care of Bon Clay?" he asked as he put his vest and hat on. "I'll be back for him later."

He attempted to run, but found himself barely able to walk or stand. He eventually collapsed from exhaustion and the memory went hazy for a second.

"Looks like he's barely able to walk," Sanji said as he watched Luffy tremble. He looked cold despite the thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

"Even monsters have their limits," Nami said. Luffy never did know when to rest.

Luffy sat slowly up and reached for his hat. He removed Ace's Vivre Card and stared at it for a moment. "That paper is still pointing down. Ace is down there..." He looked around in confusion. "Come to think of it, where are we?"

"I have been wondering that too," Robin said.

"What's that?" one of the people asked as he knelt beside Luffy.

"Isn't that a Vivre Card?" Iva asked, gaining Luffy's attention. "This is the space between Levels 5 and 6. Now that you're recovered, I suppose you don't care about anything other than saving your brother, right?"

"A space between Levels 5 and 6?" Robin repeated. "So, there is a place within Hell that even the government cannot touch."

"How did such a place even come to exist?" Franky asked.

"Well, it's none of my business what you do with your life," Iva said almost dismissively.

"Iva, aren't you going to escape?" Luffy asked. "I mean, Bon Clay came down here hoping to save your ass, you know."

Zoro fought to hold back a chuckle as he listened to the shocked reactions from the people in the room.

"Well, that's a rude way to say it," Nami muttered. Luffy could at least try to use more polite language around the person who saved his life.

"Mind telling me where Ace is while you're escaping?" Luffy asked in his trademark blunt manner.

"What are you saying? Bon-boy came to save me? So, that's how it is, huh?" Iva mused with a chuckle. "Well, isn't that cute. It's the thought that counts, I guess. But it's not the time for me to break out yet!"

Luffy looked at him in surprise.

"I understand the balance of power in the world. The marines and the Whitebeard Pirates are both trying to shift the world in their favor," Iva said as he folded his arms. "But that man has yet to make his move. The man who oversees all the revolutionaries in the world, my companion, the Revolutionary Dragon!"

"Ah, you mean Dad," Luffy commented offhandedly like he was expecting Iva to mention someone important.

"I didn't know Iva was a Revolutionary," Sanji noted in surprise. He didn't really strike him as the type to be part of a world movement.

"You lived with the guy for two years and you didn't know something like that?" Zoro asked in disbelief.

Sanji snorted at the swordsman. "We didn't have that kind of relationship, moss head. He barely spoke about himself, or his relationship with Luffy, for that matter. He didn't trust me all that much. We didn't even get friendly until a couple months before I left."

"Why's that?" Chopper asked.

Sanji refused to answer the question. He didn't need to give that shitty swordsman more ammo by revealing that no one believed that he was part of the crew. They hadn't recognized his wanted poster even after he coughed up blood all over it. Damn marines. He was going to make them pay for that one day.

Iva didn't seem to realize what Luffy just said and kept talking about Dragon, the Revolutionaries, and why he couldn't escape at the moment. After a few seconds, it sunk in. "YOUR DAD!?"

"Did he say 'Dad'!?" everyone in the room screamed in shock.

"These guys are slow," Usopp muttered as he sweat-dropped.

Robin smiled to herself. From what she had gathered, most of the Revolutionaries didn't think Dragon was capable of having the kind of relationship that would lead to having a child. The man had the personality of a stone wall, quite the opposite of his son in that respect.

"Dragon is...your dad!?" Iva shouted in disbelief.

Luffy looked around in confusion. He didn't seem to realize the giant bomb he had just dropped.

Sanji couldn't help but find Iva's reaction amusing. Very little unnerved that man.

"Y...y...you've got to be kidding me!" Iva stuttered as he attempted to recompose himself. "You're Dragon's son!? He has a son!?"

"Dragon must not talk about himself often if his own commanders don't even know about Luffy," Zoro noted.

"It was most likely to protect Luffy, since enemies of the Revolutionaries would target Luffy in order to get to Dragon," Robin surmised.

"Ah, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone," Luffy said casually as he stood up.

"He's his grandfather's child," Nami sighed as she shook her head.

"It's a wonder that we don't know more about Luffy's life," Usopp said. How could Luffy be so close-lipped about some things, but such a blabbermouth about other things?

"Well, whatever. Grandpa told me," Luffy said. "I don't know him myself. To be honest, I don't even know what he looks like."

Iva continued to be in shock and was speechless for several seconds. "Where is your hometown?"

"In East Blue," Luffy answered.

Iva's eyes widened as if he was hit by some kind of revelation. "Inazuma, go find out when Ace-boy is being taken to be executed!"

"Right away," Inazuma said with a slight bow as he left to do his task.

Iva's change in attitude caught the Strawhats off-guard.

"What brought about this change?" Brook asked. "He didn't care about Ace before."

"I think Iva may have misunderstood the situation. He believes that Luffy and Ace are blood brothers," Robin stated with a small smile.

"Oh, so he believes that the World Government is picking a fight with both Whitebeard and the Revolutionaries," Nami concluded.

"I don't think the World Government and the marines would be that stupid," Franky said. "I don't know how strong the Revolutionaries are, but they must be something fierce if the government wants Dragon's head to the point that they label him the most dangerous man in the world."

He almost wanted to meet the guy just for that. Anyone who gave hell to the government was okay in his book, even if he wasn't Luffy's dad.

Robin nodded, but said nothing. Her involvement with the Revolutionaries was something she still had not shared with the rest of the crew. She also knew that Dragon, despite working in the shadows, was as feared by the government as the late Pirate King himself. One does not become so revered by only having dangerous ideas.

"It will be a race against time," Iva said to his men. "If the Vivre Card is still pointing down, then he hasn't been taken away yet. I will be heading to Level 6 alongside Strawhat-boy here."

"You're going to show me the way?" Luffy asked happily. "But...Level 6? I thought it was Level 5?"

"Like he said, this is Level 5.5," one of the people said.

"Well, whatever. I'm counting on you, so let's go!" Luffy yelled.

Iva turned and gave Luffy a peculiar look, but said nothing.

Luffy walked over to Bon Clay and patted his back. "Well then, Bon Clay, I'll come back to pick you up later."

Iva suddenly shoved his face right into Luffy, nearly suffocating him. "Strawhat-boy, in the future, you must not let slip such information about your origins!"

"Like it would matter soon," Zoro humored, recalling how Luffy's origins were all over the newspaper after the war. Still, he wondered how that information got out.

Luffy managed to pry his face away from Iva. "Yeah, you're probably right..."

"I'm your father's companion, one of the leaders of the Revolutionary Army," Iva said. "That's the reason why I was locked away. I might be acting of my own accord, but I have a duty to protect you. I will not let a friend's son die while I'm around to see it."

"Looks like Luffy has gained a powerful ally," Robin said with a smile.

"At the very least, he won't have to face the perils of Hell alone anymore," Zoro said. "Even the most 'reliable' of Luffy's previous company bailed on him in his hour of need."

"But Luffy isn't fit to move, let alone go rescue anyone," Chopper said with concern. "He needs to sleep, not run around."

"Like that has ever stopped Luffy before," Sanji said.

"Although, I feel bad. Iva's helping Luffy on a false assumption," Brook said.

"Give the message to all inhabitants of Newkama Land!" Iva yelled. "We will hereby attempt to save Ace-boy and break out of Impel Down!"

The crowd started to mutter among themselves. None of them were prepared to leave on such short notice.

"Important decisions are always made suddenly! Those who want to come along, prepare yourselves for the worst and gather here, ready to fight!" Iva continued yelling, rallying the troops.

"Right! Let's go!" Inazuma shouted as he held up his wine glass.

Everyone cheered in agreement, ready for battle.

"I guess that's why Iva is the queen. He knows how to assemble people," Usopp observed.

"Right!" Luffy yelled as he lifted his arms. "Wait for me, Ace! I'll be right there!" His mind was ready, but his body wasn't. He immediately collapsed again, causing everyone in Newkama Land to panic.

"Well, that kind of ruins the mood," Franky said with some humor.

Chopper sighed. "I knew he would be too exhausted. Luffy is still a human."

Iva picked Luffy up by his arm after he had finished checking his pulse. "He lost several years of his life in exchange for my treatment. You can't see it, but his body is exhausted." The spikes on his hand returned.

"What's he going to do now?" Usopp asked as he watched Iva stick Luffy in his side again. He proceeded to pump something into Luffy's body.

"That looks so creepy that my skin crawls," Brook said before pausing for a moment. "Oh, but I have no skin." He started to laugh.

Iva gently put Luffy down and the rubberman fell to his knees. He was shivering, but it wasn't from any chill.

The Strawhats recognized what was happening to Luffy. He gave the exact same reaction that one time he drank Robin's coffee or had one too many sweets. Luffy was becoming hyper, a state that all the Strawhats feared almost as much as Luffy being drunk.

"It's adrenaline," Iva explained as Luffy's body shook with energy. "You will be able to ignore you fatigue for one day. You will suffer some major aftereffects in exchange for it, but I assume you don't mind?"

"He can't just pump adrenaline like that!" Chopper yelled in fury. "Luffy would feel fine, but he'd risk overextending himself past his limits! If he does that, Luffy could die from exhaustion!"

"I assume that Iva gave Luffy just enough adrenaline to get him where he needs to go without putting his life at risk," Sanji said reassuringly. "Despite what you may have seen, Iva holds life very precious and won't allow Luffy to kill himself in that way."

Zoro flinched when he heard the cook speak. Now he understood what Luffy was talking about that day. He started to shake in rage as he thought of the implications.

Robin noticed Zoro's change in demeanor, but said nothing.

"Well, it's better to do this then to have Luffy crawl around Impel Down trying to save Ace," Franky said.

Usopp sighed. Luffy just wouldn't be happy until he could wreck his body even further.

Luffy, meanwhile, appeared like he was hyped up on mushrooms again. When Iva and Inazuma left to free Ace, Luffy was running around the snow-covered landscape like a child having a sugar rush.

"Oh wow, I'm overflowing with energy!" Luffy yelled as he ran.

"Let's hurry," Inazuma said, still holding his wine glass. "Even the slightest delay could change the outcome of our actions."

"That must be some good wine that guy is drinking," Franky said.

"Now I want a taste, even though I have no tongue to taste with," Brook laughed.

"Things must be looking up if Brook is cracking so many Skull Jokes," Nami muttered.

"No one will be watching us here, so as long as we don't waste time sneaking around, we'll get there faster!" Iva yelled. "Keep moving as fast as you can!"

They kept running and easily defeated the wolves that attempted to attack them. Iva took care of the majority of the wolves with his wink.

"That's his attack?" Usopp asked in disbelief. "He winks at people?"

"Don't underestimate the power of those winks," Sanji said as he recalled his painful defeat by Iva.

Inazuma opened the main wooden door with a key he undoubtedly stole at some point.

"There are surveillance cameras past this point," Inazuma warned.

"Why wasn't there any security in Level 5?" Brook asked.

"Transponder snails don't do well in the cold," Chopper answered.

"It really wouldn't make a difference. Most prisoners would be half-dead and frozen, even if they did attempt to escape," Robin said.

"Still, it seems pretty careless," Nami said. "For the sake of torturing people, they gave up on security."

The trio kept running down the stairs and managed to beat any trap they came across. They also ran into several guards, but they were defeated easily as well.

"I'm coming now, Ace!" Luffy screamed to his brother.

After mowing down several more rows of guards and jailers, Iva took one of the guards with them to show them the way to Ace's cell.

Finally, Luffy reached the end of the long stairway. The entire place was silent and had none of the over-the-top environmental tortures of the previous Levels. It was just quiet. It was almost like a tomb.

"I was expecting Level 6 to be the worst of all," Usopp said as he looked around. "Instead, there's nothing but silence. It's almost...peaceful."

"Don't let the false peace fool you. This is the worst torture of all," Brook said darkly. In his mind, he could see the fog of the Florian Triangle. "Complete and utter isolation. To spend the rest of your waking life alone with no way to escape. It is far worse than being cut by blades, chased by beasts, starved, burnt alive, or even frozen. This place…it's like being _buried_ alive."

"You would know better than any of us," Zoro said with a note of tenderness.

Robin nodded. "Although I was never as isolated as Brook, I agree. Being alone is worst than any physical pain. To exist, but not fully live."

"This is the place where the most legendary criminals are held. Eternal Hell," Iva stated. Even the miracle-worker seemed frightened of this place.

"Where are you, Ace!?" Luffy shouted for his brother. "I'm here to save you! Ace, where are you!?"

Only Luffy's own echoes were heard.

"Just shouting won't get you anywhere," Iva said as he looked at the guard he had brought along. The guard was terrified of Iva. "Would you be so kind as to tell us?"

"Never!" the guard stuttered in defiance.

Iva smiled at him. "What a dilemma."

Most of the Strawhats began to fear for the guard.

Iva dropped him. "You have to be a more honest individual!" The spikes in his hands came out and he stabbed the man on his sides.

The Strawhats, save for Sanji and Robin, watched in amazement as the guard slowly changed into a woman. A fairly hot woman, to boot.

"What did he do?" Franky asked in horror.

Sanji said nothing as he chewed on his cigarette. Of all Iva's techniques, that was the one he feared the most. It was part of the reason why he could never be fully comfortable if Iva was in a room with him. Being in the same room as a person who could steal your male identity wasn't a comfortable thought.

"Well, since he can manipulate hormones, it would stands to reason that he can control the hormones that determines a person's gender," Chopper said, thinking aloud.

"What a horrible fate," Brook muttered. Iva was just as bad as the tormentors of this prison.

Zoro shivered at the thought being turned into woman.

To the surprise of the Strawhats, however, the guard was happy about the change. He, or she, was so grateful that she led Luffy and the others right to Ace's cell.

"I guess it takes all types," Nami whispered.

When they reached the cell that held Ace, there was no one in it. It was obvious that someone was there recently, judging by the fresh bloodstains on the wall that were near a group of chains.

"Ace!" Luffy called to his brother as he looked desperately around the cell. It was obvious that he was too late.

The Strawhats felt for their captain. They knew this would happen, but it still hurt to see it. Luffy had sacrificed so much and he still didn't make it in time. His trip to Impel Down was a failure.

What made things even more bitter was that Luffy could have made it in time if he hadn't lost to Magellan.

"Hey, are you Strawhat Luffy?" a man in the cell asked. He was so hidden by the shadows that all the Strawhats failed to notice him.

Luffy turned towards the sound and saw Jimbei chained against the wall. He was bloody and bruises covered his body. It was clear to see that he had been tortured, but the fishman didn't seem bothered by his injuries.

"Oh. So Jimbei was being held in the same cell as Ace," Nami said. She could only imagine what the people at Impel Down did to him.

"Does that mean that Jimbei was friends with Ace?" Usopp wondered.

"Yeah," Luffy replied to Jimbei's question.

"They've just taken him. Chase after them!" Jimbei yelled. He pulled hard on his chains. "Ace was being escorted to the lift! Go, you can still make it if you hurry!"

"Old man, who are you?" Luffy asked.

"He's another big shot!" Iva exclaimed, shocked to see Jimbei.

Jimbei didn't answer, but a sense of understanding passed between the two men.

"Right, I got it!" Luffy exclaimed. "Thanks, whoever you are!"

Luffy, Iva, and Inazuma ran towards the lift.

"They left the gate open to the lift!" Inazuma exclaimed as Iva attempted to pull the lever.

"The mechanisms are locked, it's no use!" Iva yelled in vain as he pulled on the jammed lever.

"We can't use it? But if we climb this, we can probably make it," Luffy said as he ran to look up the lift. The second he put his head into the lift, he was nearly beheaded by a row of spikes that suddenly fell, destroying the lift.

"It's to be expected," Iva said somberly. "It's not like they would let us climb up." He turned to face his companions. "The lift is useless! They're watching our every move. Let's use the stairs we climbed down!"

They ran back towards the stairway, but it was quickly sealed off by a steel gate that descended on them.

"Figures that they wouldn't make it that easy," Sanji muttered.

"They're trapped!" Chopper exclaimed.

"Hey, they blocked the stairs!" Luffy yelled in frustration.

"They're trying to close us in," Iva said as he folded his arms. "If we can't break this, there will be no way out!"

"Alright!" Luffy exclaimed as he got ready to break the bars.

That was when a loud hissing sound filled their ears. Soon, a greenish gas descended on them.

"It is a massive gas cloud!" Inazuma exclaimed as he covered his mouth. "Don't tell me it's poisonous!?"

"I don't care if it's poisonous!" Luffy yelled as he charged towards the steel gate. He immediately collapsed in the memory went black.

"It was poison!" Usopp yelled.

"No. Poison wouldn't work that fast, especially since Luffy now has an immunity," Robin said. "I think it might have been sleeping gas."

"That idiot," Nami said as she slapped her forehead. "You would think he wouldn't be that reckless, given what happened with the warden."

"Desperate people do stupid things," Sanji said.

"And this is Luffy," Zoro said, folding his arms. "It wouldn't be him if he wasn't reckless and stupid."

The memory returned and Luffy was now awake, looking worse for wear. The staircase was somehow blocked with strips cut off from the floor, keeping the gas from getting to them.

"Huh, what did that?" Chopper asked.

"Most likely Inazuma," Sanji stated. "He ate the Snip Snip Fruit. He's a scissorman."

"Scissorman?" Franky repeated. There truly was a fruit for everything.

"He can turn any part of his body into a pair of scissors, cut anything, and manipulate it like it's paper," Sanji explained.

"Pretty powerful ability," Brook said.

Luffy was still drowsy, but managed to keep himself from falling back to sleep. His eyes widened when he saw that the stairway was completely blocked off.

"Hey, I want to keep moving. We can't catch up to Ace now that you closed off the stairs!" Luffy complained, now fully awake.

"Sealing the stairs was the only way to stop the gas," Inazuma said neutrally. "It will be impossible to rescue him if you are unconscious."

"I'm going to rescue him even if I am unconscious!" Luffy proclaimed in frustration as he flailed his arms. It looked like he was having a tantrum by the way he was acting. "Do you realize that Ace is going to be executed!?"

"Do not be rash," Inazuma said calmly. "The enemy's plan was simple, but we fell right into it. Now, we are all stuck on Level 6. In this situation, there is no way to escape."

"It's a shame, but all we can do is this," Iva said as he took out the transponder snails that was watching them with his Winks. "If we think logically, we can't make it on time. Ace-boy is already being escorted to the meeting place. We, on the other hand, have to deal with all the enemies standing in our way. The military convoy is quite fast. Observe the Vivre Card."

Luffy took out Ace's Vivre Card and it was pointing straight up. Luffy knew by seeing the paper like this that Iva's words were true. They were truly too late.

"He's probably being handed to the marines as we speak," Iva said. "Right now we need to change our attitude. I will do everything in my power to help you escape this prison safely."

Luffy was no longer listening to Iva. He was instead staring straight up, past the stone ceiling. His expression was blank, but the Strawhats knew by his demeanor that there was only one course of action left to him. The action that would lead him to Ace and both of their destinies.

Luffy closed his hand around the shrunken Vivre Card as he steeled himself. "I'm going too."

Iva stopped talking when he heard Luffy speak. "Huh?"

"I'm going to Marine Headquarters!" Luffy proclaimed.

The sentence was like a thunderbolt had struck the room. Even the Strawhats felt the weight of the statement.

"Are you stupid!?" Iva snapped.

Sanji was surprised by the reaction. Iva was fairly laid-back person. He had never once seen him this mad. He looked ready to blast Luffy across the room with a Wink.

"This is a battle between the world's greatest powers!" Iva yelled. "What can you do if you go there!? Do you not realize Whitebeard's true strength!? Do you not realize the marines' strength with their admirals, vice-admirals, and Warlords!? Did you forget that you fought Magellan one-on-one and almost died!? How many lives do you think you have left to spare!?"

Hearing Iva rant really put into perspective what Luffy was about to do to the Strawhats. This wasn't like them raiding Enies Lobby. As formidable as that place was, Luffy was going against the best in the entire world. Even with being, well, Luffy, he would be an ant in the middle of a raging storm. He would be torn apart.

Worse yet, Luffy knew this. They could tell by the look in his eyes that their captain was fully aware that if he took this course of action that he might not come back.

He'd faced Kizaru and Aokiji, and lost badly both times. He fought two Warlords and he barely survived. Now, he was going into a battlefield filled with people that strong. Regardless, Luffy was ready to fight and die on that battlefield if it meant saving Ace.

"What is it?" Iva asked as he saw that same expression in Luffy's face.

"If I give up now, I'll regret it forever," Luffy said as he stared Iva right in his eyes.

As he spoke, a visage of Sabo flashed across the memory. There was also an image of Luffy and Ace up on that cliff.

" _But we're still alive after having made an oath with him. So listen, Luffy. We have to live a life with no regrets. One day, we're going to sail the seas and live our lives as we want! No one will be freer than us!_ " Ace proclaimed, then the memory returned to Impel Down.

Luffy's eyes seemed to flash as he remembered his vow to his brother. He would lead a life of no regrets, even if it took him to the grave. He wouldn't let history repeat itself. He wouldn't let the world take his final brother.

Iva was startled and nearly fell backwards. He was overwhelmed by Luffy's words and conviction. He began to look at Luffy differently as he stepped away from the boy captain. Iva regarded Luffy now like he wasn't some stupid child who understood nothing, but as a man who was willing to spit destiny in the eye and take his own path no matter the outcome. Whether Iva helped him or not, Luffy's path was set.

"Before all that, we cannot even escape from this floor," Inazuma said, calming the heated atmosphere.

A dry chuckle suddenly filled the room. The Strawhats knew that laugh. It had been embedded into their minds after hearing it so often.

Luffy and the others looked at the cell right next to them.

"If you want to escape from here, set me free," the snide voice of Crocodile said from the shadows of his cell. He was now sporting a prison uniform, but he kept his hook for some reason. The former Warlord looked well, not showing any signs of torture or discomfort. He gave Luffy a cocky smile. "I can open a hole in the ceiling. So, how about it?"

Luffy's eyes widened when he saw his former enemy. Unlike many of Luffy's other foes, he could never forget Crocodile.

"I figured he would be down here," Robin said coldly. "Trying to take over a country and attempting to revive an ancient weapon under the World Government's nose would land you in a place where you would be erased."

"I'm surprised they didn't execute that sandy bastard," Sanji growled. If the World Government wanted to execute pirates so badly, they could have least taken care of this asshole.

"Executing him means acknowledging his existence," Robin said. "The World Government wants to erase Crocodile from all of history and the government does not believe in summary executions. Everyone who is killed must have a big event to show their power."

"Crocodile!" Luffy exclaimed as hatred and anger rose in his voice. He was close to growling.

Crocodile laughed at him. "Long time no see, Strawhat!"

The two pirates glared at each other for a moment. Despite Crocodile having his dreams and ambitions crushed by Luffy, he didn't seem to hold any ill will towards the rubberman. In fact, one could say he almost seemed happy to see Luffy again.

Through her years of working with Crocodile, Robin could see a slight change in her former boss' demeanor towards Luffy. Although he still had an aura of malice and arrogance, Crocodile did not look down his nose at Luffy anymore. It would appear that Luffy had earned a measure of respect from the ex-Warlord. He was no longer just another rookie.

"I had been thinking that even if I were on the outside, there would be nothing going on that interest me," Crocodile said. "Now, however, I hear the Whitebeard Pirates and the marines are going to war. I never thought I would get the chance to take that old man's head."

"I see prison did nothing to shrink that ego," Zoro growled.

"He makes it sounds like he's on vacation or something," Sanji said as he narrowed his eyes.

"I am interested in this war," Crocodile stated. "With my powers, we can all escape from here. It is not a bad deal, is it? We both have something to gain."

Luffy growled fiercely at the former Warlord and the Strawhats saw a brief flashback of Vivi in tears as Crocodile tore her country apart. They also saw how Crocodile had ruthlessly mocked Vivi for trying to stop him. The flashes of memories were brief, but all the Strawhats remembered why they hated this man.

"Screw you!" Luffy yelled at Crocodile. "You're the one who made a mess of Vivi's country!"

"That is all in the past," Crocodile said dismissively. "I no longer have any interest in that country."

"Are you kidding me!? He sounds like he broke up with a bad date or something," Franky growled.

"That man has a lot to answer for," Brook said through gritted teeth.

He was not a believer in revenge, given his stance that all life was precious, but Crocodile was one of those people who would just keep hurting people if left on his own. For one of the few times since these memories started, this was justice.

"That's one person who should stay in Impel Down," Nami said, barely controlling her own anger. After everything that monster done to Vivi, he deserved to burn in Hell.

"Let's release him, Strawhat-boy," Iva said, surprising Luffy and the Strawhats. "He would make a powerful ally."

"Iva, that guy..." Luffy started to argue as he pointed at Crocodile.

"You're not stopping here. If you're going to Marine Headquarters you will need him even more," Iva cut off.

Robin sighed. "As painful as it is, he is right."

"But Luffy can't trust that guy!" Chopper yelled. "He backstabbed everyone he's come across."

"Not to mention kills his own allies like they're trash," Usopp added darkly as he remembered the bomb Crocodile planted.

"Ivankov!" Crocodile growled, getting the Strawhats' attention.

Crocodile was literally shaking in rage and he clenched his teeth so tightly that his jaw must undoubtedly hurt. They'd never seen him so unnerved, even when Luffy was kicking his ass.

"Long time no see, Croco-boy," Iva greeted with a cheeky grin. There was almost sadistic pleasure in his voice.

"What, you know him?" Luffy asked as he looked between the two.

"We've met back when he was still a rookie," Iva said, pissing off Crocodile even more. "It will be alright. Even if he tries to betray us, I can hold him back." His smile got even more vicious as he leaned closer to the cell. "You can't completely trust him, but I have a firm grasp on this guy's weakness."

"Hey, if you say anything uncalled for..." Crocodile started to yell, losing all of his previous cool demeanor.

"Oh my, you really think it's a good idea to give me that tone?" Iva asked mockingly. It sounded like he was scolding a naughty child. "I don't mind telling everyone right now about your past."

Crocodile growled at the Okama Queen.

"As long as you're a good boy and help us out, I won't say anything," Iva said in a sweet, sing-song voice.

"Why you..." Crocodile snarled, but could do nothing.

"Damn, now I want to know what this big secret is," Franky said.

"Do you know, Robin?" Chopper asked the archaeologist.

"I have no idea. If I did, I would had used that information to blackmail Crocodile a long time ago," Robin said, in awe in how Iva handled her former boss.

She was kind of annoyed by her ignorance on this topic. She had researched Crocodile extensively for years, looking for any weakness for leverage against the former Warlord. Whatever secret Iva had, Crocodile did an excellent job hiding it.

"In any case, Iva earned some extra points from me by grabbing that bastard by the balls," Nami said. "Although, I still don't like releasing him. After what he did to Vivi, he deserves to rot."

"As Iva said, Luffy needs him," Zoro said, not liking the situation either.

Some of the other prisoners who were listening started to demand to be released, too, so they could take Whitebeard's head. Iva responded by Death Winking them in the face.

"I guess even Iva has standards," Brook said.

"I beg you, please, take me with you! I will definitely help you!" Jimbei yelled from his cell, causing everyone to turn towards him. "I have known Ace since he joined the Whitebeard Pirates! He told me everything about you, his little brother! I am here because I opposed this war! I wish to save Ace! Please, let me chose the place of my death!"

"So, Jimbei did know Ace," Nami whispered. She could only imagine the pain that Jimbei also suffer during the war. He threw away his title of Warlord and became isolated from his home to save his friend, yet it all amounted to nothing.

Iva's eyes widened, shock that Jimbei would offer his assistance.

Luffy stared at Jimbei, as if judging the sincerity of his words. Before long, he came up with his answer. "Sure."

"Hey, is it really okay?" Inazuma asked in concern. "We know nothing of this guy's personality or how dangerous he might be."

"It's fine. Let him out," Luffy said.

Jimbei nodded at Luffy. "I am most grateful."

Iva also nodded his head in agreement towards Inazuma.

With all the arrangements made, Inazuma went to work and freed Jimbei and Crocodile from their shackles. In that moment, a powerful and very unlikely team was formed.

"Two former Warlords and two Revolutionaries," Robin murmured.

"I still can't believe that Crocodile is helping Luffy," Usopp said. "Who would have imagined after everything that happened in Alabasta, those two would actually have a common goal. This is like a dream or something."

"The sea is a strange place," Sanji muttered. It was hard to believe that Luffy experienced all of this without them.

Crocodile was true to his word and used his powers to make a hole in the ceiling, using the spiral staircase that Inazuma made with his ability. Once free from Level 6, they returned to Level 5.5 to get the remaining troops and for Crocodile to change his clothes into something more fitting of his style.

Bon Clay, who had regained consciousness, insisted on having an adrenaline shot too. He wanted to be able to help Luffy despite everything he had already done.

With Bon Clay being taken care of and Inazuma getting the remaining Newkama Land people ready for a massive uproar, Jimbei, Crocodile, and Luffy left the safety of Level 5.5 first and ran to escape from Hell.

As the three powerhouses ran towards the staircase that led to Level 4, Crocodile turned his head towards Luffy and gave him particular stare. "I have to say, Strawhat, I never thought you would go this far. I knew you were a thoughtless fool who recklessly throws his life away for others, but I never expected that you would break into Hell for the sake of one person. Now, you actually want to go into a war zone with the greatest in the world. Do you see your life as that meaningless, or are you just stupid?"

Luffy glared at Crocodile. "What I do is my business."

Crocodile chuckled. "Still have not change, Strawhat Luffy. Your brother means that much to you? To the point that you abandoned your own crew to save him?"

Zoro gave a low growl. How he dislike that man.

Luffy said nothing.

"How about your own desires? Were you not the one spouting about how you would become the Pirate King? Has hearing about your brother's execution made you give up your own ambition?" Crocodile continued to inquiry.

Jimbei gave the fellow Warlord a hard stare.

All the Strawhats were more than little upset by Crocodile's questioning. Even after spending several months buried in the depths Hell erased from history, the ex-Warlord was still an asshole.

Robin knew that Crocodile's questions were not completely mocking. He was testing Luffy.

Luffy said nothing for several seconds. "I will do anything I can to save Ace."

"Even risking Hell?" Crocodile questioned.

"He's worth more than Hell," Luffy answered in absolution. "I'll follow him to the end of the world."

Crocodile smirked. "And what if you fail? Will you also follow him in death?"

The question made the Strawhats cringe.

"Crocodile," Jimbei growled in disapproval.

"I won't let Ace die," Luffy said, stopping Jimbei from saying anything more. "I'll die before I let them kill him."

Chopper was in tears by his captain's words. "Luffy..."

Brook could only shake his head.

Crocodile stared at Luffy for a moment longer before he turned his eyes back in front of him. He seemed strangely satisfied.

Jimbei gave Luffy a worried look, but chose to stay silent.

It took only a few seconds after the conversation had ended for the trio to reach the exit to Level 5.

"It is almost ten in the morning right now!" Jimbei yelled as they ran up the flight of stairs to Level 4. "The execution will take place at three this afternoon. They are certain to carry out the execution at that exact moment! If Whitebeard intends to stop them, he should attack several hours before the execution! Ace is already being taken across the sea! The battle could break out any minute now!"

"They won't kill him before three o'clock, right!?" Luffy asked. "Then we still have a chance!"

Crocodile floated ahead of the group and used his ability to dissolve the door that was blocking their path. They were greeted on the other side by dozens of jailers who stupidly attempted to shoot Crocodile. Naturally, it didn't work.

"You would think they would know that you just can't shot a logia," Sanji said dryly.

Crocodile dried the idiot jailors to near dust, while the other jailers attempted to attack Luffy. They were smart enough to shoot him with seastone nets, but Luffy easily evaded them and took to the air.

"Gum Gum Rain!" Luffy screamed as he unleashed rain punches upon the jailers.

Jimbei took out his jailers by using his Fishman Karate to hit them without even physically touching them. It looked like they were hit by as gust of wind, although they Strawhats knew it was Jimbei manipulating the water inside the jailers' body.

To say that the jailers stood no chance would have been an understatement. Somewhere during the one-sided beat down, Crocodile suddenly left the group and floated towards one of the holding areas.

"Where's he going?" Chopper asked.

"Is he already betraying Luffy?" Usopp questioned.

Despite easily out-matching all of the jailers, the guards of Impel Down were succeeding in slowing Luffy and Jimbei's progress. That was until their backup arrived.

Iva, Inazuma, Bon Clay, and the others from Newkama Land came charging up the stairs like soldiers of war. They were fewer in numbers, but they all easily overran the jailers, pushing them back.

"We finally made it!" Iva screamed as he pumped his arms.

"Straw-chan!" Bon Clay yelled happily as he spun around.

At that moment, Crocodile returned and he brought someone with him.

The man wasn't wearing a shirt, but he had the pants of the prison uniform. He had dark skin and clean-cut gray hair. On his chest was kanji that spelt the number one. Much like Crocodile, he had a no-nonsense demeanor.

"Him," Zoro muttered in mild shock. He didn't expect to see him again.

"That guy was here too?" Nami asked in surprise.

"You know that guy?" Brook asked.

"Mr. 1, why are you here!?" Bon Clay exclaimed in surprise.

Mr. 1 barely acknowledged Bon Clay.

"Who's this guy?" Luffy asked.

"He's the guy who was beaten by Waistband back in Alabasta!" Bon Clay exclaimed.

Zoro's eye twitched. Waistband?

"Oh, someone I don't know then," Luffy said casually.

"Oh, so he's the one who tore your butt up back in Alabasta," Sanji mused.

Zoro nodded, paying little attention to slyness in his rival's voice. "He can turn any part of his body into a blade on top of his body being as hard as steel."

Brook nodded. "I see. He would be unbeatable to most normal swordsmen."

"His power sounds similar to Inazuma," Sanji said in thought.

"I'm surprised that Crocodile would go out of his way to free that guy," Nami said. "He didn't care about his other companions from Alabasta."

"That guy, Mr. 1, is by far the most loyal to Crocodile. It would make sense that Crocodile may feel somewhat obligated to retrieve his faithful companion," Zoro said.

Robin nodded in agreement. "Crocodile is a cold-hearted man, but even he has some values when it comes to those who show him undying loyalty. Such a trait is very rare on these seas."

With all their forces gathered, the makeshift army started to move, ready to take on the demons of Impel Down. Somewhere during the charge, Iva made his head grow and his face now towered over the rest of the group as they ran.

"Scary!" Usopp, Brook, and Chopper screamed.

Sanji sighed as he rubbed his forehead. Iva loved doing that.

"He must have strong neck muscles to run with that big head," Zoro said dryly.

Regardless of how ridiculous it looked, Iva's Death Wink destroyed the barricade that the jailers set up. Luffy and the others handled the remaining jailors as they ran through the guards like they were cardboard cutouts.

"It's strange, but they all make a good team," Nami said.

"Luffy has just been given the best chance to save his brother," Robin said with a sad smile, but her eyes were also filled with pride. "He came into Impel Down alone with no chance of getting help. Now, he has an entire army watching his back."

"Not just any army, but an army made of former enemies. Who would have imagined that the old members of Baroque Works would become our captain's greatest allies?" Zoro said in astonishment.

"Luffy seems to be able to rally anyone to his side, much like what he did with the Franky Family and Galley-La back in Water 7," Chopper stated as he thought of the events on the sea train.

"Not to mention gaining Robin and Franky as crew members after they were his adversaries," Brook added.

Usopp glanced at Zoro and Nami. "Heck, when you think about it, he even got the Demon of East Blue who once hunted pirates and a pirate-hating thief on his side."

"It has to be a hidden power," Franky said after some thought.

Nami couldn't help but nod. Despite all of Luffy's childish and moronic moments, he was still very charismatic, as Sanji himself observed some time ago. No matter how hard you tried, you just couldn't hate Luffy once you've gotten to know him.

And she tried to hate him. She tried and failed miserably. Maybe it was because Luffy came across as pure, despite being a pirate. You knew his intentions, for better or worse.

Now that she thought about it, Luffy more or less charmed the entire crew. None of them, besides Chopper and Usopp, actually liked pirates or the idea of being one. Even for those two, they enjoyed the romantic idea of being a pirate, not the actual pirates who were mostly thieves and murderers. Heck, even Luffy didn't like most pirates and Brook was nothing like the traditional pirate of today's seas.

For most of the Strawhats, pirates were the scum of the earth and they wanted nothing to do with them. Robin only tolerated working with them for survival reasons. Really, almost none of them would have wanted to be pirates if Luffy hadn't come along. That much was obvious when the entire crew nearly had a collective breakdown at the thought of becoming Foxy Pirates.

"If given time, Luffy may even charm the marines to his side," Sanji said with small note of humor as he smoked his cigarette.

Zoro chuckled. "He's already doing that with Coby and I think old Smokey is warming up to him after what happened on Punk Hazard. He has already won over the entire G5 unit."

Robin closed her eyes. " _He is very much like his father._ "

"Luffy-san has a very dangerous ability," Brook said as he stared at Luffy. "Far more dangerous than his Devil Fruit and all of his strength." He had only met a handful of people like his current captain in his lives.

As they ran by the cells, the people of Newkama Land used the keys that they had stolen to release any prisoner they could find to increase their numbers. The prisoners were more than happy to not only attempt an escape, but to get even with their tormentors.

"Hey, why are they releasing those people?" Usopp asked. "They don't know what they may do."

"It is not only to increase their manpower, but they can also use the freed prisoners as a shield for their escape," Robin said.

"They're using the prisoners as fodder?" Nami asked in horror.

"It's cold-hearted to be sure, but it's their best chance if they wish to escape alive," Zoro said. "At this point, I don't think Luffy is too particular about it."

Luffy and the others were almost off the narrow bridge when the remaining Demon Guards confronted them. One of the Demon Guards was a rhino-looking beast, the other one looked like some sort bear-like creature, and the last was a zebra beast.

"Those Demon Beasts are just like that minotaur," Brook said.

"They're even weirder looking than the giant cow," Usopp stated. It was hard to be afraid of creatures that looked like costume rejects.

Controlling the Demon Guards was a woman with long curly-blonde hair wearing a tight-fitting, pink, leather outfit that showed off her midsection. She had a whip with a long white cape that went down to her ankles and the outfit was completed by two pink horns on her head.

"She's hot!" Sanji said with hearts in his eyes. "Even the demons of Hell are exotic beauties."

"I don't think she's your type, Sanji-san," Brook said. "I doubt she can wear panties in that outfit."

"I know people who would pay good money for a woman like her," Robin mused.

"Luffy-kun, let's go! I will help you," Jimbei said as he ran beside Luffy. "Though, I am not very good fighting on land."

"Really? You're pretty tough," Luffy said, mildly surprised.

"Get them, Demon Guard!" the woman yelled as the three demons charged forward.

Crocodile floated in to assist Jimbei and Luffy just as the Strawhat captain activated his Third Gear.

Crocodile took out the rhino beast with a sand tornado that flung it into the air and Jimbei easily defeated the zebra demon with one punch from his Fishman Karate, leaving Luffy with the teddy bear-looking demon. With one Giant Pistol, the Demon Guard went down and didn't stand back up.

"What power! It took the combined power of Luffy, Buggy, Mr. 3, and Bon Clay to take one of those things down!" Usopp exclaimed.

The ringleader of the Demon Guards fought the army of Newkama Land and was easily defeating them. All the while, she was moaning as she enjoyed their pain and encouraged them to scream louder, causing some of the Strawhats to cringe. She was enjoying her job a little too much.

Luffy moved in to fight the sadistic woman, but he was pushed aside by Iva.

"Didn't I tell you to keep moving forward!?" Iva scolded as he faced the vicious Head Jailor. "I will be your opponent." After he said that, Iva injected himself with hormones and transformed himself into a woman.

"Hey, he's pretty hot when he goes to the other side," Franky said. He still looked like a clown, but now he was a hot clown.

"He actually looks better than some women," Usopp muttered.

Sanji had to keep himself from becoming attracted to Iva. Dammit, why did Iva have to become so beautiful when he transformed? Not to mention Iva had the most beautiful ass when he was a woman. He shook his head rapidly to banish the disturbing thought.

While Iva fought, Luffy and the others ran towards the exit of Level 4. Their escape, however, was blocked by the Vice-Warden, Hannyabal. He twirled his halberd around as he prepared for battle.

"This is the fortress of Hell!" Hannyabal proclaimed as he stared defiantly at the escapees. "You shall not pass!"

"Who is this guy, barging in like he's so big?" Luffy asked in annoyance.

"Hannyabal, the Assistant-Warden of this prison," Inazuma stated.

Some of the prisoners attempted to rush Hannyabal, but they were quickly shot down by guns that had nets in them, pinning them to the floor.

"Behold, I've got a thousand men guarding the stairs to Level 3 all wielding bazookas loaded with special prison ammunition!" Hannyabal exclaimed proudly. "There's no escape for you!"

Luffy growled as he slowly approached the Vice-Warden. Both of their eyes were hardened in determination.

Hannyabal got into position. "To protect the bright future of the defenseless civilians, Strawhat, the infamous, world-renowned pirate, I will carry out your sentence on the Warden's behalf!"

"Move it!" Luffy demanded.

"No way!" Hannyabal shouted as Luffy charged him.

Hannyabal attempted to cut Luffy with his halberd, but Luffy easily evaded it.

"Damn you!" Luffy cursed.

"Don't underestimate me!" Hannyabal yelled as he spun his halberd, making it catch on fire.

He jumped forward and began to ruthlessly attack Luffy with the flaming weapon. It took a lot for Luffy to keep up with the rapid attacks.

"If you don't move, I'll send you flying!" Luffy yelled as his anger built. "I will save Ace!"

"Don't make me laugh! If you could send me flying so easily, I wouldn't be worthy of being the Vice-Warden!" Hannyabal shouted as he attempted to impale the boy captain.

Luffy backed away from Hannyabal and got into his horse stance. He didn't waste another moment, going into his Gear Second and hammering Hannyabal with a Jet Gatling, sending him spiraling towards the floor in a bloody heap.

"Seems Hannyabal is not nearly as strong as Magellan," Zoro said, slightly disappointed. He expected a bit more out of the man. A person who helped run Hell should be able to take at least one of Luffy's Gear Second attacks.

"Well, it helps that he doesn't appear to have a broken Devil Fruit," Sanji stated.

Hannyabal lay still on the floor and appeared to be unconscious. Luffy disengaged his Second Gear and proceeded to walk past the seemingly-defeated man. Luffy was taken off-guard when Hannyabal suddenly grabbed him by the leg and began to stand up with much effort.

"Let go of me!" Luffy yelled as he kicked Hannyabal away from him.

"I will not...let you pass!" Hannyabal screamed as he attempted to slash Luffy. His attacks were not as fast as before and the man was barely holding on to consciousness.

"Move it!" Luffy yelled as he went back to his Gear Second. "I'm going to save Ace!" He punched Hannyabal with a Jet Pistol, sending the Vice-Warden crashing into the floor again.

Hannyabal, however, quickly stood back up. "That was nothing! I can still fight!" He set his halberd back on fire attempted to attack Luffy.

"Get out of my way!" Luffy screamed as he punched him again, sending him into the floor for the third time.

Hannyabal got back up, regardless of him bleeding all over his body. He was also breathing hard and was very unsteady on his feet.

"That man…he's so determined," Chopper whispered. He couldn't help but admire the Vice-Warden's spirit. Still, at the rate Luffy was pummeling him, he was going to get beating to death.

"Why does he keeps getting up? At this rate, he's going to get himself killed," Usopp asked, feeling sympathy towards the other man.

"After being an underdog for so long, Usopp, I'm kind of surprised that you have to ask such a question," Sanji said. "That man is fighting with everything he has for what he believes is right. Even though he knows he is outmatched, he's not given up."

Usopp was left speechless.

"He kind of reminds me of Luffy," Nami said.

"I...I will not let you pass!" Hannyabal yelled with fire in his eyes.

Before he could move, Luffy jumped into the air and hit him with a Jet Stomp to the head. Hannyabal twisted in midair before he fell down.

Luffy attempted to walk past him again, but Hannyabal grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait!" Hannyabal yelled in a shaky voice.

"Don't get in my way!" Luffy yelled as Hannyabal threw him back. "Damn, I have to hurry or Ace will..."

"I'm not letting you pass!" Hannyabal interrupted as he got his halberd ready for another round.

The fight went on, although it was more of a one-sided beat down than an actual battle. Luffy completely dominated Hannyabal, beating him mercilessly into a pulp. Still, Hannyabal refused to stay down and kept getting up no matter how many times Luffy pounded him.

"This guy can take a lot of punishment." Usopp cringed. He really felt sorry for Hannyabal. Coming from someone who took punches from Luffy before, Hannyabal must have the pain tolerance of a demon to keep being beating like this.

Chopper had to turn his head. This was getting as hard to watch as Luffy's fight with Magellan. To him, Luffy looked like a bully by the way he was flinging Hannyabal around like a stuffed toy.

The rest of Luffy's more powerful allies stood by as they waited for Luffy to finish Hannyabal. Most of them looked annoyed by the distraction, while Jimbei looked grimly understanding.

The guards and jailers in the area begged Hannyabal to stay down before Luffy killed him.

Hannyabal went flying into the floor so hard that he left a crater in the stone.

"I'm going to save Ace no matter what!" Luffy yelled, tried of Hannyabal standing in his way.

Hannyabal was still able to stand by leaning on his halberd for support. He was bleeding badly and looked only half conscious. "What do you mean you're going to save your brother!? Don't try to glorify the trash of society!"

Luffy's eye twitched at Hannyabal calling Ace trash.

"You pirates and rebels gained your reputations outside by committing crimes!" Hannyabal shouted as he glared accursedly at everyone within the area. Everyone could see the righteous fury in his eyes. "Civilians can't sleep at night fearing that their loved ones will lose their lives, and it's all because you scum sail the seas! It's why we imprison the most dangerous criminals around the world; to make sure that the defenseless civilians can rest easy!" He took several deep breaths. "This is the fortress of Hell! If it were to fall, the whole world would descend into the depths of fear!"

"Wow…" Chopper said as he trembled before Hannyabal's words.

"He is not wrong," Robin stated neutrally.

"It _is_ because of pirates terrorizing the sea that people can't rest and everything is in chaos," Nami muttered as she remembered Arlong and how he ruined the lives of everyone in her village.

Usopp was also reminded of Kuro and how he was going to kill Kaya and wreck the village just so he could retired with her money.

Chopper lowered his head, remembering how pirates attacked Drum and killed many innocent people and hurt countless others.

Zoro briefly thought about all the scumbag pirates he turned in before joining Luffy's crew. Although he haunted pirates mostly for the money, he couldn't say it wasn't satisfying taking out particularly ruthless pirates that terrorized the weak. Despite being a pirate, the world would be overall better off without them. At least pirates like Buggy or Crocodile.

Brook sighed. "Unfortunately, many pirates in this era have chosen to take an evil path. In my day, pirates weren't as ruthless. But...that was a different time." He suddenly felt very old.

"Yeah, most pirates are scumbags who probably do deserve to go to Hell. I certainly met some monsters in my time, including my parents," Franky said, narrowing his eyes and clenching his giant fists. "But, given the atrocities and bullshit that the World Government have committed in the name of 'justice,' Hannyabal's point falls flatter than week-old soda. What crime did Tom commit that was so horrible that he had to spend the remainder of his life in Hell before being executed? What did Iceberg do that was so evil that he was targeted for assassination despite all the good he did for both the government and Water 7? They were both targeted by those bastards because they wouldn't give them a weapon that could destroy the world."

Usopp scowled. "Yeah, and the Celestial Dragons are also enough proof of Hannyabal's hypocrisy. They can murder people without any kind of fear and the marines would protect them no matter who they hurt or kill. The people of Sabaody were more afraid of them than the pirates walking the street." He thought of Sabo and how the World Nobles coldly murdered him on the open sea without any kind of liberty.

Robin's thoughts immediately went to the Tequila Wolf and Soran. That poor girl was forced to be a slave since the day she born for something she could not control. Where was justice for people like her? In Hannyabal's world, what did that child do to deserve being enslaved and forced to work to death on a century old bridge? Even today, the former slaves of Tequila Wolf filled her mind and her heart burned with indignation.

She still had Soran's picture tucked away in her bag. She kept it as a reminder not only to her friend, but also as a reminder that innocence could prevail in the twisted world that the government had created.

"But given that Luffy is releasing a bunch of dangerous criminals like Crocodile, that would make him wrong, right?" Chopper asked timidly.

"Neither Luffy or Hannyabal are wrong," Zoro suddenly said. "They're both fighting for their own sense of justice."

"I said I wouldn't let you pass; you're not taking a single step past me!" Hannyabal declared as he stood straight up and prepared to fight Luffy again with all his remaining strength.

"Ace is important to me, so move it!" Luffy screamed, not affected at all by Hannyabal's words.

"I can't reason with a fool!" Hannyabal yelled.

"Well, he is a pirate," Sanji said as he flicked some ashes off his cigarette. "Why would he care about justice?"

Before Luffy and Hannyabal could engage each other again, there were some kind of commotion behind the Vice-Warden, and the guards that were there began screaming as if they were in pain. A black mist was swallowing the jailers.

"The hell is that!?" Franky exclaimed.

"Just give it up!" a familiar voice yelled as darkness engulfed Hannyabal. "Don't go spouting that crap about justice and evil! You can look all over the world, but you'll never find an answer!" The mist formed into a man and Hannyabal was ruthlessly kicked in the face, putting him down for good.

"He took the Vice-Warden out in one blow!" Brook exclaimed.

Zoro narrowed his eye. "It's him."

Sanji gritted his teeth. "Blackbeard!"

"What's he doing here? Shouldn't he be at Marineford with the other Warlords?" Nami asked, completely lost.

Blackbeard removed his foot from Hannyabal's face and gave a sadistic grin.

"He's the guy I met in Jaya!" Luffy exclaimed as he immediately recognized the man.

Blackbeard scanned over the group with an amused expression. "Well, this is an impressive group. We walked in on a pretty major incident, huh?"

The rest of Blackbeard's crew walked down the stairs to join their captain.

Zoro scanned each of the members, burning their faces into his mind.

"Teach, what are you doing here!?" Jimbei demanded. "Or, I suppose it's Blackbeard now."

Luffy's eyes widened when he heard the name.

"Jimbei, hey, hey, no need to be so violent. Mind loosening that fist of yours?" Blackbeard asked in a friendly voice. "Oh yeah, I heard Ace and you were good friends. But I'm not the one you should be blaming here." He began to laugh.

"Blackbeard!?" Luffy exclaimed as rage overtook him. "So you're...Blackbeard!?" He walked over to the other pirate until he was standing right in front of him. The Strawhats could really see how Blackbeard towered over their captain. Luffy looked like small child compared to the treasonous pirate.

"Huh, I never introduced myself, did I?" Blackbeard asked in an amused tone. "Long time no see, Strawhat! I sure was surprised when I heard that you were Commander Ace's little brother. Shouldn't you be there? They're going to start soon, you know? Your brother's execution, that is!" He laughed again.

Luffy glared at Blackbeard, looking ready to punch the man across the room.

"What an irritating shit head," Sanji muttered as he reached for another cigarette.

"I almost want to cut his tongue off to shut him up," Zoro said as he loosened one of his swords.

Blackbeard pointed at Crocodile. "From what I've heard, you're the one who took down the ex-Warlord Crocodile over there, Strawhat Luffy. Back then, when I was still trying to become a Warlord, I thought the best idea was to kill you and use that to prove my strength to the World Government."

Zoro snorted. "That's what that bastard wanted back in Jaya. Now I really do wish that we fought him then."

"But that guy became a Warlord and now an Emperor like Whitebeard and Shanks. There's no way we could have beaten him then," Usopp argued.

"We could have flipped his ship over and ended it there," Nami said coldly as she glared at the other pirate. "It would have been easy to do with one well-placed cannonball."

Franky stared at Nami in shock. "Damn, sis, when did you become so cold-blooded?"

Sanji flicked his cigarette. "Anyone who threatens our captain deserves nothing less than a trip to the grave."

Brook nodded in agreement.

Luffy narrowed his eyes at Blackbeard.

"But it seems fate was in your favor! Ace, who had been chasing me even since I broke the law of Whitebeard's ship, just happened to be your brother!" Blackbeard exclaimed. "Once he realized that we were planning on killing his little brother, he just had to fight us himself!"

Luffy's eyes widened at the revelation and all the color drained from his face.

The Strawhats were equally as shocked.

"If he had let us go, not only would he have disgraced Whitebeard, but his brother would had been killed too!" Blackbeard continued with a wide grin on his face.

"There is no such thing as coincidence in one's fate," one of Blackbeard's men with a rifle on his back said. "Meaning..."

"You got lucky!" the sickly old man of the group finished.

"Now that the captain has become a Warlord, he has no need to take your life," a man in a top hat said.

"Your brother put up an admirable fight!" one of the larger members of Blackbeard crew yelled.

"You should be thankful for Ace's interference," Blackbeard said almost cruelly, his grin never leaving his face. "If he hadn't interfered, the one dying today would be you, Strawhat!" He pointed right at Luffy, who was trembling in both rage and grief.

"That...that can't be true," Usopp stuttered in disbelief.

Zoro was also trembling as everything fell into place. Fate…fate couldn't have been that cruel.

Robin put her head down. Her heart pounded in her chest as her mind sorted through this new information. "I remember hearing that Fire Fist Ace was captured on Banaro Island."

"Banaro Island! That place is just a couple of days away from Water 7," Franky said as he started to understand why Robin brought that up. "Are you saying that this Blackbeard guy was close by right after we'd returned from Enies Lobby?"

"From what I have heard and read, Ace was captured three days before we left Water 7," Robin said in her usual calm manner. Still, everyone on the crew could tell that she was upset. All the Strawhats could see her subtle trembles. "Which means if Blackbeard had left Banaro, he would have reached Water 7 within two days at the most. Before the Thousand Sunny was completed."

"It would have been inevitable for Luffy-san and that man to fight," Brook said, following his crewmates' line of thinking. "Given that Ace was still much stronger than Luffy-san and lost..." He didn't have to finish the sentence.

Chopper put his hooves to his mouth. "Luffy was still weak after fighting the pigeon guy. He couldn't withstand going into another big battle so soon."

Sanji bit his cigarette, nearly splitting it in half. "If Ace hadn't intercepted Blackbeard back then, that bastard would have beaten Luffy and turned him over to the marines."

He wanted to believe that they could have protected Luffy if Blackbeard came for him, but he knew that was extremely unlikely. They couldn't protect Luffy against Kuma and he doubted Blackbeard would have traded any of them for Luffy's head. There was also Blackbeard's crew to consider. They didn't look particularly strong, but he knew better than anyone that looks could be deceiving. The crewmates of a Warlord were never weaklings.

Nami felt her blood run cold as all of this information hit her at once. "He must have become interested in Luffy again after his bounty was raised to three-hundred million." She felt herself shivering.

Robin put her hand on her chin as another realization hit her. "Luffy…he has been unintentionally helping Blackbeard this entire time. He helped Blackbeard to become a Warlord not only by having Ace save him, but also by defeating Crocodile in Alabasta."

Nami understood Robin's line of thinking and felt herself become sicker. "If Luffy had never beaten Crocodile, then Blackbeard would never have his chance to become Warlord in the first place."

"And because he wanted to kill Luffy, that led Ace to fight Blackbeard and lose, and it caused this entire war to happen in the first place," Sanji said, continuing the disturbing line of thought. "Meaning, that Luffy himself is the catalyst for everything that has happened. Including Ace's death."

"Can the heavens be so heartless as to use Luffy in such a way?" Robin muttered as a cold feeling developed in her stomach. Those three men who carried the name of D completely altered the entire course of the world's history.

"Are you saying that Ace being executed is Luffy's fault?" Chopper asked in horror.

"He...he was one of the keys," Robin said barely above a whisper.

Brook stared at his shell-shocked captain. "Does Luffy-san know all of this?"

"I doubt he put so many connections together," Zoro said as his eye softened when he looked at Luffy. "What he does knows is that Ace is on the chopping block because he protected him. That burden is more than heavy enough."

All this information was too much for Luffy and he immediately went into his Second Gear. His skin matched the burning rage within his heart.

"In that case...WHY DON'T YOU TRY KILLING ME NOW!" Luffy screamed in pure fury.

Apparently, Blackbeard was not expecting this strong of a reaction.

"Gum Gum Jet Pistol!" Luffy shouted as he slammed his fist into Blackbeard's stomach, sending the man flying across the room and into a nearby wall. The Warlord didn't know what hit him.

"Captain!" the Blackbeard Pirates yelled in dismay as their captain grabbed his head and screamed in anguish as he rolled across the floor.

"I'm not letting Ace die!" Luffy shouted as Blackbeard stood back up.

Blackbeard started to form a black mist as he readied himself for Luffy's next attack.

"What fruit is that?" Usopp asked fearfully. He could feel the hair standing on the back of his neck despite it being a memory.

"The Dark Dark Fruit," Robin said. "A rare and powerful logia type Devil Fruit."

"Logia?" Nami repeated in worry.

"But Luffy hit him and that punch was not embedded with Haki," Sanji said. "If he was a logia, Luffy's attack should have phased through Blackbeard."

"The Dark Dark Fruit is unique among all other logias. Darkness can only absorb, it cannot let anything pass through like any other logia types," Robin explained. "Blackbeard actually takes more damage when hit."

"Sounds more like a liability," Brook said.

Robin shook her head. "The benefits of the Dark Dark Fruit outweigh any negatives."

"Like what?" Chopper asked.

Luffy charged forward and prepared another punch.

Before he could make his move, Blackbeard sucked Luffy into what looked like a black hole in his hand. Luffy couldn't fight against the pull and he was now trapped in Blackbeard's grip.

When Blackbeard grabbed him, Luffy immediately lost his Second Gear. Blackbeard smiled viciously as he rammed Luffy into the floor, causing blood to fly out of the rubberman's mouth. The Strawhats actually heard bones crack from the impact.

Now Luffy was the one rolling on the floor. He was screaming at the top of his lungs about how much it hurt.

"Luffy's hurt!" Zoro exclaimed in shock. "He went right through Luffy's rubber ability."

"Impossible!" Nami exclaimed. Even with Haki, Luffy shouldn't be bleeding just from that.

"Was that Haki?" Sanji questioned, although he didn't sense Blackbeard use it. But how else did he hurt Luffy like that?

Luffy eventually recovered and jumped away from Blackbeard. He looked baffled at what just happened as his Second Gear returned. The side of his head was bleeding badly.

"Blood?" Luffy whispered as he wiped his face.

Blackbeard laughed. "I can tell by your face that you have no idea what just happened. Your brother Ace had the same expression and that's how I won against him. You get it yet? Devil Fruit powers are useless against me!"

"That is the ability of the Dark Dark Fruit. It completely negates the power of a Devil Fruit," Robin stated.

"Like Haki?" Chopper asked.

"No, it is far more than that. Haki bypasses a Devil Fruit's defenses and allows you to touch the user's true body," Robin explained. "The Dark Dark Fruit, however, completely takes away an user's ability. Meaning, when Blackbeard touched Luffy, he stopped being rubber, period. At that very moment, Luffy was a normal human."

All the Strawhats were left speechless for a moment by this information.

"So Devil Fruits can't hurt this guy at all!?" Usopp exclaimed.

Robin shook her head. "That is not true. He can only negate a user's ability by touching them. If he cannot do that, the user can still use their powers safely."

"Given that he can create a black hole, it would be difficult to avoid his ability," Brook said.

"Which is why the Dark Dark Fruit is unique. I have even heard it called evil among all other Devil Fruits," Robin said. "Although, it is hardly as invincible, as Blackbeard is implying."

Zoro nodded. "Also, he can only negate the ability, not the actual strength of the user. If a person can fight without their ability, his Devil Fruit power is reduced to a mere inconvenience. He's hardly walking seastone like Z was."

"The thing is, Ace was powerful even before he had an ability," Franky said. "Blackbeard is no one-trick pony if he could beat him and later become an Emperor who took over Whitebeard's old territory."

"It doesn't matter," Sanji said as he stared as his captain. "It doesn't matter how powerful this shit head is. When the time comes, Luffy will undoubtedly kick that bastard's ass, regardless of whether he's an Emperor or a god."

"And so what!?" Luffy shouted at Blackbeard as if proving Sanji's point. He ran in to attack Blackbeard again, but was stopped by Jimbei intercepting him.

"Impressive. Jimbei was able to keep up with Luffy's Second Gear," Zoro said.

"Wait, Luffy-kun, stop!" Jimbei yelled.

"Let me go!" Luffy screamed as he struggled to get free.

"This is not the time, just endure it!" Jimbei yelled reason to the hotheaded rubberman. "What is more important here!? Ever since he was on Whitebeard's ship no has ever known his true nature. I do not know what tricks he used, but he certainly possesses the power to defeat even Ace! We cannot afford to waste time and energy here! If you get carried away and fight him here, we will not have time to save Ace!"

This cooled Luffy down as he took several deep breaths. He allowed his Second Gear to dissipate. Right now, his brother's life meant more than vengeance.

Blackbeard laugh again. "You're even stronger than I had imagined. Your Haki has increased too."

"You said you are Blackbeard, right?" Crocodile asked with his arms crossed. "I have heard some no-name pirate from the Whitebeard's crew had taken my place among the Seven Warlords. It is not odd, however. Why would you, who have been called to Marine Headquarters, be down here now? You are pretty much throwing away the Warlord rank you wanted so badly."

Blackbeard laughed. "It's all a part of my plan. It's not like I'm obligated to tell you anything, Mister Crocodile."

"That is true and to be honest, I do not really care," Crocodile said in a bored voice.

"Pretty touchy, aren't you?" Blackbeard mused.

An explosion behind the two groups returned everyone to the fact that they were inside Impel Down.

"What's that!?" Bon Clay exclaimed.

"Magellan is here!" someone from the back yelled.

Everyone knew that they were in trouble.

"This is not good," Iva said, still in his female form. "Strawhat-boy, hurry up and go! If you're hit by any more of Magellan's poison, I won't be able to bring you back to life again!"

"I thought Luffy was now immune to poison," Franky said.

"He isn't completely immune. He just has a higher tolerance to the point that it would take critical levels of poison to make Luffy sick," Chopper stated. "Since Magellan can control all poisons, it wouldn't take much for him to overwhelm Luffy's system and kill him."

No one had to be told twice to run as the prisoners and the people of Newkama Land ran up the now cleared stairway.

Before Luffy joined them, he glared one last time at Blackbeard, who was still grinning cockily.

"You took out the guards blocking the staircase. That made things easier for us," Jimbei observed.

Blackbeard naturally laughed. "Well, you guys helped us out too. All this panic is a real convenience for us."

"It really does seems like fate has dictated that Luffy acts as Blackbeard's pawn," Zoro growled.

"I'm definitely going to save Ace!" Luffy yelled defiantly at Blackbeard.

Blackbeard laughed, but it wasn't a mocking laugh. "Sure, I won't say it's useless. After all, there's no such thing as impossible in this world."

Luffy began to walk passed Blackbeard, trying to control his temper.

"Sky Island did exist, didn't it?" Blackbeard suddenly asked, stopping Luffy. "One Piece is the same. It definitely exists!" He laughed one last time before walking away. "Look forward to seeing it too, you guys! In just a few hours, we will give you a show that will shake the world to its core!"

"What's with that guy?" Franky asked. "One minute he's mocking Luffy about his brother and the next he's encouraging him?"

"Blackbeard is a complex man. But as I said before, he's still a heartless bastard," Zoro said. He couldn't wait to fight that crew. If for nothing else, then Luffy's peace of mind.

Vengeances could never bring Luffy's brother back, but at the very least Luffy could bring some measure of justice to the person who betrayed and helped kill Ace.

"Do not bother with him, Luffy-kun," Jimbei said in a gentle voice as he walked up the stairs. He too had to swallow his need for revenge.

Luffy eventually followed Jimbei as Blackbeard's laugh reverberated through the stone walls.


	32. A Toll Paid at Hell's Gate

Just as Luffy managed to pry himself away from Blackbeard and his crew, he was annoyed to find that their escape route was obstructed again. Blocking their way to Level 3 was the reawakened Minotaur, who was roaring fiercely at the escaped prisoners. The Minotaur was bandaged in several areas, but it appeared to be fully back in fighting shape.

Both the prisoners and the people of the Newkama Land stood completely still, not sure how to handle the Demon Beast.

Seeing Blackbeard and hearing what he did to his brother put Luffy in a really foul mood, to put it mildly, and the rubberman was in no mood to screw around with the giant cow. Without any fear or hesitation, Luffy walked right up to the Minotaur.

The Strawhats felt a pang of pity for the beast. It picked a bad time to mess with their captain.

The creature attempted to smash Luffy with its club, but Luffy's rubber body absorbed the blow. Luffy went into his Gear Second and hit the Demon Guard with a Jet Pistol to the gut. The creature was sent soaring across the staircase and slammed into a nearby wall, embedding its body into it. Needless to say, the fight was over.

"Ace!" Luffy screamed when he completed his punch.

Everyone on the crew knew that Luffy wished that was Blackbeard he was hitting. Even though it wasn't the treasonous pirate he punched, Luffy did calm down a little. There would be another place and time for revenge.

With the path completely cleared, the group of escapees charge up the stairs. They were halfway up when they heard a loud roar behind them.

"STRAWHAT!" Magellan bellowed in rage. His loud voice shook the stairway.

"Who's that? Is that Magellan's voice!?" someone exclaimed in terror.

"He's at the bottom of the stairs! If he catches us, we're finished!" someone else yelled.

The announcement of Magellan's presence sucked the air out of everyone, including Jimbei and Crocodile. Even Luffy looked worried as he glanced down the stairs.

"How is Magellan behind them?" Franky asked. "I thought that bastard Blackbeard would keep him busy. I doubt that Warden would simply let them pass, even if Blackbeard _is_ a Warlord."

"Could Magellan have taken out the Blackbeard Pirates?" Robin asked.

Nami looked at Robin in disbelief. "That guy and that quickly!? But Blackbeard is so powerful that he manhandled Luffy and beat Ace! Magellan can't _really_ be that strong!"

"Magellan does have a broken ability," Usopp pointed out. "He could have disabled the crew with one of those giant Hydras. I mean, Luffy was left crippled in pain just by touching that guy's poison."

"That is possible," Robin said in thought. She sounded a bit worried.

If the Blackbeard Pirates were defeated by Magellan, how did they manage to escape and make it back to Marineford? There were several pieces of critical information that she was missing.

Sanji puffed on his cigarette. "Well, I won't be sorry if Magellan did poison all of those shit heads. I hope that bastard experiences the same pain as Luffy."

Zoro nodded. "After what he did, he deserves more than a little discomfort."

The group finally reached Level 3, but Magellan was right at their backs as several Hydras' heads chased after them. The Hydras 'ate' several prisoners, reducing the group numbers.

"Straw-chan, don't look back!" Bon Clay yelled. "Keep running!"

Luffy didn't have to be told twice as he kept running at his top speed. After what happened last time, he wanted nothing to do with the warden.

Iva stopped and pointed towards the staircase that lead to Level 2. "Get moving!"

All the prisoners and Newkama Land people ran past Iva in almost a blind panic. Luffy barely spared Iva a second glance as he ran up the flight of stairs.

Strangely, Magellan had stopped following them along with his Hydras. There was also a loud crash that followed after they reached the second level, but no one bothered to turn around to see what had happened.

Unlike the Level 4, the security was light. There were next to no guards in the area and all was quiet, although the floors were damaged, as though some kind of riot had happened. There was also residue of poison clinging to the floors and walls. Magellan had definitely been up here.

Still, no one bothered to question the silence or the lack of security. After all they had been through, everyone was just grateful for the small mercy.

Luffy was well into Level 2 before the beasts of the floor attempted to eat him. Some of the prisoners weren't as lucky as they were attacked and consumed by the monsters on the floor.

The prisoners screamed for help as they were eaten alive, but no one stopped to assist them. At this point, everyone was in survival mode and those who fell behind were left for dead. Even Luffy with his normally kind heart barely spared a second look to the prisoners who fell to the beasts of Hell.

Chopper put his hooves over his mouth as he heard the crunching of bone and the death cries of people. It was all too cruel. Animals shouldn't be used this way.

"That's weird, the poison guy was right behind us a second ago," Luffy said as he glanced behind him.

"He just noticed," Sanji said dryly.

"Iva and Inazuma stopped him at the stairway!" Bon Clay yelled as he fought the beasts who were attempting to maul him.

Luffy stopped running as the full impact of Bon Clay's words hit him. "Then, they're fighting the poison guy now!? Let's go back!"

"Stop kidding around!" Bon Clay yelled harshly as he cut Luffy off. "If they're fighting, then that makes it all the more important for us to move forward! Let's believe in the power of the Miracle Worker!"

Luffy scowled, not liking the idea of leaving his friends behind. Especially those who saved his life. However, Luffy forced himself to move forward.

"Something is wrong with this floor," Robin noted as she looked around. "All the cells are empty."

"I'd noticed that a while back," Zoro said.

"Maybe those prisoners that Luffy and Buggy tried to help before attempted to escape after the Sphinx was beaten," Brook surmised.

"Maybe," Robin muttered, not completely convinced.

There had definitely been a riot, given the damage in the area, but that had to have been hours ago. The poison that was left behind was fairly recent and she found it unlikely that Magellan executed everyone on the floor.

"Speaking of which, what happened to Buggy and Mr. 3?" Nami asked in thought. "We haven't seen them since Luffy ran off for the kitchen."

"Could they have been captured?" Usopp asked. He felt a pang of sympathy for them if they had. He didn't even want to think what was done to them, given the routine torture of this place.

Franky shrugged. "It's likely. It's not like those two could survive long on their own."

"Who cares? Both of them were trash anyway," Zoro said dismissively.

"Battleships and prison ships are stationed all around the prison!" Jimbei yelled to Luffy. He was now running next to the rubberman. "If we can hijack one of them, we should be able to reach Marineford before Ace is executed!"

"Right!" Luffy yelled. He turned his eyes forward and seemed to be staring into the distance. "Wait for me, Ace!"

"Hm, I doubt it would be that easy," Sanji said, remembering the hell that the marines gave them at Enies Lobby. This time, they didn't have to capture anyone alive like Robin. No, this was a real struggle for survival.

The remainder of the run through Level 2 was uneventful and the group reached Level 1.

"Looks like the bunk of the security was all converged on Level 4," Franky said. "They went through Levels 3 and 2 with almost no resistance."

"I am certain that there will be formidable resistance on Level 1. They are also in the middle of the Calm Belt. Even if they do make it to the front gate, escape is still not guaranteed," Robin said.

"True. Everything they'd done would be in vain if they can't steal a ship," Brook said. "Even someone like Jimbei would stand little chance in the sea king's nest."

Once the group reached the main floor of Level 1, Luffy's group was met by some unexpected people. Namely, Buggy and Mr. 3 were there, along with dozens of other prisoners. There had to be least one hundred people.

"How did they get all the way back to Level 1?" Usopp asked in surprise.

"It's amazing they got so far by themselves," Nami said, equally surprised. Had she underestimated Buggy?

"Some fools are born lucky," Sanji said nonchalantly.

Although, he couldn't help being impressed. It took two Warlords and members of the Revolutionary Army along with dozens of prisoners for Luffy just to get this far. Then again, Luffy did have the might of all of Hell down his back.

Buggy, Mr. 3, and the other prisoners were not the only ones in the hall. The Demon Guards, all four of them, were back but they were easily dealt with by Luffy and Jimbei.

"Sheesh, what does it take to keep those things down?" Franky asked as he looked over the unconscious Demon Guards. "How did they even get up here so freaking fast? I swear Luffy laid that Minotaur's ass not even ten minutes ago."

"They're like cockroaches," Zoro muttered.

Nami rubbed her chin. "Maybe there's a shortcut between each Level other than the elevator."

"So, the enhanced recovery of the Awakened Zoan is true," Robin said more to herself.

Chopper looked at Robin in confusion. "What's an Awakened Zoan?"

"What a relief! So, you guys are alright!" Luffy yelled happily when he noticed Buggy and Mr. 3.

The two former enemies were very surprised that Luffy was concerned about them, especially after they had abandoned him twice. They were also quite surprised that Luffy was even still alive. They apparently knew about Luffy being fatally poisoned.

"In either case, their numbers have increased even more," Robin said, ignoring Chopper's question as she scanned all the people standing in the hallway of Level 1.

It was quite an impressive group. She recognized some of the prisoners from their old wanted posters. It was a little odd that these renowned, ruthless criminals were following Buggy, given that they could easily rip the clown pirate apart.

"Hydra!" a voice screamed as three Hydras' heads suddenly shot out of the stairway. Slowly walking up the long stairway was none other than Magellan. He appeared to be hurt from his battle with Iva, but there was nothing too serious.

"That guy beat both Iva and Inazuma!?" Sanji exclaimed in surprise. Iva alone beat _him_ up like he was an amateur. "How powerful is this guy!?"

"If he has people like Crocodile and Jimbei on the run, Magellan has to be at least as strong as a marine admiral," Robin said.

"That strong!? He really is a monster," Nami said in dread.

"It would be the king of demons who would keep Hell in order," Brook said.

The prisoners and the people of Newkama Land ran in terror from the warden.

"Now that I am done with the pervert boss, my new priority is to take care of you!" Magellan exclaimed as poison oozed from his body. He had his glare fixed right on Luffy.

"Oh, he's pissed," Zoro said with a note of amusement.

"Luffy not only broke into Impel Down on his watch, but he survived being poisoned multiple times, something that should have been impossible," Robin said. "On top of all of that, Luffy released several powerful and dangerous criminals and is attempting to escape. For Magellan, Luffy has given him the ultimate insult."

Usopp stared at the warden. "When you put it that way, I actually feel kind of sorry for him. I mean, he's just trying to do his job."

"Impel Down is built with good intentions. The road to Hell, however, is built _on_ good intentions," Brook said before pausing. If he had eyes, he would have blinked. "Oh, I just made a wonderful pun." He laughed.

"Magellan!" Mr. 3 screamed in a high-pitched voice. It looked like he was about to wet himself in fear.

"No!" Bon Clay shouted in disbelief. "Iva and Inazuma...!?"

Luffy shook in fury at the loss of his companions. "Dammit!" he screamed as he ran towards Magellan.

Bon Clay quickly interrupted him. "You can't, Straw-chan! We got no choice but to run from Magellan!"

"Let go of me, Bon Clay!" Luffy yelled. "I'm going to kick his ass!" He attempted push his way past Bon Clay.

"You almost died because of him, remember!?" Bon Clay yelled in frustration.

"But I'm still alive, aren't I!?" Luffy challenged.

This caused some of the Strawhats to slap their foreheads.

"Completely missing the point, Luffy," Usopp growled under his breath.

"Miracles are called that because they won't happen twice, you know!" Bon Clay screamed.

Chopper nodded his head in agreement. If Luffy was poisoned like before, there would be no saving him. His body was in a weakened state from the healing process and Luffy was only able to move thanks to Iva's adrenaline.

"You two, hurry up to the next floor!" Jimbei ordered as he ran towards the feuding men. He appeared panicked for some reason. The crew knew that something very wrong had happened.

Luffy still wasn't listening as he glared at the approaching warden.

"Luffy-kun!" Jimbei yelled, finally getting Luffy's attention. "We must hurry to the main entrance! The situation has gotten worse. We have been too focused on Magellan!"

Sanji tilted his head. What did he mean that the situation has gotten worse?

Robin frowned. She had an idea of what could have happened.

Several of the Newkama Land people shot at Magellan, but the warden's poison was so potent that it dissolved their bullets before they could even touch his body.

"He melted the bullets!" Usopp yelled. "He really is like a logia!"

"To think that Caesar clown mocked this guy's ability," Franky said. Caesar maybe able to suck the oxygen out of the room, but Magellan was an impassable wall who even Warlords feared.

"Come on, let's hurry and get going, Straw-chan!" Bon Clay yelled desperately at his friend. "They won't be able to stop him like that!"

"Hurry, Luffy-kun!" Jimbei yelled.

Luffy finally got the message and ran from Magellan. A Hydra, however, was right behind him and was ready to engulf him. Before it could hit, Mr. 3 shielded Luffy with a wall of wax. Amazingly, the wall held, stopping the poison in its tracks.

"Three!" Luffy yelled in surprise.

"He stopped Magellan's Hydra!" some prisoners cheered.

"Wax beats poison, who knew," Sanji humored.

"That optimism of yours makes me want to puke," Mr. 3 said as he gritted his teeth. "The second I put my guard down, I started to think of you as a friend! Sheesh, I hate being indebted to others!"

Most of the Strawhats were surprised by Mr. 3's words about friendship. It was the last thing they expected from him.

Zoro couldn't stop himself from smirking. Luffy's special power was at work again.

Robin's expression was blank. For as long as she had known Mr. 3, she did not expect this kind of action from him. He was a man who put himself before anyone else. For him to stick his neck out for another was completely against his nature.

"I see. Wax, huh?" Magellan asked. He sounded more than a little annoyed by the distraction.

"That is right," Mr. 3 said, getting back his cocky manner. "I am a candleman. Your poison will never be able to pass through my hard-as-steel wax wall!"

"So, even rubbish like him is useful," Crocodile mused. "You never know how suitable some powers can be."

Nami glared at Crocodile. "He was rubbish, yet you gave him such a high rank in your organization. What does that say about you?"

"Now hurry up and go!" Mr. 3 yelled. "I give up quickly, you know!"

"At least he warned them," Usopp muttered as he sweat-dropped.

"Three!" Luffy exclaimed happily.

"How irritating," Magellan said as he sent a Hydra's head around the wax wall, but Mr. 3 blocked him by creating another wall.

"This is no time to hesitate! I cannot hold him back for long!" Mr. 3 yelled.

"Who would have guessed that coward had a spine," Franky said with a chuckle.

"It is surprising. The Mr. 3 from Alabasta would have never done this, even to repay a debt," Robin said.

Chopper smiled. "Luffy really does bring out the best in people."

"Right, then we'll get going!" Buggy yelled as he raised his arm. "Let's go, men!"

The other prisoners cheered as they followed Buggy toward the main gate.

"Were you always this good?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, as long as I am not on a hot floor! Now all of you hurry up and get out!" Mr. 3 yelled. "I want to escape too, you know!"

"Luffy-kun, we must hurry as well," Jimbei said.

"Oh yeah, you said you were going to steal a ship," Luffy said.

"I did," Jimbei replied.

"Then you and others should go on ahead," Luffy said. "I'll be stopping the poison guy in the meanwhile. I mean, it's hard to steal a ship while he's chasing us."

"He's going to fight the warden?! Is he _crazy_!?" Nami yelled. "He nearly got himself killed fighting him the first time!"

"On top of that, Luffy-san still can't touch the man," Brook said in worry.

Jimbei thought about Luffy's statement for a moment. "Yes, that is true."

Luffy began to smile. "I've got an idea."

"This can't be good," Usopp muttered.

"Does it stand a chance?" Jimbei asked. He did not exactly sound convinced.

"Yeah, leave it to me," Luffy assured.

"I understand. Just do not do anything reckless," Jimbei warned as he ran to join the others.

"Poor Jimbei. He really doesn't know Luffy all too well, does he?" Franky asked.

"No, he doesn't," all the Strawhats chorused.

Luffy cracked his knuckles. "Right, Three. Let's fight together!"

"No, that is wrong! I have no intentions of fighting!" Mr. 3 screamed. "My only intention was to guard us the best I could and run!"

"Brother Three, we're staying behind to help!" several prisoners yelled as they ran towards the duo with large cannons that they got from somewhere.

"I am telling you, I am not that motivated!" Mr. 3 screamed in near panic.

"I guess some things never change after all," Robin humored.

"I do feel sort of sorry for him. He does this one good deed and it runs away with him," Usopp said with some humor. "I guess no good deed goes unpunished."

Luffy grabbed Mr. 3 by his shoulder. "I got a favor to ask."

"Listen to what I am saying!" Mr. 3 screamed, but it was all in vain.

"I want you to make a suit of armor for me like the one you made in Little Garden," Luffy said. "Can you do that?"

"It...should not be too hard," Mr. 3 said in thought. He calmed down, knowing that he wouldn't be fighting directly.

"Right, I'm counting on you," Luffy said as he stepped in front of Mr. 3.

"Very well!" Mr. 3 exclaimed as he began to fashion Luffy a wax suit of armor that covered his legs and arms.

When it was complete, Luffy's hands were completely covered in wax, which was shaped like boxing gloves, and the wax on his legs was shaped like a mecha's. Luffy looked like a wax cyborg.

"SO COOL!" Both Usopp and Chopper screamed with stars in their eyes.

"Huh, well…that is pretty super," Franky admitted begrudgingly. "Although, it still doesn't beat real metal!" He struck a pose.

Nami sighed. She would never understand men's obsession with mecha.

Robin had a blank stare.

"Right, if I used this..." Luffy stopped mid-sentence as he looked at himself. His eyes lit up and his mouth dropped. "This…is just too cool! IT'S PERFECT!"

Even the prisoners cheered at Luffy's awesomeness.

Zoro put his hand on his forehead. "Luffy is taken in by his own coolness."

Franky folded his arms, looking more than a little jealous at all the attention his captain was getting. "He isn't that awesome. He can't shoot a laser."

Nami side-eyed the cyborg. "Really?"

"Pay attention to what's in front of you!" Mr. 3 shouted in impatiently.

Magellan was obviously irritated by the entire scene.

"The tears...won't stop..." Luffy sniffled as he cried in joy. He attempted vainly to wipe his eyes. "Thank you for making me look so awesome!"

"Like I care! Hurry up and fight him!" Mr. 3 screamed.

"Strawhat, if nothing else, I must praise your tenacity," Magellan said.

"What happened to Iva and Crab-chan!?" Luffy demanded, finally getting his head back in the game.

"Oh, you mean Ivankov?" Magellan asked in a neutral voice. "I executed him, of course."

Luffy growled at the warden.

"Do not worry, I will send you to see him shortly," Magellan said as he created more Hydras. He sent one of the Hydras towards the duo, but Mr. 3 shielded them with a wax wall.

"No matter how many times you try, it will not work!" Mr. 3 yelled in defiance.

Luffy jumped over the wall and charged Magellan. The poison user sent wave after wave of Hydras at Luffy, but the boy captain managed to avoid each one with little difficulty.

"Gum Gum Champion Rifle!" Luffy screamed as he hit Magellan with his wax-enhanced punches.

Magellan doubled over from the punch and was sent trembling back. The warden glared daggers at Luffy.

"Alright, I can touch him now!" Luffy cheered as he pumped his arms in triumph.

"Glad to know that armor wasn't for show," Sanji said.

"Even if Luffy-san can touch that man, can he win?" Brook asked. "Even without his ability, that warden is powerful."

"That is the main question," Zoro said as he watched the fight with interest.

"We've got the cannons ready here!" one of the prisoners yelled.

"The candle wall will shield us!" another prisoner shouted.

Behind Luffy, the prisoners were lined up and their cannons were shielded with Mr. 3's wax wall. They were all more than eager to payback the warden for years of torture and terror.

In a matter of seconds, Magellan was bombarded with dozens of cannonballs on top of Luffy attacking him. The warden was on the defense as he attempted to strive off the merciless assault.

"Yeah, he must be feeling it now!" Usopp cheered. Even his poison couldn't melt that many cannonballs.

"Luffy's going to win!" Chopper also shouted happily as Luffy held his own against Magellan.

"I doubt it will be that easy," Zoro said. "Luffy's second battle with Crocodile should have taught us that being able to touch someone does not guarantee victory."

"Not to mention that it takes a lot of force to put a fruit user down," Sanji said.

Magellan started to use his Hydras to eat the cannonballs before they reached him while he personally battled Luffy.

Luffy used his enhanced Gatling Gun to punch through one of Magellan's Hydras and attack the warden directly. Magellan took dozen of hits but remained standing. Luffy's last punch was able knock the wind out of him, however.

"How's that?" Luffy asked with a huge grin.

Magellan was on his knees and he glared hatefully at Luffy. The man's anger was so intense that the Strawhats could practically feel it. Still, he kept an overall calm composure. He knew he still had the upper hand.

"Alright, he's almost finished!" someone yelled with sadistic glee.

"Take this, you bastard!" a prisoner screamed as they fired on Magellan again, attempting to finish him off.

Magellan was once again pummeled with dozens of cannonballs as the prisoners mercilessly shot at him. He soon became obscured by smoke, blocking everyone's view of him.

The cannon fire went on for several more minutes and it only ceased once the prisoners had run out of ammo. It was impossible to see Magellan's form since everything was covered in smoke.

"Is he down?" Franky asked.

Zoro snorted. "He wouldn't be the warden if he went down just from that."

"Let us put an end to this pointless stalling," Magellan said as he stood up. His silhouette could be seen through the smoke. He really looked like a risen demon. "I have already ordered all the battleships to leave Impel Down. The battleship you were planning on stealing is already gone!"

Sanji rubbed his chin. "Oh, so that was their plan. Simple but effective."

"It would almost be perfect if Jimbei wasn't with them," Nami said.

"That old fishman guy went to steal one of the battleships!" Luffy yelled, voicing Nami's statement. "They'll find a way to do it!"

"Jimbei, huh? Then it is all the more important that I finish this quickly!" Magellan exclaimed. He knocked the dust away from him, revealing his full form. He barely looked hurt despite all the ruthless attacks he had taken.

"What a tough guy. He tanked all of that," Usopp said in awe. He was glad that he never had to face that man.

Without a word, the poison that covered Magellan's body started to turn a reddish purple and the warden seemed to glow in the dim light of the prison.

"Huh, what he's doing?" Brook asked worriedly.

Chopper's eyes widened in fear and panic. "He's increasing the potency of his poison." He paused as he observed Magellan's transformation. "From what I can see, it looks like he's turning his coated poison into a type of cardiotoxic or neurotoxic steroidal alkaloid."

"Well, I don't know what all of that means, but how strong is that stuff?" Franky asked. He glanced at the floor and noticed that steam was rising from it. He was suddenly remained of Caesar's 'pet' Smily. He half expected Magellan to explored into gas.

Chopper felt his heart rate increase. "I..I can't be completely certain, but it appears to be even more potent than batrachotoxin. In fact, I'm willing to guess that his poison is so strong now that it can melt even steel."

"ARE YOU KIDDING!?" Usopp screamed in disbelief.

Brook's jaw dropped in shock. "He can make poison that strong?"

"Steel...you mean like Mr. 3's wax?" Nami asked as she too felt her heart stop.

"Gum Gum Champion Stomp!" Luffy yelled as he kicked Magellan in the chest.

The steel-hardened wax melted upon impact with the poison. The poison also began to spread up the wax like a virus as Luffy kicked himself away from the warden.

"Yes, exactly like Mr. 3's wax," Robin said.

"It is no good!" Mr. 3 shouted. "My wax will not work against him anymore!" He quickly pulled the remaining wax armor off of Luffy before he was affected by the poison.

"That was close!" Luffy exclaimed.

The poison was spreading across the floor, making steam rise like it was lava. Everything around the group started to melt.

"Venom Demon!" Magellan yelled as he appeared to transform into an actual demon made of poison. The poison even had a face of a skull to enhance the effect.

Chopper, Brook, and Usopp screamed in terror from the sight.

"Oh crap, it's a real demon!" Franky yelled as he looked up at the poison monstrosity. Magellan now towered over everyone. The poison was so high that it almost reached the ceiling.

"It's like something from the pits of the underworld!" Brook screamed.

"He's crazy. That poison can destroy Impel Down!" Chopper yelled.

Zoro gritted his teeth. Even he didn't expect this. "He wasn't kidding when he said that he wanted to end this quickly."

"Even with all our training, I don't think I want to run into this guy," Sanji said. Even with Haki, one false move with the warden and it was all over.

Luffy was left speechless and wide mouthed as he stared at the Venom Demon in terror.

All the prisoners were left screaming in horror as Hell's judgment loomed over them. The warden was no longer interested in just disabling them. He was going to melt them.

The demon moved and everyone ran for their lives. Those who didn't run fast enough were melted by the poison. There was no coming back from that. Even just getting some of the poison on their body meant death. Those prisoners who lashed out and touched another person out of desperation only condemned that person to the same, slow death.

Chopper couldn't watch. Dying from that type of poisoning was terrible. They were literally being melted from the outside-in.

Brook was left silent. He personally knew the pain of dying from poison. It robbed him of his first life and of his crew. Just seeing the prisoners suffer brought back terrible memories of his crew's final moments.

Luffy carried Mr. 3 since the wax user was the least physically-abled of almost all the remaining prisoners. There was no telling how many prisoners fell as Luffy dashed for the main gate. He did everything he could to ignore the screams of panic and help for those who fell.

"It does not matter if it is wax or stone!" Mr. 3 yelled in panic as he witnessed the chaos around him. "The poison keeps spreading like an infection!"

"Dammit, now the wax armor is completely useless!" Luffy screamed.

"For a sludge of poison, that thing moves pretty fast," Franky said as Magellan kept pace with the fleeing prisoners.

Everyone ran for what felt like forever as the Venom Demon continued to chase them through the halls. They could hear the cheers from the other prisoners ahead, showing that they were close to the exit. It wouldn't matter, however, if Jimbei didn't steal a ship in time.

"Hey, are you guys there!?" Luffy screamed when the voices became loud enough.

"That's Straw-chan's voice!" a voice yelled happily. It was Bon Clay.

Luffy rounded the corner and saw Bon Clay and the others prisoners waiting for them at the gate. "We have to run!"

The Venom Demon came crashing through the wall just as Luffy yelled that, scaring the crap out of the other prisoners who saw it.

"We got a battleship yet!?" Luffy screamed.

"Straw-chan, we're still waiting for a ship to get on!" Bon Clay answered.

"What!?" Luffy yelled.

More prisoners fell by Magellan's hand and Luffy's troops dropped to only a handful.

Just when they were close to the exit, the floor began to shake. Within moments, Iva came erupting out of the floor with his big head. It was obvious by his swirling eyes and gasping mouth that he was knocked out from slamming his head through the ceiling. In his arms was an unconscious Inazuma covered in poison.

"Huh, so that's how Iva survived," Sanji mused. "I always knew he had a hard head. He went through what, three floors?"

"He must have used his ability to heal himself like he did with Luffy," Chopper surmised.

"Strawhat, it's Jimbei!" one of the prisoners yelled as they threw a baby transponder snail at him.

Luffy easily caught it and looked at the snail.

"Luffy-kun, so you made it?" Jimbei asked.

"I'm here, but he's still chasing us though!" Luffy yelled breathlessly. "We're going to hit a dead end at the exit!"

"Forgive me. We stole a ship, but we are too far away from you," Jimbei said. "But do not stop moving! Jump straight into the sea! Get everyone to throw themselves into the ocean! You can leave the rest to me!"

"This sounds familiar," Usopp muttered as he recalled the Going Merry's final voyage. What was Jimbei up to?

"This must be Luffy's tradition for escaping from a government facility," Franky joked.

"Do what he says!" Luffy yelled at the prisoners as he stopped running.

"What!?" Mr. 3 shouted in disbelief.

"Three, come help me one last time!" Luffy yelled as he turned to face Magellan, who was quickly approaching them.

"Are you insane!?" Mr. 3 yelled as he flailed his arms. "If we leap into the ocean, we are done for sure! He works for the government! He is not worthy of our trust!"

"Coming from you, Mr. 3?" Robin asked.

"He's Ace's friend," Luffy said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I trust him!"

Mr. 3 stared at Luffy, dumbfounded, as the Venom Demon grew closer.

"To the sea? If you think you can get away, then just try to get away!" Magellan dared. "The moment you touch the water, you will be in the sea king's nest!"

"Be careful! Do not let even a drop of the poison touch you!" Mr. 3 warned.

Magellan moved in for the finishing blow.

Luffy put his thumb in his mouth and bit down hard. "Gear Third!"

"This is my special service!" Mr. 3 yelled as he made a giant wax wall that went up towards the ceiling.

"It is pointless!" Magellan screamed as he used his Venom Demon to punch the wax wall. It started to melt on contact.

"Strawhat, hurry up!" Mr. 3 yelled, using his ability to keep the wall from melting.

Luffy pushed the air into his right leg, making it grow to the size of a giant. "Gum Gum Giant Stomp!" he yelled as he kicked the wax wall into Magellan, pushing him back.

The warden went sliding across the room and slammed into a nearby wall. He was buried in the rubble, buying Luffy and the others some much-needed time.

With the attack finished, Luffy released the air from his body and allowed himself to shrink. While this was happening, Magellan was already starting to recover.

Luffy ran toward the still unconscious Iva and screamed desperately for him to wake up in his high, squeaky voice. It took several seconds, but Iva eventually woke up.

"Hmmm, what?" Iva muttered, still dazed and confused.

"We have to hurry!" Luffy screamed.

"Who are you? Strawhat-boy's son?" Iva asked, completely out of it. He was also left confused by Luffy's shrunken state.

"Use that move of yours!" Luffy screamed as he jumped up and down. "The Wink!"

"I can't take Luffy seriously when he's small like that," Usopp said as he watched his small captain scream at Iva. It would almost be funny if a giant cluster of poison wasn't about to kill them.

"Okay then," Iva muttered, still not quite sure what was happening around him. He prepared to wink just as everyone yelled for him not to do it.

"Your plan is pointless!" Magellan yelled as he advanced on the group. "If you enter the sea without a ship, there is no hope for you!"

"I'll take drowning or being eaten by a sea king over being melted by poison, thank you," Franky said.

Nami, Usopp, and Chopper nodded in agreement.

Luffy finally returned to normal size. "Everyone, grab onto his face!"

"His face!?" everyone yelled in confusion.

"I will not let you escape!" Magellan yelled, getting closer.

Everyone quickly grabbed onto Iva's hair and anything else they could hang on to.

"Hell Wink!" Iva screamed as he did a huge wink that shot the entire group out through the front gate and into the open sea. They could see Magellan's Venom Demon trying to grab them just as they flew away.

"Well, that's one way to escape," Zoro said.

"Came in hanging off a Warlord's butt and left by hanging onto an Okama's face," Usopp muttered. "Only Luffy."

Before they hit the water they were saved by a school of whale-sharks. They littered the entire sea.

"Whale-sharks!?" Chopper exclaimed in shock. "What are they doing way out here?"

"This is unexpected. Whale-sharks, like most sea life, avoid coming into the Calm Belt," Brook said.

"Jimbei must have summoned them," Robin realized.

"I thought only mermaids could summon fish like that," Nami said in awe.

"Some fishmen have that ability as well, especially if they have a mermaid in their bloodline," Robin said. "It seems Jimbei has more talents than we thought."

"In either case, that ability saved them," Zoro said.

Sanji shook his head. "They're not saved yet."

"What do you mean?" Brook asked.

"Remember, they still need to exit through the Gates of Justice," Sanji said. "If Impel Down is anything like Enies Lobby, the mechanism that controls the gate is deep within the prison. If they can't open the gate, everything they have done would be in vain."

"I forgot about that," Nami muttered in worry.

"Wonder how they get out of that?" Franky asked.

The shark-whales bounced the group safely onto the battleship that had Jimbei and the others had stolen. As soon as they hit the deck, the prisoners of Impel Down began to celebrate their escape from the unbreakable prison.

The day was perfect. The sun was up and the morning light bathed the ship in its warm glow. There wasn't a cloud in the sky. Although there was no wind, given that this was the Calm Belt, the prisoners still enjoyed taken in the fresh air for the first time in years.

Luffy himself was even more active as he allowed the breeze of the sea to comfort him. It truly felt like they had escaped from Hell.

For the Strawhats, the beauty of the day and the exultant mood on the battleship was a cruel overtone to the tragedy they knew would soon happen.

"We do not have time to celebrate yet!" Jimbei yelled as he attempted to get everyone's heads out of the clouds as he steered the ship. "We have to hurry and get out of here!"

Luffy and others were too overjoyed at their renewed freedom to listen to him. After spending hours and for many, years, in the darkness of Impel Down, seeing the sun and having fresh air blowing in their faces was heaven.

"Thank you, whale-shark!" Luffy yelled as he waved goodbye to the whales as the other prisoners did the same.

"We're free!" the prisoners screamed to the sky as they danced around the ship.

"I wonder if they know they're going to a war zone?" Zoro asked dryly as he watched the celebration.

"I don't think they would be opening wine bottles if they knew," Sanji answered with equal dryness.

Buggy got on top of the deck and started to get the prisoners he released to praise him as a god and they were all too happy to oblige, calling him the great captain Buggy among other things.

"Dammit, that clown's head didn't need to get any bigger," Nami muttered as she rubbed her forehead.

"They should have just left him in Hell," Zoro said, sharing in Nami's annoyance.

The pleasant atmosphere on the ship was shattered when the remaining marine ships shot at them. Most of the cannonballs missed thanks to Jimbei's expert steering, but some of the some still managed to hit the deck, sending several of the prisoners flying.

"Everyone ranked vice-admiral and above has already been called to Marineford, but a battleship is a battleship. They are still tough, no matter who is onboard!" Jimbei yelled as he avoided more cannon fire.

In a few minutes, the Gates of Justice were within their sights. The giant gates were closed to them and it was then that the prisoners finally realized that they were still trapped.

"This is bad! These gates will never open for us!" Mr. 3 screamed in panic.

"Oh no, we made it this far and now we've hit a dead end!" Luffy yelled.

Jimbei remained perfectly calm despite Buggy yelling in his face and pulling on his kimono. While all this was happening, the other battleships were still shooting at them.

Robin took note of Jimbei's calm demeanor. Crocodile was also unconcerned about the Gates of Justice. They both knew something.

Luffy calmed himself, taking to heart Jimbei's serene state, and took charge of the situation. "First off, we have to protect the ship! Don't let them sink it!" he ordered the prisoners.

The prisoners yelled compliance and went to work on protecting the battleship.

"Are you just going to sit there and take their attacks?" Crocodile asked in annoyance. "This is a battleship too, remember? Are you not going to shoot back, you worthless fools!?"

"That was going to be my suggestion!" Buggy yelled.

"Sure it was," Sanji said dryly.

"Maybe really they _should_ have left him in Hell," Usopp muttered.

"I didn't even think about them attacking the marines," Chopper said in a timid voice.

"That's because we rarely engage the marines ourselves. We usually just defend from their attacks and run away," Nami said.

"Let's shoot them back, men!" Buggy yelled to his group of prisoners as the cannons were fired.

For the next several minutes, the former prisoners defended against cannonballs and kept the battleship from being badly damaged in the relentless assault.

Some cannonballs still got through since only a few people could actually do something like Luffy, Crocodile, and Mr. 1, along with Jimbei's steering. Iva and Inazuma were too badly hurt and poisoned to help in the defense of the ship.

The prisoners were quickly becoming disheartened. They escaped from Hell only to be sent into a watery grave.

Then, a miracle happened. The Gates of Justice began to open before them.

"Huh, they got the gate open," Sanji said in mild surprise.

"But how?" Chopper asked.

Nami put a hand to her chin. "Good question. The machine that controls the gate is inside Impel Down and they would never open the Gate of Justice for a bunch of prisoners. What's going on?"

Robin scanned the ship and noticed something was off. "I feel like someone is missing."

The prisoners cheered as the way to their salvation opened and the light from the sun hit their eyes.

"Alright, I don't know why, but the Gates are opening!" Luffy cheered.

Jimbei appeared strangely grim during the celebration.

"Jimbei, what's wrong!?" Luffy asked with a huge smile on his face, noticing that the fishman didn't seem too happy.

Jimbei glanced at Luffy from the corner of his eye before answering. "Luffy-kun, do you know why the doors to the Gates of Justice opened for us?"

Luffy blinked. "Why do you ask?"

Jimbei sighed. The Strawhats could feel the weight of bad news. "Luffy-kun, the controls for the Gates of Justice are within the walls of Impel Down. In order for us to open the gate, one of us had to stay behind."

Everyone on the crew felt a sense of dread build in their stomachs. They didn't want to hear what was coming.

Luffy's eyes widened as he took in the news. "Who...who stood behind?"

"Who is missing on this ship?" Jimbei asked instead, turning his eyes away from Luffy.

Luffy said nothing as he thought about the question. His eyes widened again as the answer came to him. He looked around the ship desperately, praying that he was wrong. "Bon Clay!"

Jimbei nodded somberly, still not looking at Luffy.

"Is that really true? Bon Clay?" Luffy asked in disbelief. He was shaking badly and appeared ready to collapse.

"Bon Clay, he was just at the entrance with Luffy and the others!" Franky yelled as he took in the news. "When did he...?"

"He must have snuck off just before Iva did his wink," Nami said as her heart pounded in her chest. He'd done it again.

"I thought someone was missing," Robin whispered as she hugged herself. "He would be the ideal choice to open the gate given his powers."

"How can you be so cold!?" Chopper yelled, nearing tears.

"That Magellan guy is going to kill him!" Usopp screamed in horror. "Even if he lives..." He felt sick thinking what was going to happen to Bon Clay. All the horrors of Hell replayed in his head.

The Gates of Justice started to close just as the battleship passed through the gate.

"They're trying to lock them in!" Brook exclaimed.

"No, it is most likely Bon Clay assuring that the marines cannot follow them," Robin said. "He is trapping the fleet within the waters of Impel Down."

"He was just with us at the exit!" Luffy yelled at Jimbei, not believing that Bon Clay would sacrifice himself like this again for him. "Are you saying that Bon Clay stayed behind in Impel Down on his own!?"

Jimbei said nothing. His silence said everything.

"Even though we made it this far! Even though we were almost free!" Luffy screamed, becoming angrier.

Jimbei still said nothing.

Luffy grabbed Jimbei by his kimono and shook the fishman. "The only reason we've managed to meet Iva and the others and escape from there was because Bon Clay was with us and you're telling me we should just go without him!?"

The Strawhats could feel and share in their captain's pain and distress. It was against everything Luffy was to leave a friend behind. Especially a friend he owed so much to.

Luffy was right. Without Bon Clay, Luffy would have died within the wall of Impel Down and Jimbei would have remained locked away at Level 6, unable to help anyone.

"There is no time to waste," Jimbei said coldly. There was, however, a tone of regret in his voice.

"Are you going to abandon him!?" Luffy shouted as his rage built.

Jimbei harshly picked Luffy up by his vest and looked the boy captain straight in his eyes. "We have already abandoned countless allies who fell along the way! Do you intend to return there and fight Magellan again!? Then there would be more sacrifices! We would waste more time, too! If someone had not stayed behind, the gates would have never opened for us!" He dropped Luffy onto the deck, letting the rubberman take in his words.

Luffy sat on the deck, feeling completely numb. He didn't want to believe Jimbei. Every part of him was screaming for him to go back and save his friend. He knew what fate awaited Bon Clay. He would be lucky if he were given death.

At the same time, he knew Jimbei was right. If they go back, more people would be killed. He would also lose his chance to save Ace, whose execution was only hours away. As much as he wanted to go back for Bon Clay, his brother came first.

The crew could only watch helplessly as they saw their captain's shoulders slump in acceptance.

Zoro closed his eye. As harsh as it was, Bon Clay had to stay behind to save the others. There was no going back for them.

Sanji also closed his eyes as he gave his respects to Bon Clay. He felt a pang of guilt for being so harsh on the Okama. He may have abandoned their captain, but he more than made up for that selfish act. In his opinion, Bon Clay had paid his price in full.

"They...they just can't leave him..." Chopper cried. "After all he's done..."

"What choice do they have?" Nami asked as in a hoarse voice. She, too, was nearing tears. "If they go back, Magellan would undoubtedly kill them and that would make everything Luffy gave up go to waste, including the loss of ten years of his life. Bon Clay...had to do this for everyone's survival."

The remaining Strawhats were silent, unable to form any words. They were all heartbroken by the news. This was one of the worst things that could have happened. Unlike their escape from Enies Lobby, which was done with minimal casualties, this raid by Luffy came with a sacrifice.

After Jimbei had calmed down, he gave Luffy a baby transponder snail. "It is still connected. This snail has a very short range. As soon as the Gates close, we will lose contact with him."

Luffy looked at the snail for a moment before he tearfully took it into his hands. It took him a second before he could find his voice. "Bon Clay! Hey, can you hear me, Bon Clay!? Why are you doing this again!? Just like that last time!?"

There was no answer.

"Weren't we supposed to escape together!? You just keep saving me over and over again!" Luffy continued to yell as his voice started to break from emotions.

The memory altered for a second and the Strawhats saw Luffy meeting Bon Clay, their fight against the Minotaur, Bon Clay saving him from his icy prison cell and fighting off wolves, to him learning how Bon Clay cheered him on when he was being healed.

As the memory returned to the present, the other prisoners on the ship, including Buggy, Mr. 3, and Iva, heard what had happened and gathered around Luffy. They were all teary eyed.

"If you're there, then answer me, Bon Clay!" Luffy pleaded.

Sill, there was no answer.

Some of the Strawhats were also beginning to cry openly.

"Bon Clay!" Luffy screamed desperately into the snail.

"Answer us, Brother Bon!" a prisoner screamed with Luffy.

"Why won't you answer!?" someone asked in tears.

Nothing, it was complete silence.

"Bon Clay!" Luffy screamed again. He was breathing hard as grief threatened to crush him.

"Mr. 2!" Mr. 3 shouted in tears for his comrade.

Even Buggy was crying. "Mr. 2, you're...I'm so sorry for everything!"

"Bon-boy!" Iva yelled.

The gates started to close and they passed the safe point.

"Bon Clay!" Luffy screamed desperately along with the others on the ship.

Still, Bon Clay wouldn't answer.

"Bon Clay...the gates are closing... We're...going," Luffy stuttered as he attempted not to cry. He gently put the baby transponder snail on the deck and stared at it for a moment. He then lifted his head, looking straight into the sky. "THANK YOU!"

"Brother Bon, thank you!" the prisoners also yelled as they sobbed openly for their friend.

"STRAW-CHAN!" Bon Clay suddenly screamed from the other end, startling everyone.

"Bon Clay!" Luffy screamed desperately as he grabbed the baby transponder snail. He hung on to the last link to his friend.

"Straw-chan...you have to save your brother no matter what!" Bon Clay yelled as the baby transponder burst into tears.

This finally sent Luffy into tears, along with many of the Strawhats for an entirely different reason.

"I'm sure...you can...save your brother!" Bon Clay screamed with absolute faith as the transmission cut off.

"Bon Clay!" Luffy cried.

The Gates of Justice closed and with it the transmission from Bon Clay. There was only static and the snail fell back to sleep.

"BON CLAY!" Luffy and the other prisoners shouted, although they all knew it was pointless.

Crocodile and Mr. 1 hung back while looking as stoic as ever. It was hard to tell what they were thinking. They didn't appear upset by Bon Clay's sacrifice, but they remained respectfully silent. They gave everyone on the ship their moment to grieve.

Jimbei kept his back turned the entire time. Although the Strawhats could not see his face, they could tell by the subtle shaking of his shoulders that he was crying.

Luffy ran to the end of the ship and stared at the Gate of Justice. He stared at the giant gates like he was trying to will himself to see through them and learn the fate of his dear friend. After everything Bon Clay has done for him, he couldn't repay any of it. He couldn't even give Bon Clay back his freedom.

"If he hadn't been here, we all would be at the bottom of the ocean by now!" someone screamed, echoing everyone's thoughts.

Luffy could only stare at the Gates of Justice before he burst into more tears. His body wracked with sorrow as he moaned for his friend. Bon Clay was alone. He had left his friend alone in Hell.

More sobs shuddered through Luffy as he slumped against the railing. He had his life, his freedom, and a second chance to save his brother. They were all free from Hell, but for Luffy, the price had been far too high.

Luffy's cries of grief resonated as the memory faded back into the mist and the Strawhats were back in the void.

Just as the memory dissipated the Strawhats attempted to dry the tears out of their eyes. Zoro and Robin managed to keep their eyes dry, although their expressions and body language spoke volumes about their sorrow and pain.

Much like Sanji, Zoro still had some ill will towards Bon Clay for running on their captain when he needed him the most. Now, any ill feelings he felt towards the man were long gone. For Luffy's sake, the man chose to stay in Hell and face the devil. It was moments like those that spoke the true value of a person.

Robin felt much the same as Zoro, except she had forgiven her former comrade after he had cheered Luffy on for twenty hours during his healing. Still, she did not expect Bon Clay to go this far. Without him, none of them could have escaped even with the power of the Warlords and the Revolutionaries. As cold as it was to think, it was better for Bon Clay to stay behind then for them to risk losing their captain.

"Bon Clay...he sacrificed himself to save Luffy-san again," Brook said softly. "If I didn't know any better, I would call him a guardian angel sent to protect our captain in our absence."

"If there is such a thing, Bon Clay would be the closest thing to one," Robin said in a somber tone.

Franky broke into tears. "That pervy bastard! How could be so freaking selfless!?"

"But Bon Clay could still be alive," Chopper said hopefully as he wiped his remaining tears away. "I mean, no one saw him die. There still could be a chance."

"Yeah! He could have escaped! I mean, Bon Clay is strong!" Usopp yelled, clinging to any kind of hope.

"After what he pulled, Magellan wouldn't let Bon Clay go. He's either dead or wished he was," Sanji muttered, causing Chopper and Usopp to pale at the implications.

If Sanji was given a choice, he hoped Bon Clay had died that day. The thought of Bon Clay being tortured for the rest of his days was far worse than believing that he went out in one last hooray. It would also help ease some of the guilt that his captain undoubtedly felt.

There was another long silence among the crew.

"Luffy suffered so much and we never knew any of it," Nami said so softly that the crew barely heard her. She wrapped her arms around herself. "It was never just about Ace's death."

Zoro clutched his hand so tightly that it started to hurt. "Since Luffy was separated from us...this entire thing has been a tragedy."

He felt even lower than dirt. What Luffy told him two weeks ago didn't even begin to tell the story of the suffering he went through.

The darkness suddenly shook, knocking the Strawhats out of their collective stupors. The shaking was violent, nearly sending several of the Strawhats tumbling towards the ground.

"What's happening?" Usopp asked in fear as the shaking slowly stopped. He also noticed that it had become colder. He could even see his breaths.

"It's...it's just like the last time. Just before we saw those memories at Amazon Lily," Franky said in realization. He felt a shiver go down his spine. "Does that mean..."

"Your captain's final hour approaches," the ball of light said as it appeared before the Strawhats. "It has taken a while, but you have finally seen everything that you needed to see. Now, you can directly witness the tragedy that is tearing apart your captain."

All the Strawhats knew where they were going next; Marineford. The place they all dreaded most since this whole thing started.

"So, the moment has finally come," Usopp said in determination, losing all his previous fear. After seeing what Bon Clay had done, he felt even more fired up to help his captain.

"What you will feel and experience will be far more intense and real than the other memories you have witness," the ball of light warned in a grave voice. "I would give you an out, but you have long passed the point of no return. Whatever fate awaits your captain is yours to share. I can only suggest that you do not allow your captain's grief to consume you. Otherwise, everything would have been in vain."

"As long as we save our captain, we will share in any pain he experience," Zoro said without hesitation.

"I wonder if you will still say that at the end," the ball of light said as a blood red mist approached the crew.

The mist swayed and circled violently like storm clouds and burst of cold air left it.

Sanji could feel the hair on his neck stand on ends. He could physically feel the power emanating from the mist. He also felt a cold chill that seemed to go directly into his bones.

"What's wrong with that mist?" Brook asked. It was far worse than the red mist that consumed them for the Omatsuri Island and Sabaody memories. He also shivered from the sudden drop in temper.

"The entity that controls the mist has pooled the majority of its power into this particular memory. It is using the pain and guilt your captain experience to slowly kill him and take away his will to live," the ball of light explained. "Once your captain has completely given in to his despair, his soul will be consumed, as well as yours."

"Then there isn't a moment to waste," Nami said.

"Then, good luck to you all," the ball said as the red mist started to engulf the small pirate crew. "I pray for your victory. She also prays for your success."

The ball of light faded as the mist completely surrounded the Strawhats.

They could hear something laughing as the memory took form. For a brief second, the mist took the appearance of a skull.


	33. Marineford

When the mist finished consuming them, the Strawhats were back on the marine battleship. Surprisingly, the atmosphere on the ship was light and happy. The convicts of Impel Down along with Buggy were happily drinking and celebrating their escape from Hell. It was like the entire emotional breakdown they saw only a few minutes ago never happened.

"Well, they bounced back fast," Nami muttered in mild annoyance. Bon Clay deserved more than a few seconds of mourning, especially after he saved all of them.

Chopper looked around the ship for his captain. "Where's Luffy?"

Sanji glanced up towards the upward level of the battleship. "He's up there."

The Strawhats turned to see their captain along with Mr. 3 and many others from Newkama Land leaning against the railings. They were all looking towards the Gate of Justice, which wasn't even a dot in the horizon anymore. They all appeared to be depressed and disheartened.

"Now that I think about it, he was not a bad fellow after all," Mr. 3 said somberly. He was standing right next to Luffy.

"We'd finally been reunited," Luffy sobbed as he attempted to wipe his teary eyes. He slumped even further on the rails. "And he ended up saving me again."

There were brief flashes in the memory of Bon Clay's sacrifice back in Alabasta and how he had come to save Luffy when he was dying of poison within his frozen prison.

All the Strawhats felt Luffy's anguish as the people from Newkama Land cried Bon Clay's name. Luffy was one who always repaid his debts. Now, he could never repay Bon Clay for anything. The only thing he could do now was honor Bon Clay's final wish and save Ace.

Sadly, the Strawhats knew that Luffy failed to fulfill that wish. It was another unbearable burden placed on their captain's heart.

"Hey, how long are you guys are going to stand there sobbing?" a drunken voice asked.

The Strawhats turned to see Buggy walking up the stairs with a jug of beer in his hand. It was obvious that he had one too many given his flushed cheeks, slurred speech, and the hiccups in between every other word.

Luffy and the other from Newkama Land turned towards Buggy in mild irritation.

"He was a good guy, but he's dead now and there's nothing we can do," Buggy said dismissively as he hiccupped. "Let's just celebrate!"

Everyone's eyes darkened. If looks could kill, there wouldn't even been a body left of the clown pirate. Except for maybe his nose.

"How can he be so cruel?" Usopp growled as he shook in anger. "Bon Clay died saving him too and he just..."

"They should have left him in Hell," Zoro said coldly. Out of all the allies Luffy made, Buggy was the most useless on top of him being an ass.

The other Strawhats nodded in agreement.

"Celebrate our freedom!" Buggy shouted as he raised his glass and laughed. "Or, if you would like, we could have a funeral for Mr. 2." It was obvious by his tone that he wasn't serious and was close to mocking them.

Before Buggy could say more, Luffy slugged the clown pirate in the face, sending him tumbling down the stairs. Blood squirted out of his nose like it was a water fountain as Buggy laid dazed on the deck.

"Thank you!" Franky exclaimed. He wanted to do that himself since that clown opened his mouth.

"The shit head deserved more than a punch," Sanji said as he crossed his arms. He preferred a few broken bones.

"I was hoping that his nose would pop," Robin stated with a note of disappointment.

"We don't know for sure that Bon Clay is dead, Big Nose!" Luffy yelled at a semi-conscious Buggy.

Buggy immediately stood up when he heard his hated nickname. "Who're you calling Big Nose!?"

Luffy rushed down the stairs and got right into Buggy's face. "You, you red-nosed, round-nosed, stupid-nosed idiot!"

This made some of the Strawhats snicker.

"Stupid-nosed, huh?" Usopp chuckled.

"It fits," Nami humored.

"I still like Buffoon better," Franky said.

Buggy pulled on Luffy's cheeks. "Well, you got a rubbery, stretchy, stupid face!"

"That's kind of a lame comeback," Brook said.

"What'd you say!?" Luffy yelled as he reached to squeeze Buggy's nose like it was a plushy toy.

"I keep expecting a honking sound to come out of it," Usopp said.

"They're both behaving childishly," Zoro muttered as he watched the two pirate captains fight like little kids.

"Bon Clay is alive!" Luffy yelled as he punched Buggy back to the deck, given him a large bump on his head.

When Luffy was through with Buggy, he stretched his arms and joined Jimbei who was still steering the ship.

"Luffy-kun," Jimbei said as Luffy stood at his side. "Thanks to you, I have a chance to save Ace-san. I am indebted to you."

"Those two really were good friends," Nami said softly.

"Oh, don't say that. It was no problem at all," Luffy said with his usual bright smile. "I feel better that you're here too. You're really strong!"

Jimbei looked at Luffy from the corner of his eyes. It looked like he wanted to say something, but instead went back to staring at the ocean.

Nami knew by the subtle sadness in Jimbei's eyes that he was thinking about Arlong and the terror he unleashed onto East Blue. After seeing everything Jimbei had done for Luffy, it felt good knowing that she helped ease some of that guilt. Jimbei was too good of a guy to be burdened by the sins Arlong committed.

"You can call me Jimbei. I used to be one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, but I abandoned that title," Jimbei informed. "Let's unleashed hell on Marine Headquarters!"

Luffy looked at Jimbei in surprise.

"We must save Ace so that Okama-kun's efforts will not go to waste!" Jimbei declared.

His declaration left another giant wave of sadness among the Strawhats. It hurt knowing that all their efforts were going to amount to nothing.

"One of the Warlords?" Luffy asked slowly.

"Marine Headquarters?" Buggy asked as he joined Luffy.

Both of their eyes widened in shock as they took in their respective information.

"All this time, Luffy didn't know Jimbei was a Warlord," Sanji sighed.

"He didn't even know Jimbei's name until now," Usopp muttered. Then again, there wasn't really any time in Impel Down for proper introductions.

"Hey, hey, you were one of the Seven Warlords!?" Luffy yelled in shock. "No wonder you're so strong!"

Everyone on the ship began to gather around Jimbei, hearing all the yelling.

"Forgive me. I should have introduced myself sooner," Jimbei said, not seeming surprised by Luffy's ignorance.

"What do you mean Marine Headquarters!?" Buggy screamed, changing the subject. "You better not be telling me that this ship is going to Marine Headquarters!"

"That is right," Jimbei answered nonchalantly.

"WHAT!? You know about the war between the marines and the Whitebeard Pirates, right!?" Buggy shouted. It looked like his head was going to explode.

"Um, what?" one of the prisoner asked dimly.

"What are you saying? It is not our faults that you are so dim-witted," Crocodile said in his usual cold manner. He was sitting nearby on a cannon, doing his best to look bored.

"WHAT!?" Buggy screamed in horror.

"He has a point," Robin said.

"Now that we are through the Gates of Justice, the only possible destinations are Enies Lobby and Marine Headquarters," Crocodile stated as he puffed on his cigar. "The only reason we escaped in the first place was because we wanted to join the battle."

Buggy and Mr. 3 both freaked out at the news. They escaped one hell and were headed straight into another.

"Yeah, the battle begins now!" Luffy yelled with a smile on his face.

"NOBODY TOLD US ABOUT THIS!" almost all the Impel Down prisoners screamed.

"I feel kinda sorry for all of them. They finally escape after years of torture, only to be dragged into war with a bunch of super powers," Usopp said sympathetically.

Zoro shrugged. "We call this payment to Luffy and the others for saving them."

"That's kind of a cold way to put it," Brook said.

There were more than a few protests from the prisoners. A mutiny would have broken out that very moment if a transponder snail didn't start ringing, catching everyone's attention.

"Hm, who would be calling a stolen marine battleship?" Sanji asked.

"I wonder if they really expect them to answer," Nami mused.

Luffy causally opened the steel door that housed the transponder snail and picked up the phone. "Uh, hello?"

"Apparently, this idiot did," Sanji said dryly.

All the Strawhats, except Brook and Robin, groaned in agreement.

For the next couple of minutes, the marines gave Luffy and the former Impel Down prisoners the rundown of what they knew about them. Namely, the marines assigned all blame for the Impel Down breakout to Luffy and Buggy, the latter whom they now knew was part of the Pirate King's crew.

Buggy wasn't happy to have his past blurted out and everyone, especially Crocodile, Mr. 2, and Iva, who were surprised that such a weak pirate was a comrade of the late Pirate King.

"Kind of funny how the marines pretty much ignore Crocodile and Jimbei," Zoro snorted.

"Well, Buggy was a member of the Roger Pirates," Usopp said. "I mean, looking at Rayleigh and Shanks, it's understandable why the marines would fear Buggy more than the Warlords."

"If they only knew the truth," Nami muttered.

After the marines revealed Buggy's past, they verified all the information they knew about him. Most that was completely incorrect, like Shanks and him being close as brothers, Buggy wanting to save Ace because they're friends, and how Buggy hid his true strength from everyone for over two decades.

The former prisoners became gradually more impressed and enchanted with Buggy with each new bit of information they heard. The Strawhats could practically see the stars in their eyes. There were also tears.

The pure amount of incorrect information and the hero-worshipping of Buggy by the Impel Down prisoners made Zoro and Nami face-palm.

"Once again, I have to question the marines' information network," Franky muttered.

"How can the marines get so much incorrect?" Brook asked in disbelief.

Sanji sighed. "Let's just agree that they suck."

All the Strawhats nodded in agreement.

Once the marines finished their intel on Buggy, they told Luffy and the others outright that the Gates of Justice wouldn't open for them and they were trapped in the Tarai Current. For a lack of better words, they would wonder the current until the marines came to kill them.

"Damn, I'd forgotten about the Gate of Justice at Marineford," Sanji cussed.

"How are they supposed to get in?" Chopper asked worriedly. "They don't have anyone to help them this time."

"Hey, wait marine!" Luffy shouted over the transponder snail. He took a deep breath. "I'm _definitely_ going to save Ace!"

The conviction and assurance in Luffy's voice made some of the Strawhats wince. It was the exact same voice he used when he told everyone he was going to save Robin.

"Luffy..." Robin murmured sadly.

"So just wash your potatoes and wait!" Luffy yelled over the line before he slammed the phone down and closed the metal doors.

Luffy's last sentence broke the emotional mood among the Strawhats as they glanced each other.

"Potatoes?" Chopper asked in confusion.

Zoro sighed. "I think he means necks."

"It's necks, Strawhat!" one of the prisoners corrected. " _Watch_ your neck, Strawhat! Like this is anytime to wash and boil potatoes!"

"Leave it to Luffy to ruin a heroic moment," Sanji said as he rubbed his forehead.

After getting over Luffy's mistake, the prisoner began to cheer Buggy as a hero. Their savior was not only one of the Pirate King's men, but a brother to one of the Emperors.

Nami sighed and sweat-dropped. "Like his head needed to get any bigger."

At first, Buggy attempted to dispel all the praises. Eventually, of course, he began to like hearing the prisoners cheer his name and talk about what a great pirate he was.

"Why can't these people sense they're much stronger than him?" Brook asked in mild awe.

"Because they're all morons," Nami answered in a dry voice.

All the Strawhats, even Robin, nodded in agreement.

"Maybe their time in prison melted their brains," Usopp suggested in a deadpan voice.

"Being tortured endlessly would drive a person insane," Robin remarked off-handily.

With the prisoners fired up, they were ready to steal the ship. With a legendary pirate like Buggy on their side, they could _easily_ overthrow a three-hundred million belli rookie, two former Warlords, and a Revolutionary general along with all the members from Newkama Land.

"Yep, these guys have officially lost their minds," Franky said.

"With luck, they'll all be killed and we won't have to put up with them anymore," Zoro said casually.

Luffy, Crocodile, Mr. 1, and Jimbei were mildly annoyed by these developments. Crocodile's solution was, naturally, killing everyone on the ship. He already had a sand tornado ready in his palms.

Fortunately, or _un_ fortunately for some, the murder plot died the moment Buggy got control of the prisoners and encouraged them to go to Marineford to fight in the great war. He gave a rather lengthy and impressive speech about how they all had a chance to be part of history and fight against the best in the world.

Needless to say, the prisoners ate the speech up like candy and were practically jumping for joy to go to war.

"Wow, he actually settled them down!" Chopper exclaimed in awe. Maybe there was more to Buggy than he thought.

Franky snorted. "If his head gets any bigger, there won't be enough room on the ship."

"I still say they should have left him in Hell," Zoro said with his arms folded; disappointed that Buggy didn't get killed.

It was almost an hour later before the Gate of Justice that led to Marineford appeared within sight.

Sanji wracked his brain thinking of how Luffy and his gang could have passed it. Even with the strength of everyone on-board the battleship, there was no way they could have broken through. They were going to need a miracle that not even Iva could provide.

Jimbei looked stumped as well. "So, how are we going to get through that gate?"

Buggy took this time to go into his 'king of the world' act. "My men, it's almost time!"

"Time for Captain Buggy to rule the world!" the prisoners cheered as they pumped their arms.

"Oh, brother," Sanji groaned.

"Can someone please throw him overboard?" Franky asked. He was getting sick of Buggy.

"Indeed my comrades!" Buggy yelled. His grin got bigger. "Who will be Pirate King?"

"Not you!" all the Strawhats answered.

Buggy laughed in delight when all the prisoners shouted his name.

"Ace..." Luffy murmured. He was so busy thinking about his brother that he didn't even bother to correct Buggy about who the Pirate King would be.

This somewhat unnerving to the Strawhats since Luffy usually got very defensive about the title of Pirate King. He did, after all, knock out fifty-thousand fishmen when Hordy claimed he would be Pirate King.

Luffy's eyes hardened in determination as he rapidly swung his arm. "Maybe they'll open if I just punch them!"

"It doesn't work that way!" Usopp yelled at his captain.

"Yeah, we can try knocking at the door," Mr. 3 said sarcastically.

Without warning, the giant metal doors to the gate started to open to the group of outlaws.

"It's opening!" Chopper shouted.

"Yeah, but how!?" Sanji asked in disbelief. This shouldn't be happening.

Robin's eyes widened in surprise. "The Gates of Justice would never open to them. So why…?"

For some reason, she suspected Blackbeard had a hand in this 'miracle'; after all, how did he get back to Marineford after he invaded Impel Down?

"What is going on here!?" Jimbei asked. Although he kept his face neutral, it was easy to tell he was completely lost as to what could have happened.

Buggy got to the front of the battleship and spread his arms opened, allowing the light from the opening gates to bathe him. He looked like Messiah from legend. "Here it comes! It's time! I know it! How? Because my shoulder blades are dancing a Lambade of rapture!"

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Zoro yelled at Buggy.

"Here it comes! It's coming! It's coming!" Buggy continued to chant.

"Are you kidding me?" Nami murmured as she sweat-dropped.

"Don't tell me you're..." one the prisoners exclaimed before they all fell to their knees and in worship of Buggy. "I never realize you were actually God's messenger!"

"THE HELL!?" Franky exclaimed.

"Wow, Buggy's really great!" Chopper exclaimed with stars and tears in his eyes.

"No, not you too, Chopper!" Usopp yelled as he shook the reindeer.

Brook tilted his head. "Was this really one of Rayleigh's comrades?"

"Seriously, Buggy!?" Luffy shouted in complete disbelief. His eyes were wide with both wonder and awe.

"Don't even start!" Zoro yelled at Luffy.

They passed through the gates without any difficulties, although no one really could explain what happened. For now, they were all just grateful that they could get to the war zone.

"We made it past the gates," Iva said as he walked towards Luffy's side. "Now then, I wonder if you and Ace-boy's father will show up."

Luffy gave Iva a confused look. "Ace's father?"

Iva leaned down and spoke softly so no one could hear them. "Since his son Ace is about to be executed, I'm sure that Dragon will do something."

Luffy smiled. "Oh, me and Ace don't have the same dad."

Iva's eyes widened in shock.

"Poor, Iva-san," Brook said sympathetically. He really did come under false pretenses.

"He was more or less fooled into all of this, wasn't he," Sanji humored.

"Not really. He was the one who jumped to conclusions," Robin stated.

Luffy wasn't finished yet. "My dad is Dragon. But Ace's dad is Gold Roger."

"WHAT!?" Iva screamed in utter disbelief.

"You said too much, Luffy," Nami scolded, wanting to slap Luffy upside his head.

"It's pretty amazing, but they never actually met," Luffy went on in a cheerful voice, complexly unaware of how silent the ship had become. "Although, Ace will probably be mad at me for telling you." He recalled how Ace didn't speak to him for weeks after he found out who his dad was.

"You _think_ , Luffy?" Usopp muttered.

"WHAT!?" everyone on the ship screamed. They had all heard what Luffy just said.

Even the normally cool and dispassionate Crocodile looked completely stunned and his cigar hung loosely in his mouth. This was the last thing he ever expected to hear.

Mr. 1's neutral expression faded as he took in the information. He was just as surprised as his boss.

Jimbei was still as a statue as he took in the news.

Buggy and Mr. 3's mouths had dropped open. For Buggy, this had to be the biggest surprise to learn that his old captain had a son and he knew nothing about it.

Iva had a frozen expression of shock and surprise. The poor man couldn't even form words.

Luffy paused for a second, as if finally realizing that he had said too much. "Oh yeah, this a secret by the way. So, don't tell anyone."

"WHAAAT!?" everyone on the battleship screamed again.

All the Strawhats - save for Robin, who just chuckled - collectively groaned.

"He's really his grandfather's kid," Nami muttered as she face-palmed.

"Just like his grandpa, he tells people something big and just expects them to just forget because he asked," Franky sighed.

"How did Luffy keep something like this a secret for ten years and _then_ just randomly blabs it out to a boat full of strangers and former enemies?" Sanji asked dryly as he rubbed his forehead.

"Luffy himself is a paradox," Usopp concluded.

"Luffy-san is a complex man," Brook stated with a laugh.

For the next thirty minutes, everything was peaceful and uneventful despite the fact that they were heading towards a war against two of the greatest powers in the world. That all changed, however, when the battleship suddenly began to rapidly pick up speed and tumble in the sea.

"What's happening?" Usopp asked in fear, not expecting the sudden change.

"A seaquake, and a powerful one too," Robin said. "Given that this area is not known for seaquakes, only one thing can be behind it. Whitebeard."

Zoro nodded. "Looks like the war has already started."

"Hey, look at that!" someone shouted as a shadow fell over the ship.

"What is that!?" Buggy screamed in panic.

It didn't take long before everyone had their answer. A giant tidal wave was heading right at their backs. It was so huge that it appeared to be merged with the sky.

"It's a tsunami!" everyone screamed.

Franky's jaw dropped. It looked like an Aqua Laguna. Except even bigger.

"It's huge! It's going to swallow us up!" a prisoner shouted.

"That's the biggest tsunami I've ever seen," Nami said barely above a whisper. She could feel herself trembling. To think, one man could create something this. "It's definitely not natural."

"How can anyone escape such a thing alive!?" Usopp screamed. He was closed to going into complete panic mode.

Chopper grabbed onto to Zoro in terror. The older man was able to keep Chopper from latching onto his face, but he was nearly choked to death when the young doctor wrapped his limbs around his neck.

Luffy ran up to Jimbei, who looked strangely calm considering the situation. "H...Hey Jimbei, if this continues..." He couldn't finish the sentence. "I can't be killed by some tsunami here! I have to save Ace!"

"Pull in the sails!" Jimbei ordered before turning to address Luffy. "We will hold on and ride the wave!"

"Huh!?" Buggy exclaimed. "You're not going to avoid it!? What are you talking about, you damn fish-brain?!" He ran up the stairs and attempted to take the wheel from Jimbei. "Turn the damn wheel already!"

"Hey, would you cut it out!" Jimbei yelled as he regained control of the ship.

"How many years have you been pirates? Are you complete amateurs?" Crocodile asked in annoyance. "If we recklessly change our course now, we will capsize immediately. There is only one way out of this."

Nami nodded in agreement. The only option they had was to ride the tsunami and pray that they didn't get turned over or sucked into the wave.

"He is right!" Jimbei exclaimed as he knocked Buggy away. "Hold on tight or you will be pulled into the wave!"

"Dammit!" Luffy cursed as he wrapped his arms around one of the railings. Buggy quickly did the same.

The tsunami grew closer until it hung over the battleship like a massive hand ready to crush them.

The entire ship took a dive and the wave began to consume them. When it reached its lowest point, the ship was sucked upwards into the tsunami until it was completely vertical. It kept going until it reached the top of the tsunami and they began riding on top of the massive wave.

No screams could be heard the entire time since the crashing sound of the tsunami enveloped everything.

Even the Strawhats, who weren't part of the memory, were left shaking and little sick from riding the tsunami.

Just as it looked like they might've been able to ride the tsunami across the Grand Line, it suddenly stopped. Everything was silent and the rush of water had completely disappeared.

"Huh, what happened?" Brook said as he looked around. Just about everyone on the battleship was too shell-shocked to noticed that they had stopped moving.

Zoro walked over to the side of the ship and found their answer. "The water is frozen."

"What!?" some of the Strawhats yelled as they ran towards the side of the ship.

Zoro was right; the entire tsunami was frozen solid.

"What caused this?" Chopper asked.

"Do you really have to ask?" Sanji said. "Only one person in the world could have done this."

"Aokiji," Robin whispered.

"What amazing power," Franky said in awe. "Even for a logia, it's impressive that he was able to freeze a tsunami like this."

"Not too surprising. He, along with that other admiral, did manage to completely change the environment on Punk Hazard. Not to mention that he did freeze lava and volcanic ash that one time," Zoro said. "Freezing a few gallons of water would be nothing for him."

"What the hell!?" Buggy screamed when he realized what had happened. "We're trapped in ice! Now we can't go anywhere at all!"

Crocodile got off the ship and walked toward the edge of the frozen tsunami. "Take a look below us. There is your answer."

Everyone looked down and saw that Marineford was right below them. Even from high up they could see the fighting and hear the gunshots.

"Man, they have the best view in the house!" Franky exclaimed. Their view was only slightly obscured by smoke and gunpowder.

"You can see everything from here!" Brook also yelled.

"Wow, I think I can see old Whitebeard himself!" Usopp yelled in awe.

"Listen up, everyone!" Luffy's yells got everyone's attention. "I got an idea about how we can get past this! Now that we have made it this far, we have to hurry!" He was standing near the top of the battleship with one arm up.

"Yikes," Nami muttered to herself.

"What shitty idea does he have now?" Sanji asked. He was almost afraid of the answer.

"We got less than three hours until they execute Ace!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Yeah, so?" Buggy asked in his 'I don't give a damn' voice.

"His former captain's son is about to be killed and he doesn't care," Brook with an edge of disgust.

"Buggy's an asshole who cares for no one except himself," Zoro said.

"Now that I think about it, why didn't Rayleigh come?" Chopper suddenly asked. "I mean, even if he never met Ace, he was still his captain's son."

Usopp folded his arms. "Good question."

"Huh, never thought of that," Franky admitted. "It is a little odd given how fondly Rayleigh speaks of Roger. I mean, if Luffy had a kid who was on chopping block, wouldn't we try to save them?"

Sanji snorted. "Like that rubber idiot will ever have kids. I doubt he even knows where babies come from."

"Rayleigh most likely did not know about Ace's origins until it was announced during the execution," Robin surmised. "The identity of Ace being Gold Roger's child was a well guarded secret for many reasons."

"But for Roger not to even tell his first mate seems very unlikely," Sanji said in thought.

"Well, look at it this way. Roger gave Ace to Garp, someone who was his sworn enemy, to raise. Not Rayleigh," Robin said.

There was a long pause among the crew.

"Now that I think about…you're right," Nami said. "But why? Why did Roger trust Garp more than his own first mate?"

"Maybe…he didn't want Ace to be a pirate like him, so he gave him to Garp," Chopper suggested in a timid voice.

"It is impossible to say what Roger's motives were," Robin stated. "Maybe he thought it would be too obvious to give his son to Rayleigh and chose Garp since no one would expect the son of the Pirate King to be raised by the Marine Hero."

"It would appear that Roger was a complicated man with many layers," Zoro said as he glanced at his captain.

Despite Luffy's simple and straightforward view of life, he could actually be quite hard to figure out at times. Or maybe, it was better to say that Luffy and Roger worked on their own skewed logic that makes perfect sense to them, but little sense to anyone else.

While the Strawhats were talking among themselves, Luffy was explaining his plan to everyone. His ideas basically boiled down to them breaking the ice and then sliding to safety.

"You wants us to slide the ship down the wave!?" Buggy yelled in outrage after Luffy finished outlining his idea.

"That's our only choice," Luffy said as he crossed his arms.

Robin put her hand to her chin. "He has a point. It would be unwise for them to jump, given the height they are at. Most of them would die on impact with the ice."

"Looks like Luffy actually got a good idea," Usopp said.

"Bet money he'll still find a way to screw it up," Sanji said dryly.

"First off, we have to break the ship out of the ice," Luffy said.

"Are you an idiot!? This is a battleship!" Mr. 3 yelled. "It is not going to move that easily!"

"That's right, you moron!" Buggy screamed.

Luffy clenched his fists. "If we work together, I know we can do it!"

Buggy paused for a moment. "I'm starting to feel like we already can..."

"That's right! We got the man who's going to conquer the world, Captain Buggy, on our side!" one of the prisoner exclaimed.

"If Captain Buggy can do it, then I know we can!" someone else yelled.

Zoro stared at the former prisoners. "Do we have to listen to this crap again?"

The transponder snail on the ship began to ring again, getting everyone's attention. Before anyone could think to answer, the snail started to talk on its own. "Calling all ships and troops, out target site is TOTTZ. Change formation and initiate Operation Three."

"What's going on?" Chopper asked in confusion.

"It is the marines giving orders to their ships and troops," Robin explained. "Everything is spoken in code to prevent valuable information from leaking if someone gains access to the marine's channel like now."

"Make haste the preparations. Once the preparations are complete, we will push the schedule forward and execute Ace, over!" the messenger said before the transponder snail stopped talking and fell back to sleep.

Luffy immediately panicked, along with several other people on the ship.

"I knew that there was no way the marines were going to stick to their execution time," Franky said.

"Honestly, they can kill Ace at _any_ time. I actually don't see why they're waiting," Nami said.

"It is all to show the marines and the World Government's power. If they kill Ace too soon, it would give the impression that they were scared of Whitebeard," Robin said. "By keeping everything formal, they are both making an example of Ace and showing the world that they fear no one, not even the mighty Whitebeard."

Brook nodded. "That is how the marines typically do things. That is also why there is a thirty percent reduction in dead bounties. Even in my time, the marines loved their public executions."

"If I recall correctly, there was some trouble with the live feedback during the execution. All the transponder snails, except one that was stolen by the pirates, were suddenly cut off without warning," Robin said in thought.

Sanji lit another cigarette. "I see. The marines most likely tried to cut the feed when they were going to execute Ace early, so no would know that they rushed the time of the execution."

"Let's hurry!" Luffy yelled, getting the crew back in the memory. He jumped off the battleship and rushed to free themselves of the ice.

"We can't wait any longer! There's no time to argue about this!" Iva yelled. "Everyone, we're going ahead with Strawhat-boy's idea!"

"Why do I have a feeling that this isn't going to end well?" Nami asked dryly.

All the most powerful fighters on the ship, including Buggy, went to break the ice. Unfortunately, all of them messed up. They broke the ice on the wrong side, causing the battleship to plummet onto the battlefield. They all screamed as they fell to their eventual deaths onto the frozen ice below.

"Those idiots!" Nami yelled as the Strawhats floated downwards into Marineford. "I knew they would find a way to screw up such a simple plan up!"

"I am surprised that Crocodile did not notice the error," Robin mused.

"Everyone except Luffy, Crocodile, and that Mr. 1 guy will be killed once they hit that ice," Franky said.

"At least we would be rid of Buggy," Zoro said nonchalantly.

"Like we would be rid of that clown that easily," Sanji said.

"I knew you would overdo it!" Buggy screamed. He had tears running down his eyes as he approached his death.

"This is because of his wink!" Crocodile yelled.

Iva glared at Crocodile as he fell. "You're blaming this on me, Croc!?"

"Who cares!? We're going to die!" Luffy screamed. "The sea beneath us is frozen solid!" He paused for a moment as a realization hit him. "Oh, I'm made of rubber, so I'm fine!"

"Then you'll be the only survivor!" Mr. Three screamed as he floundered in the air.

"Pretty much," almost all the Strawhats answered.

"I don't want to die like this!" Iva screamed. "Someone, stop us!"

"I never should have listened to you, Strawhat! Dammit!" Buggy shouted at Luffy.

"Aw, gotta love Luffy-san's entrances," Brook said.

Franky chuckled. "He certainly did enter the war with style. I can just imagine the marines' faces when they fell from the sky."

Luffy glanced around the battlefield as he got closer to the ground. He could see a small dot in the distance that looked like Ace, but he couldn't be completely sure. "Ace!"

Luckily for all the non-Devil Fruit users, the group landed in the one area of the ice field that wasn't frozen. For some reason, there was a giant hole that was cut out of the ice, making a safe landing for the regular prisoners and Jimbei. The Devil Fruit users, however, sunk to the bottom.

The Strawhats saw Luffy struggling to swim back to the surface as his limbs froze in place. He soon lost his breath and everything went dark.

The memory came back a few minutes later and the Strawhats now stood on the ice field of Marineford.

"It's just like Luffy's dream," Chopper muttered as he watched marines and pirates battle each other on the frozen ocean.

"There's Ace!" Brook yelled as he pointed to the small dot in the distance.

Ace was on his knees near the top of the marine base and he was guarded by a marine with a large seagull on his cap and Garp. On both of Ace's sides stood two marines dressed in executor's uniform. He had blades posed at his neck, ready to take his head on the order. He looked almost like Gold Roger from all the archives pictures. The Strawhats were uncomfortably reminded of Luffy's nightmare.

"Who's that guy with Ace?" Chopper asked as he squinted his eyes to see better.

"That is Sengoku, also known as the Saint Sengoku or the Buddha. He was the former fleet admiral of the marines," Robin stated.

Usopp stared at Robin. "So, he was the leader of the marines!? That means that guy is super strong!" He shivered at the thought of anyone surpassing the power of the admirals.

Robin nodded. "It would make sense that he would personally guard Ace."

"Why is Garp there?" Nami asked. Garp was sitting cross-legged next to Ace, overlooking the war. "He can't really just sit there and watch his adoptive grandson die, even if he's a pirate!"

"It must be tough for him," Sanji said softly. "On one hand, it is his duty to make sure Ace is killed, but he also has a duty as a grandfather to protect Ace. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes."

"Are you telling me that being a marine justifies him watching his grandson be executed!?" Nami asked in both anger and horror.

"Well, he did try to kill all of us back on Water 7 after he was ordered to," Franky pointed out.

"Even so, he gave us a fighting chance to escape," Zoro said. "Garp could have easily killed us during our escape, but he purposely took it easy on us and didn't do his best attack until we proclaimed that we were going to leave. This is different. There's no escape for Ace unless Whitebeard succeeds."

"Trapped between family and duty," Brook whispered. His heart went out to the man. If he had a heart. He chuckled a little at his skull joke.

"What I want to know is who that dead giant over there is," Franky said as he pointed to a green demon-looking giant with flaming orange hair that was slumped near where Ace was. "Looks like Oars."

Robin looked over the giant. "He is definitely in the same family as Oars. He could be a descendant."

"That giant that we fought had children?" Sanji asked in disbelief. He didn't even want to imagine what that family tree looked like.

"He isn't as big as Oars, though," Zoro observed.

"Still bigger than regular giants," Nami said. "I wonder who took him down?"

"Not just took him down, someone severed his foot!" Usopp exclaimed when he saw that the giant was missing one of his legs. He could even see the remains some distance away.

"It was a clean cut, too. Too clean to be a sword," Brook noted. "Looks like the limb was severed by wire or something."

"Given where we are at, it could have been anyone," Zoro said.

"He isn't dead," Chopper said. "There are subtle movements in his chest, although he is critically wounded and needs immediate medical care."

"In this kind of war, he's as good as dead," Sanji said in a somber voice.

A moan was heard as Luffy slowly began to sit up. The Strawhats could tell by the far-off look in his eyes that Luffy wasn't completely there. The seawater had completely drained him.

"Where am I?" Luffy muttered as he watched the chaos around him. He then looked up into the sky. "I see...I fell from way up there..." After a few seconds, Luffy's eyes widened as he remembered why he was there. "Ace!"

He got unsteadily to his feet and searched for his brother. He climbed to the top of the now destroyed battleship and looked around until he saw Ace. Luffy smiled happily and gave a deep sigh of relief. Ace was still alive. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that it looked like Luffy would break down right then and there.

"Ace..." Luffy whispered before he took a deep breath. "ACE!"

Ace looked right at his brother. He didn't seem happy to see his baby brother. In fact, he had an expression of horror as he stared at Luffy.

"LUFFY!" Ace screamed back. He appeared to be trying to tear his chains off.

"Ace!" Luffy screamed again as he waved his arms. "I finally found you!"

"Luffy!" Ace yelled in a near panic. He was completely powerless to help his brother.

"Ace, wait for me, I'm coming to save you!" Luffy yelled as he eyes hardened in determination. From his back, all the most powerful fighters from Impel Down were grouped together. "We're all here to save you!"

"I doubt Crocodile is there for Ace, Luffy," Usopp muttered.

Sanji snorted. "Almost no one except for Jimbei really wants to save Ace. Iva doesn't really count since he escape Impel Down out of a false assumption and is only here now just to keep Luffy from being killed."

"Of all the things you could have done, you joined forces with Strawhat Luffy. Is this your answer, Jimbei!?" Sengoku screamed.

"That is right! I quit being a Warlord!" Jimbei yelled back defiantly.

Sengoku looked majorly pissed.

While this was happening, Crocodile turned his eyes towards Whitebeard. He was standing on his ship, overlooking the entire battle. Even from the distance, the Strawhat could see and even feel the power radiating from the old man. It was like they were staring at a physical god. Eneru had nothing on this man's presence.

"So, that's the great pirate, Whitebeard. The man who was said to be the strongest in the world and king of the ocean itself," Franky said in awe as he swallowed hard. Just being around the mighty pirate made his mouth dry.

Zoro couldn't stop himself from smiling. Few people in the world made him quiver. "Even if this is a memory, I'm happy that I got to see him with my own eye. The Haki in that man is amazing."

He didn't think it was possible, but Whitebeard shook him even more than Mihawk. Too bad he was dead. He would have loved to face him and see how he measured up to the best in the world.

Sanji nodded. He could feel himself visibly shaking despite himself. "Even after spending two years in Hell, I'm nothing compared to that man."

"He must have been a true demon at his peak," Robin said. Even without the ability to use Haki, she felt Whitebeard. "Nothing less from the man who rivaled the Pirate King."

Chopper couldn't find his voice as he stared at Whitebeard. Every instinct in his body was screaming for him to run. At the same time, something was off. There was something about Whitebeard's stance and face that nagged at his medical mind. For some reason, he was reminded of his adoptive father.

Crocodile used his powers to make his move against Whitebeard. He was on the old pirate's ship within moments. Whitebeard didn't even raise an eyebrow as Crocodile raised his hook.

"Long time no see, Whitebeard!" Crocodile growled fiercely. None of the Strawhats had heard that tone of voice on Crocodile before. He also had a craze grin on his face that was very unlike the former Warlord.

"You never learn, do you?" Whitebeard asked nonchalantly, never turning his head.

Crocodile attempted to impale Whitebeard, but was intercepted by Luffy who was in his Gear Second. He kicked Crocodile's hook out of the way, knocking the logia user off-balance.

When Crocodile recovered, he saw Luffy glaring fiercely as his skin burned red. Crocodile observed him for a moment longer and realized that Luffy was soaking wet.

"When did Luffy find the time to get himself wet that fast?" Franky asked.

"He dumped himself into the water just before he ran after Crocodile," Robin stated.

"So, you already made preparations to fight me?" Crocodile asked neutrally. "I have honored our agreement and helped you get here. Why are you defending Whitebeard?"

"So, this old man really is Whitebeard? Then don't touch him!" Luffy yelled. "Ace likes this old guy!"

"Don't let him near the Old Man!" several Whitebeard Pirates yelled as they held Crocodile off, much to the sand user's annoyance.

Whitebeard finally turned his head and observed Luffy. His eyes fell to Luffy's strawhat and stood there for a moment. A look of recognition crossed his face. "Kid, that strawhat of yours. It looks a lot like the one Red-Hair used to wear."

Luffy turned to face the old pirate. "You know Shanks, old man? I'm holding on to it for him," he said as he looked at his hat, which was hanging off his neck.

Whitebeard stared at Luffy for a moment longer. "Have you come to save your brother?"

"That's right!" Luffy exclaimed, staring right up to the powerful pirate.

"Do you not realize what you are up against?" Whitebeard asked as if he was talking to a small child, which Luffy _was_ compared to him. He raised his bisento off the deck and slammed it down with such force that it shook the entire ship.

For the first time, the Strawhats saw just how small Luffy looked compared to the great pirate. Luffy was never a tall person, but he barely reached Whitebeard's knees. In many ways, it was a metaphor for the different in their power.

"Someone like you does not stand a chance," Whitebeard yelled fiercely.

The outburst would have shaken any normal person and brought them to their knees, but Luffy continued to stare defiantly at Whitebeard.

"Shut up! That's not for you to decide!" Luffy yelled, making Whitebeard raise an eyebrow. "I know perfectly well! You want to be Pirate King, don't you!? I'm the one who's going to be Pirate King!"

Luffy's outburst left a wave of silence. No one could believe that he had dared spoken to Whitebeard like that. Even the marines in the area were left in a state of shock.

"Leave it to Luffy to be blunt," Nami sighed.

"I can't believe he's getting away with talking to Whitebeard like that. He could stomp Luffy into paste in a blink of an eye," Usopp said.

Whitebeard narrowed his eyes and glared at Luffy as if he was sizing him up. It was most likely to decide if Luffy was serious or just some kid spouting nonsense.

Luffy refused to back down from Whitebeard's cold glare and even growled at the man.

After a moment, Whitebeard grinned and chuckled. "You are pretty damn cheeky. I will not show you mercy if you slow us down, you spoiled brat!"

"I'm doing what I want to do!" Luffy yelled. "I'm going to save Ace myself!"

"Luffy has some balls, talking to Whitebeard like that," Franky said with a slight chuckle.

"To Luffy, Whitebeard was just another stepping stone to him becoming Pirate King," Zoro said with a smirk. A true man didn't fear the best in the world. Instead, they aimed to surpass them.

After a moment, Luffy finally started to cool down. "Old man."

"Yeah?" Whitebeard answered.

"We heard a message on the battleship just now," Luffy said. He quickly told Whitebeard of the marines' plan to execute Ace early.

"They are moving up the time of the execution?" Whitebeard asked. He did not sound too surprised by the latest development. "You are sure that is what they said?"

Luffy nodded. "After they finish some kind of preparations. Then, some code stuff that I didn't understand."

Whitebeard gritted his teeth in concern.

"Since you want to save Ace, I thought I would tell you," Luffy said casually.

Whitebeard turned his head back to the battle. "I see. This is rather important news. Sorry about before."

Luffy shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"He's talking to Whitebeard like they're equals!" Usopp exclaimed in disbelief.

"What's so surprising? He's _Luffy_ ," Zoro said with a smile. "He speaks to everyone the same regardless of how important they are."

"Well, he does use a more respectful tone around Rayleigh even before he trained with him," Nami said as he remembered the incident at the auction house. "In fact, Luffy was actually unnerved by Rayleigh when he first met him."

"Well, Rayleigh-san did release that giant Haki burst that knocked out the entire auction house," Brook said.

"It could also be because he holds the Pirate King and everything related to him to a higher standard than Whitebeard," Robin surmised. "Whitebeard may have been Roger's rival and equal, but he was not the Pirate King."

Sanji nodded. "Luffy's ignorance of the pirate world still astonishes me, given how much he loves pirates."

"Luffy loves the idea of pirates, not necessarily the pirates themselves," Nami corrected.

"Right. Ace, I'm coming now!" Luffy exclaimed as he jumped off of Whitebeard's ship. He hit the ice below and took off running at full speed.

A group of marines ran to intercept him, but Luffy was not about let anyone stop him after coming this far.

"Gum Gum Bazooka!' Luffy yelled as he shot both of his arms forward. His hands hit the ice under the marines, knocking them off their feet. "Move it!" he screamed as he ran past them.

Behind him, Luffy could hear one of the Whitebeard's commanders ordering his group forward on top of Jimbei and Iva joining the war. He also heard the cries of the Newkama Land's people.

"Do not lose focus!" Sengoku yelled through the speakers that surrounded Marineford. "Proceed as instructed!"

Luffy ran for a few seconds before he saw a very unwelcome familiar face.

"It's you from Sabaody!" Luffy yelled when he saw Kizaru.

"Damn, Luffy's already faced with an admiral!" Franky cussed as he clenched his fists.

"At this point, Luffy still can't even touch that man," Brook said worriedly.

"The Celestial Dragons will be on my case if I let you get away again," Kizaru said easily. He lifted his foot as he prepared his attack. "Strawhat Luffy."

The light blinded Luffy. Kizaru obviously intended to fire a laser at him.

"Death Wink!" Iva screamed from behind Luffy. The bust of wind knocked Luffy out of the way, saving him from the laser blast.

"That brings back painful memories," Zoro muttered. His skin still burns sometimes.

"Strawhat-boy, are you alright!?" Iva yelled at Luffy, who was lying face-down on the ice.

He quickly sat up and faced Iva. "That was close! Thanks, Iva!"

"It's my mission to protect you from death!" Iva screamed angrily. As he yelled, another laser shone in the distance. "Kizaru again!"

The Strawhats, however, knew by the silhouette that it wasn't Kizaru.

"Kuma," Sanji whispered, before the bear Warlord fired at Iva.

"That's the bear guy who sent us all flying!" Luffy yelled as Iva furiously shouted Kuma's name.

Kuma fired his laser, but Iva easily evaded it.

"Bartholomew Kuma!" Iva yelled. He pointed his finger at the Warlord. "You, here I come!"

Kuma shot at him again and burnt a chunk of his hair off, much to Iva's surprise.

"Iva!" Luffy screamed.

"Don't worry about me!" Iva yelled. "Leave this to me and just keep moving!"

"Alright!" Luffy yelled as he took off running again.

He didn't get too far before two chakrams nearly hit him. He dodged the chakrams easily, but was nearly hit by Fullbody, who attempted to slam his fist into him.

"I know those chakrams! So, he's here too!" Usopp exclaimed.

"The marines must be desperate for extra man power if they invited that loser," Sanji said dryly.

"How unlucky for you to bump into us!" Fullbody bragged.

"Strawhat, this is where it ends for you!" Jango exclaimed as he spun his chakrams on his hand.

"I still would like to know how he became a marine," Usopp muttered.

"These two are like the terrible duo of the marines, huh?" Franky questioned with humor.

"Huh, who are you?" Luffy asked, not recognizing them at all.

They both were annoyed by his lack of recognition.

"I'm Fullbody!" the marine yelled. "I still owe you from the floating restaurant Baratie!"

"He still remembers that?" Chopper asked.

"Some people can really hold grudges," Brook said.

"Ah...the guy who got his ass kicked by Sanji," Luffy said neutrally, earning several chuckles from the Strawhats, especially Sanji.

"You got that right," Sanji snickered.

Fullbody gritted his teeth in anger.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten these chakrams?" Jango asked desperately.

"Aren't you the hypnotist from Usopp's village?" Luffy asked. "What are you doing here?"

Jango brought up two chakrams tied to a string. "With the marine's help, I perfected Jango Hypnotism!"

"Does that mean he doesn't hypnotize himself anymore?" Nami asked in a deadpan voice.

"Two chakrams, twice as effective," Jango said proudly. "With one, two, Jango you will fall asleep."

Luffy followed the chakrams with his eyes.

"You idiot, don't look at them!" Sanji yelled.

"Luffy would be in trouble if he's hit," Chopper said in concern. "He couldn't even resist one chakram."

"One, two..." Jango started. Just before he said Jango, a distance explosion distracted Luffy. When he turned to face Jango again, Fullbody and he had both fallen asleep and were snoring loudly.

"Well, looks like he still hypnotizes himself," Zoro said in a deadpan voice.

Nami sighed as she rubbed her head. "He even hit his own ally."

"What is going on?" a woman with long pink hair and a reddish-purple uniform said.

"Oh, it's Captain Hina from Alabasta!" Sanji swooned with hearts in his eyes. "She still looks as lovely as ever! Such a wonderful angel shouldn't be in such a wicked place."

Hina ruthlessly kicked Fullbody and Jango a wake. "Hina disappointed!"

"She even refers to herself in the third-person! She's so cute!" Sanji cooed with hearts in his eyes.

Zoro stared annoyed at Sanji. "Even now, you can only think with your other head."

"You...I met you back in Alabasta!" Luffy exclaimed. "I don't have time to waste with any of you guys!" He ran forwards, attempting to pass her.

"I will not let you run," Hina said as steel cages shot out from her arms and entrapped Luffy in her area.

"What's that?" Brook asked. "An ability?"

"Everything that passes through my body is lock tight," Hina said, causing Fullbody and Jango to swoon.

"Captain Hina ate the Cage Cage Fruit. Everything that touches her becomes trapped in a cage made of metal," Robin explained.

"Handy for a marine," Nami stated.

Luffy wasn't impressed. "I've had enough of being in cages!" He quickly went into his Second Gear.

Hina attempted to entrap Luffy with her powers, but Luffy used his great speed to avoid the trap. He seemly disappeared and jumped over Hina before she even knew what had happened.

"He is fast!" Hina exclaimed in surprise. "I could not see him!"

Luffy hit the ice and wasted no time running away from her as she deactivated his Gear.

"Stop right there!" a marine yelled as he blindsided Luffy with his club. Luckily for Luffy, the spikes on the steel club were dull and did nothing more than cut his face.

Luffy attempted a counter attack by punching the marine, but the man blocked Luffy's punch with his club, which threw Luffy's balance off. He landed hard on the ice, but Luffy quickly rolled over before the marine could finish him. He jumped up and knocked the marine out of the way with a Gum Gum Whip.

Another marine snuck up behind Luffy and attempted to behead him with his sword. Luffy sensed him coming and easily evaded the fatal blow. He took a page out of Sanji's book and did a handstand. Luffy spun his legs around rapidly like a windmill, taking any marine within his range out.

"Wow, even the random marine soldiers are giving Luffy trouble!" Usopp yelled in shock.

"Yeah, it's nothing like Enies Lobby when the average marine couldn't even touch Luffy!" Franky yelled.

"It is to be expected. This is a war of the best," Robin said. "Even the above-average marine soldiers are the cream of the crop. Luffy will not be able to just plow through them."

Chopper frowned when he saw the flushness in Luffy's cheeks and the sweating pouring down his face. "It's more than that. Luffy's in terrible shape."

"Hmm, he seems fine to me," Usopp said as he watched his friend fight.

Brook shook his head. "No, he's far from fine. Look at his face. He's running a fever."

"A high fever too," Chopper observed in worry. Luffy was sweating far too hard for the activity he was doing. "His body was exhausted before breaking out of Impel Down because of the intense healing he underwent from being fatally poisoned. It's only because of Iva's adrenaline that he's even able to move. He should actually be bedridden. By pushing his body like this, he steadily making himself sick."

"Hmm, it makes sense. Iva did say that taking adrenaline would have terrible side-effects," Sanji said with a note of concern. Luffy was going to fell out after all of this.

Nami got a good look at Luffy. "Yeah, he doesn't look well. Even with the adrenaline, I doubt he's able to fight at his full power."

Chopper gritted his teeth. "If he doesn't rest soon, Luffy's body could be damaged beyond healing. Not to _mention_...he could shorten his life even more by causing damage to his heart."

Zoro narrowed his eye as he listened to crew. He knew that Luffy was not in his top condition, but he didn't think it had reached such a critical point. And knowing what was going to happen….

With the last marine dealt with in Luffy's immediate area, he ran again towards his brother. Some of the marines managed to keep up with Luffy's running speed and attempted to attack him, but he managed to evade them

"Strawhat!" someone screamed.

The Strawhats looked to see Moriah up ahead. Besides some bandages on his torso, one would never think he got badly beaten just a couple weeks ago.

"Oh, that guy made it to the war?" Sanji asked in annoyance. "I thought the ass-kicking Luffy gave him would put him down longer."

"Regardless of his defeat, he's still a Warlord and a Devil Fruit user," Brook said as he remembered what Pell said about fruit users having a higher recovery rate. "They're made tough."

"Still, he had to be badly hurt since I've heard he was killed during the war," Nami said.

Zoro folded his arms. "I'm not sure about that. I remember Mihawk saying that he saw Moriah quite alive after the war."

Robin rubbed her chin. "Its sounds like the marines, or maybe the government, did something to him."

"Come out and play, my zombie warriors!" Moriah exclaimed as zombies rose from the ground, freaking Usopp, Chopper, and Brook out as they screamed in horror.

"Huh, he can do that in the middle of a war?" Franky asked in surprise.

"Now, my minions, go and capture Strawhat!" Moriah ordered his zombie army.

"Moriah!" Luffy yelled when he saw the Warlord. "Another tough guy!"

The zombies attacked Luffy, but the rubberman was able to knock them away from him. That didn't do much, however, since they were zombies, meaning they felt no pain and would keep getting back up to attack Luffy. No matter how many zombies Luffy took down, more came out of the ground. Gradually, the zombie army began to push Luffy back.

"There's more!" Luffy exclaimed after he saw about thirty zombies walking towards him.

"Of course, this is a battlefield!" Moriah yelled smugly. "People dying simply adds to my zombie army!"

"Where the hell is he getting all these shadows?" Zoro asked. "He couldn't be taking them from the people here since they would die in the sunlight."

"Most likely he stocked up on shadows before the war started," Robin surmised.

While Luffy was having trouble with the zombies, elite marines also mercilessly jumped him at every turn. He was quickly becoming overwhelmed, but he kept fighting even as he was being nicked and cut by marines and zombies.

"Stay away, Luffy!" Ace suddenly screamed over the battlefield, getting his brother's attention. "You ought to know already, you and I are both pirates! You should be out sailing however you want! Me, I have my own adventures! Me, I have my own friends! You have no right to interfere with this!"

Robin's eyes widened as she listened to Ace's yells. It was almost the same as her own screams back in Enies Lobby.

"A weakling like you coming to rescue me, do you think I'm going to let that happen!?" Ace continued to shout. "That would be humiliating! Go back Luffy! Why did you come!?"

The Strawhats could see Ace's body shake as tears collected in his eyes. They knew he must have been feeling guilty. It was his duty as the older brother to protect Luffy. Now, Luffy was all but killing himself trying to save him. It was any older brother's nightmare.

Luffy ran forward through the horde of zombies and marines, not caring anymore if he was getting hit.

"I'M YOUR BABY BROTHER!" Luffy shouted to the top of his lungs, startling everyone in the area.

Most of the Strawhats were moved to tears by the proclamation. Those words were just so powerful. Those two were indeed brothers in all but blood.

The marines muttered in confusion over Luffy's relationship with Ace. How could he also be a child of Gold Roger?

"Those stupid pirate rules, I've never heard them!" Luffy yelled as he kept running.

"Don't you get it!?" Ace screamed in frustration.

Luffy was about to be attacked by zombies again when a tidal wave of water suddenly hit them. The salt water got into the zombies' throats, causing the shadows to be released and the zombies purified.

Moriah gasped in shock as he watched this happened.

Jimbei jumped out of the water and landed next to Luffy.

"Jimbei!" Luffy exclaimed happily.

"They are weak against salt, those zombies of yours," Jimbei said as he addressed Moriah.

The fellow Warlord growled at the fishman.

"Jimbei is the perfect match against that overgrown leech," Sanji observed with a smile on his face.

"His ability to control the sea in invaluable. Especially since it's impossible to get access to salt any other way," Nami said.

"Luffy-kun, leave the zombies to me," Jimbei said.

"I'm counting on you!" Luffy yelled.

"What are you doing!?" Sengoku yelled through the speaker. "It is only one rookie! Do not let him dictate the entire war this way!"

"Out of the way!" a giant yelled as he ran to confront Luffy. "I'll crush him!" He raised his club attempted to make good on his promise.

Luffy and Jimbei quickly got out of the way before the club could hit them. As Luffy fought the giant, Sengoku kept speaking.

"That man will be dangerous in the future! He was raised with his sworn brother, Ace, but his actual bloodline makes him the son of the Revolutionary Dragon!" Sengoku announced.

"Revolutionary Dragon!?" several people on both sides shouted in shock and disbelief.

The marines started to look at Luffy as if he was some kind demon. It was eerily similar to how the kids in Luffy's village looked at him. It was the same primal fear.

"The son of the world's most fearsome criminal!?" others screamed in terror.

"Well, that's how that got into the papers," Nami said in a somewhat dry voice.

"So, that is how it is!?" Jimbei exclaimed in shock.

"We mustn't let him live!" a marine shouted, making all the other marines get over their previous fear.

This got almost all the marines in the area on Luffy in moments. They were going to make certain that Luffy didn't leave this war zone.

"They had to learn who his dad was before they started to take him seriously?" Zoro asked in annoyance.

"You would think him invading Enies Lobby and kicking two Warlords' asses would be enough of a warning," Sanji mused. "Not to mention punching the shit out of a World Noble."

"The marines are big on bloodlines," Robin said in a somber tone as she looked at her captain in a new light. It was only now that she truly saw how similar they were in the eyes of the world. "Much like Ace, Luffy was damned the moment he was born because of who Dragon is."

"What do you mean?" Nami asked.

"Ace is the son of the Pirate King. Even if he had never become a pirate, he would have never been allowed to live a peaceful life," Robin said sadly. "I am certain that is why he was such a trouble kid before meeting Luffy and Sabo. Like me, Ace and Luffy's entire existence is a sin."

Franky snorted. "Are you telling me that the government is crazy enough to murder someone purely based on their bloodline!?"

Robin nodded as she continued to stare at her captain. "Vice-Admiral Garp was foolish to believe that the government would forgive Luffy and Ace's existence if they became marines. Even if they had followed his predefined path, they would have been hunted and murdered by the marines and the government because in the eyes of the world, they carried the blood of monsters."

"That's horrible!" Nami exclaimed in horror.

"I am certain that is why Garp never told Luffy about his father until recently. If he did, Luffy may have become like Ace. A man torn apart living with the knowledge that he should have never been born," Robin whispered.

Chopper shook his head. "What a cruel thing to do. Blood should never determine the worth of a person."

"The world does not think like that," Robin said bitterly. "Luffy should be thankful that he never had to live with that reality until he was old enough not to care."

Luffy bit down on his thumb and used his Gear Third Rifle to one-shot the giant that was attacking him, shocking the marines.

"Ace!" Luffy screamed towards his brother. "Say whatever the hell you want! I'm saving you even if I die!"

Those words left a bitter taste in all the Strawhats' mouths.

Luffy shrunk after he released the air from his body, but, luckily for him, the people from Newkama Land were there to cover him until he turned back to normal.

"Hey, Strawhat, you're attracting too much attention," one of the Newkama people said.

Luffy looked to see an army of marines was surrounding him.

"Do not let them move an inch!" Sengoku ordered. "Do not let a rookie wreck our plans!"

"I wonder what exactly this plan of theirs is?" Brook mused out loud.

"Whatever it is, they're putting a lot of stock into it," Sanji said.

"Charge!" a marine yelled as Luffy and others were attacked from all angles.

No one backed down as they attacked the marine forces head on. Elite or not, they weren't going to let the marines stop them. More people joined the battle, as some of the Whitebeard Pirates combined their strength with the Newkama Land people.

It was complete chaos. Guns were fired from all directions and people fell by the wayside as more people ran in to take their place. The Strawhats could barely keep up with what was happening.

More marines charged Luffy, forcing him to step back to keep from getting cut by their swords. Despite his best efforts, he was slashed across the chest by one marine before he was able to put him down.

"I'm going to save Ace! Get out of my way!" Luffy yelled as he ran forward in an attempt to break the marines' barricade.

Ace looked completely tormented as he watched his friends, his captain, and his brother fight and get hurt because of him. This was worse than dying to him. After a while, Ace's face became set as he willingly accepted whatever fate waited for him.

Cannons began to fire on Luffy's group, forcing them to lose ground again.

Luffy quickly used his Gum Gum Balloon to deflect the cannon fire and take out the people shooting at them.

Even with the cannons gone, however, they still couldn't break the marines' barricade and they were quickly losing men.

"This looks bad for them!" Chopper shouted with tears in his eyes. He couldn't stand to see so many people dying like this.

"Luffy can't do anything if the marines keep surrounding him like that," Zoro said.

"Death Wink!" Iva yelled as he used his attack to knock several marines out of the away.

"Lord Iva, are you alright?" someone asked.

"Iva, I want to make a straight line for Ace!" Luffy yelled. He turned towards Jimbei, who was taking out several marines with his Fishman Karate. The look he gave Jimbei was similar to the stare he gave Zoro when given an unspoken order.

Jimbei caught Luffy's eyes and understood the silent message and used his Fishman Karate to clear a path.

Zoro was impressed by what he saw. Luffy was able to silently communicate commands with Jimbei.

Iva also helped cleared the way by blasting marines with his Death Wink. Luffy added his power as well and hit a group of marines with a Bazooka.

With a path finally cleared, they all made a run past the marine's barrier.

"What remarkable teamwork!" Brook cheered.

"Luffy was able to communicate all of that with a sentence!?" Usopp exclaimed.

Nami chuckled. "Look at Jimbei. He was crew member even back then."

Moriah was back and he decided to handle Luffy directly. Before Luffy could reach him, however, Jimbei got in front of him.

"Fight me, Moriah!" Jimbei yelled as he ran towards the fellow Warlord. "I am more than a match for you!"

Luffy didn't see the battle as he kept running forward, but he knew Jimbei would be alright. Even with Moriah being dealt with, Luffy had a much bigger problem.

So fast that Luffy couldn't see it, he was smacked with a steel weapon across the face. Blood flowed out of Luffy's mouth as he stumbled around, completely dazed.

"What was that!?" Franky exclaimed. "Mere steel shouldn't make Luffy bleed like that."

Sanji narrowed his eyes when he saw who Luffy's attacker was. "It's Smoker!"

"He would be here," Zoro said.

Luffy wiped his mouth in surprise. "That hurt!" He looked up to see what had hit him and his eyes widened when he saw Smoker standing before him. "You're...Smoky!"

"At last we meet again, Strawhat!" Smoker exclaimed dramatically. He had his jutte up, ready for another attack.

Iva attempted to intercept Smoker, but he was too busy dealing with Kuma, who was trying to blast him with lasers.

"That's right, his jutte has seastone in it," Luffy muttered as he considered his options. "Damn you..." he yelled as he activated his Gear Second.

"I will finish you!" Smoker proclaimed.

Luffy wasted no time using a Jet Gatling and pummeled Smoker with his lightning fast punches. At least, he would have plummeted him if Luffy could touch Smoker's body. He was still unable to hit smoke.

Smoker launched himself into the air using his powers and prepared to dive bomb Luffy.

"He's much stronger than before!" Luffy yelled as he watched Smoker fly in the air.

While he was distracted, Tashigi charged in and attempted to slash him. Luffy quickly disappeared, catching the swordswoman off-guard.

Smoker was equally baffled before Luffy appeared behind him and attempted to hit him with another Jet Gatling. Although he didn't need to, Smoker skillfully evaded the punches and rammed Luffy.

"Seems we have both grown stronger," Smoker noted before he pushed his jutte into Luffy's throat and slammed the rubberman onto the ice. If Luffy wasn't made of rubber, his throat would have been crushed from the impact.

Luffy was completely helpless as he struggled to escape. It was all in vain since the seastone robbed him of his strength.

"Still no match for him," Sanji said. The outcome wasn't surprising, but it was still unnerving to see Luffy being completely dominated despite all his past victories.

"He had no chance since he couldn't use his Haki yet to hit Smoker," Nami said.

"You cannot defeat me with your abilities," Smoker said as he pinned Luffy.

"Damn...it's the jutte..." Luffy murmured weakly. He was dead if he couldn't break free.

"I finally understand why Dragon saved you back in Loguetown, Strawhat," Smoker stated as he pressed down harder. "Dragon got in my way back then, but this time, you are not getting away!"

"Dammit...!" Luffy exclaimed as his struggling got weaker.

"Get your filthy hands off of him!" someone screamed at Smoker was kicked in the face, knocking him off of Luffy.

"Hancock!" Chopper exclaimed.

It was indeed the Pirate Empress. She was riding her snake, not even bothering to walk. Despite being in a war with the best, there wasn't a scratch on her.

Sanji danced around happily. "My beautiful Hancock-chan saved our shit head captain! I expect nothing less from my wonderful angel!"

" _Your_ beautiful Hancock?" Zoro questioned. "She only has eyes for Luffy, you stupid cook."

This made Sanji rage.

"She managed to hit me although I am smoke," Smoker muttered in shock.

"But a kick should not have touched him!" Tashigi exclaimed in equal surprise.

"Apparently, neither one of them have heard of Haki yet," Zoro mused.

Hancock glared at Smoker. She looked extremely pissed off, to say the least.

"Hancock, what are you playing at!?" Smoker demanded as he stood up. "Do you intend to quit being a Warlord too!?"

Robin could not help but smile. Smoker just had really bad luck when it comes to dealing with the Warlords.

"Silence!" Hancock yelled angrily as she got between Luffy and Smoker. "I am so infuriated that I do not care what you say! How dare you hold down my dearest!?"

"My dearest?" Usopp repeated in slight amusement. It was funny, but he was still a little bitter towards his captain. How did he bag such a fine woman? It just wasn't fair.

"Luffy-san has completely captured Hancock's heart. I'm so jealous that my own heart would break…if I had one," Brook laughed.

"Damn you, you shitty rubber head captain!" Sanji screamed.

"Luffy is so popular with women," Chopper said.

"It does seems just about every female he meet develops some kind of crush on him," Franky said as he thought of Vivi, Alvida, and Shirahoshi. He glanced at Nami and Robin, but he kept his mouth shut on that one. At the rate Luffy was going, he could create a harem by the time he became Pirate King.

"I will not let you leave!" Hancock exclaimed as her rage grew. "I have never been this angry! I will rip you apart and feed you to a beast!"

"Ah, it must be love," Nami humored.

Smoker stared at her for a moment. "So, that was Haki of the Kuja Tribe."

Luffy was on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath. He smiled when he realized who had saved him. "Hancock!"

"Yes!" Hancock yelled in childish squeal. The Strawhats could practically see the hearts in her eyes. She was also blushing furiously. "You called me Hancock again!"

"What's going on!? Why did the Pirate Empress protect Strawhat?" a marine asked in shock and confusion.

Hancock turned to face Luffy, ignoring the shocked marines. She put her hands in a heart formation, like she was ready to use her ability on him. It was just a ploy, however, as she blushed at Luffy.

"I always believed that you would make it here alive," Hancock whispered as she reached into her cleavage and took out a key. She took Luffy's hands into her own and gently dropped the key in his palms. "Take this. It is the key to your brother's handcuffs."

Luffy's mouth dropped as the marines yelled something about the woman's witchcraft.

"For elite marines, these people are dumb," Zoro muttered.

"Still, Hancock helped Luffy again. Her faith in Luffy was so strong that she stole the key for him," Nami said. She may be cruel to anyone except Luffy, but she really saved the day.

"Hancock!" Luffy exclaimed once he found his voice.

She immediately blushed again. "He said my name again!"

Luffy jumped up and hugged Hancock happily. "You're...you're...thanks a lot! I owe you one!"

"I think he's up to three with Hancock, actually," Usopp commented.

Robin found the marines' freak out to be more amusing than Hancock blushing like a schoolgirl. How could they mistake a hug for a body slam?

"It's alright, it's alright..." Hancock stuttered. "Do not worry about it...just keeping going forward, Luffy!"

"Oh, yeah!" Luffy exclaimed as he remembered his task. He jumped off of Boa and began to run again. "Thanks!" As he ran, he looked down at his hand and stare at the key for a moment. "I'm really grateful for this! I'm in her debt again!"

"I'm beginning to see what Luffy meant when he said he owed a lot of people back when we met Law in Punk Hazard," Usopp said.

Zoro nodded. "We owe Luffy's safe return to more than a few people."

Luffy ran faster as he focused on his brother. "Wait for me, Ace!"

A few more marines attempted to flank Luffy, but the rubberman was able to break through without too many problems. He wouldn't allow the marines to box him in again.

As he moved forward, he saw Iva up ahead with Kuma and another man dressed like some kind of bird with blond hair and purple sunglasses.

"The Warlord Doflamingo," Zoro growled as he remembered his previous and future dealings with that man.

"Iva!" Luffy yelled. He was more concerned about Kuma than Doflamingo. "It's the bear guy! Be careful Iva! He'll blast you away!"

"I'll be fine," Iva assured in a calm voice. "Now, Kuma, move!"

Luffy was surprise by the way Iva was addressing the bear Warlord. Kuma for his part made no move. He didn't even appear to be aware of anything.

"So, Kuma lost his free will before the war started," Franky said sadly. "He was right when he told Luffy that they would never meet again."

"Iva, you know this guy?" Luffy asked as he stopped in front of the two Warlords.

"Yeah...but he's acting strange," Iva said as he narrowed his eyes.

Doflamingo chuckled in amusement. "It seems that you two have memories of Kuma, but the Kuma you know and this guy are two different people."

Luffy blinked in confusion. "Different people? What is he talking about?"

"That's not possible! This is, without a doubt, the one who ate the Paw Paw Fruit!" Iva yelled as he pointed towards the cyborg. "He's Kuma! Kuma, answer me!"

Kuma gave no response. He continued to stare blankly at his former friend and comrade.

"This is so irritating!" Iva growled. "But, then again, he was always been a man of few words!"

"I keep telling you that it's useless, no matter how much you talk to him," Doflamingo said with a grin as he leaned into his hand. "Just a couple of days ago the government head scientist, Doctor Vegapunk, completed his final modification on him, transforming him into a perfect human weapon. In other words, this is the former Bartholomew Kuma!"

"Modification, a weapon, what are you talking about!?" Iva screamed in outrage.

"Basically, he was selected by the government's human weapon project to be a test subject. He volunteered for it himself," Doflamingo explained with a huge grin on his face. "They started with his hands, then his legs. Leaving only his conscious intact, the scientists replaced his body parts one by one over a long period of time."

The more timid Strawhats cringed at the mental picture.

"Don't lie! Kuma hates the World Government!" Iva yelled in disbelief. "He would never offer his life to the government!"

Franky shook his head. "I can't understand it either."

"By helping us even after the end of his conscious life, he showed that he still did not like the government," Nami said in softly. "I'm curious to know what his story is."

Sanji lit another cigarette. He wondered if Iva ever found out what happened to Kuma. Now, more than ever, he wished he had a friendlier relationship with Iva. After everything Kuma had done for them, he wanted to know why he would do this to himself and if there was a way to reverse it.

"Well, I don't know what kind of deal this guy had with the government," Doflamingo shrugged as walked away. "A couple of days ago, there was definitely some human left in him." He stopped walking and sat on a fallen pirate's corpse. "But now, he has lost all his memory of being born human. He's as good as dead. He has become a monster who only fights according to the World Government's orders. The Pacifista, PX-0! The past is gone; you should forget it!"

As if to prove his point, Kuma got ready to fire his mouth laser at Luffy and Iva. They barely had time to move before the laser nearly hit them.

Iva looked pissed as he glared at his friend. "Kuma, what happened to your body these past years!?"

Luffy stood up and stared at both Warlords as if he was trying to decide if he should try to take them both on.

"Now that I think about it...the thing he said to me..." Luffy muttered as he remembered Kuma's final words before he sent him flying.

"What's wrong with you, Kuma!? It's me, Ivankov!" he yelled desperately at his friend.

Kuma seemingly disappeared, taking Iva off-guard.

He appeared behind a group of Newkama Land people and removed his glove.

Luffy knew what was going to happen. "He's dangerous! Be careful!"

Kuma put his hand down and hit everyone with what looked like a cannon.

"Even without his own mind, he's still a force to be reckoned with," Sanji muttered.

"Damn you, Kuma!" Iva yelled as he charged the Warlord.

Luffy took this moment to run as Iva fought Kuma. He knew he was no match for the Warlord and he needed to save his brother. That was his number one mission.

Although, Luffy wasn't having much luck with Warlords today since he was running straight into another one.

Zoro's eye widened when he saw his former teacher standing unflinching as fighting erupted around him. "This isn't good. Unlike the other Warlords, Luffy won't be getting away from him so easily."

"But Mihawk has no reason to fight Luffy!" Nami exclaimed.

Usopp nodded. "That's right! Despite being on opposite sides, you guys have a good relationship with Hawk-Eye! I mean, he trained you for two years!"

"Forgive me, Red-Hair, I will not go easy on him," Mihawk said softly as he got his sword ready. "Now then, fate, will the life of a promised child from the next generation end here? If not, how will he escape from the Black Blade?"

Everyone could see the horrified look on Luffy's face.

"Well, it seems Zoro was right," Sanji said casually.

"He's going to rip Luffy apart!" Chopper yelled, remembering how Mihawk nearly split Zoro in two without even trying.

"Why...why would he do this?" Nami asked as she put her hands to her mouth.

"You heard him. He wants to test Luffy," Zoro said nonchalantly. "If fate permits Luffy to live, he will escape Mihawk. If not, his life will end here."

"How can you be so calm!?" Nami yelled.

"Since Luffy is still alive, fate obviously chose for him to live," Zoro answered. "Also, he must have come out okay, since he isn't missing any limbs."

"That's not the point!" Nami screamed in frustration.

"I don't have time to fight someone as strong as him! I came to save Ace!" Luffy yelled as he slid on the ice and entered his Gear Second. He then disappeared from Mihawk's sight.

"He got away!" Franky cheered.

Zoro shook his head. "Mihawk can track him even with his great speed. Not to mention he's still in Mihawk's range."

"What do you mean?" Usopp asked.

Luffy was almost at the stone wall where he could finally leave the bay and enter the plaza when a giant green energy wave suddenly slammed him from the side and lift him off the ground like he was in a tornado.

"What!?" most of the Strawhats exclaimed in surprise.

Robin looked in the direction of the energy wave and saw that Mihawk had hit Luffy from at least five-hundred feet away. "He can strike even from that distance."

"As I said, Luffy was still in range," Zoro said as he watched Mihawk move. Even now, that man was impressive. He managed to hit Luffy without even touching anyone else.

Luffy was thrown into a nearby wall and gasped in pain as his wounds began to bleed. Thankfully, he had no fatal injuries.

"Looks like Mihawk went easy on Luffy after all," Chopper said in relief as he looked over his captain's wounds. "That energy wave could have easily killed him."

"No, Mihawk was definitely aiming for the kill," Sanji said. "Although Luffy was blindsided by that attack, he still managed to twist himself in such a way to keep the damage to a minimum. It was probably mostly instinct."

"Instinct or not, it kept him alive," Zoro said as he watched Luffy slowly pull himself from the wall.

Jimbei stepped forward and attempted to defend Luffy while he recovered. Jimbei, however, was at a disadvantage on land and Mihawk eventually defeated the fishman by cutting the ice right from under him.

"He beat Jimbei in minutes!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Jimbei may be powerful in his water element, but he is severely limited on land," Robin said.

Luffy had to dodge quickly when he saw Mihawk jump into the air and attempt a downward thrust on him. Luffy rolled until he was able to get some breathing distance between himself and the swordsman.

"Damn you!" Luffy yelled as he pulled his arms back, ready for a Jet Bazooka.

"You idiot, don't give him your arms!" Zoro shouted instinctually.

"Even in Gear Second, Mihawk would be able to cut them off," Robin added in worry, scaring Usopp and Chopper.

Mihawk ready his sword for the attack and Luffy prepared to launch his Bazooka when a sudden apparition filled his eyes. The Strawhat watched a vision of Luffy's arms being hacked off by Mihawk, freaking most of them out.

"What was that!?" Chopper exclaimed in shock.

"Observation Haki!" Zoro exclaimed as Luffy ceased his attack by slamming his arms into the ice.

"So, more of his Haki was awaking during the war," Sanji muttered. "Lucky bastard."

"Make sense. The stress of war and Ace's execution would make his Haki awaken even further," Robin stated.

"It was a good thing. Without it, Luffy-san would have lost his arms," Brook said.

Luffy breathed hard as he look at his hands, making sure that they were still there. "That was too close! If I had stretched my arms, he could have cut them off!"

"You are not as reckless as I expected," Mihawk noted before he attempted to slice Luffy's head off.

Luffy bent backwards, avoiding the slash, but he was left speechless by what he saw.

In the distance, the sword released another energy wave that cut an ice glacier that was the size of a mountain. The upper half of the glacier appeared to hover in the air for several seconds before it began to collapse onto the battlefield. The marines and some of the Whitebeard Pirates were left stunned by the display of power.

"He cut an entire ice mountain in half with just one slash!" Brook exclaimed in shock. His eyes would had popped out if he had any. "I've never seen anything like that! Truly worthy of the title he holds!"

Zoro nodded. "Yes, he is."

"Amazing. That attack was purely meant to hit Luffy," Sanji muttered in awe. It bordered on overkill.

"One hit from that sword will kill Luffy instantly," Robin stated, scaring Usopp and Chopper again.

Nami's eyes were wide in awe. Zoro wasn't kidding. Mihawk was holding nothing back. He was nothing like the man who fought Zoro back at the Baratie. If he had fought like this back then, there would be nothing left of Zoro except fish bait.

More than a little unnerved by the display of power, Luffy tried to run again, but Mihawk easily incepted him off with another energy wave. Mihawk could do his aerial attacks much faster than Zoro, even when compared to Zoro's current form. Zoro's aerial techniques also couldn't rip a person apart with one hit. He also was one of the few who didn't call his attacks as he performed them, making him hard to predict.

"Now, what will you do?" Mihawk asked calmly as he continued his ruthless assault.

Luffy dodged each sword slash skillfully, but he was being pushed back with ever evasion.

"You are being forced further away from your brother," Mihawk said as he continued to pummel Luffy with energy waves.

"Damn!" Luffy cussed as he ran towards Mihawk.

"Dammit Luffy, doing a blind charge won't work on Mihawk!" Zoro yelled in frustration.

"Not like he has a choice, bro," Franky said. "He can dodge forever and he will just get further from his goal. For a lack of better words, he just has to run in there and do something."

Zoro gave a low growl. "He's going to get himself cut in half." He reached for his sword, even though he knew he could do nothing.

As someone who fought and trained with Mihawk, he knew all too well how easily the swordsman could slice Luffy to pieces.

"Is this where it ends?" Mihawk questioned as he prepared for the finishing blow.

As Luffy ran, all the Strawhats suddenly heard someone screaming from the sky.

"What is that?" Nami asked as she looked around. "It kind of sounds like Buggy."

"No way, Buggy would never come this far into a war zone," Usopp said.

Chopper suddenly pointed into the air. "Look!"

Up in the sky was Buggy along with Mr. 3 along with several other prisoners from Impel Down. They were all being carried away by one of Crocodile's sand tornados.

"How did they get up there?" Sanji asked neutrally.

"I can't tell if Buggy has extremely bad luck or extremely good luck," Nami muttered as she sweat-dropped.

Luffy took notice of Buggy and smiled.

"Huh, Luffy's up to something," Franky said when saw the mischievous glint on his captain's face.

"It seems your fighting power had increased considerably, but I have already seen through all your tricks," Mihawk informed. "From this distance, there is not even a ten-thousand-to-one chance that I will miss."

Just when Luffy got close enough to Mihawk, he stretched his arms up and grabbed Buggy as he spun in the tornado. "Gum Gum Jet Substitute!" He brought his arms down and allowed Buggy take the sword blow for him.

Buggy gave a loud cry as he was sliced in half by Mihawk's blade.

Most of the Strawhats were left shocked into silence by the technique.

"What the..." Nami murmured in disbelief.

"Oh, Luffy-san…." Brook muttered. He wasn't too pleased with how Luffy used one of his allies, even if that ally was Buggy.

"Clever," Robin muttered in amusement.

"That...would definitely be the last thing Mihawk would had expected," Zoro said slowly. He wasn't sure whether to be proud of his captain's fast thinking or annoyed by how childish the technique was.

Mihawk looked up and his face remained as impassive as ever, but Zoro could tell that the swordsman was baffled by what just happened. The slight change in the Warlord's demeanor amused Zoro despite himself.

"Hey, what are you doing, Strawhat!?" Buggy screamed angrily as he turned towards Luffy. Despite being cut in half he showed no ill effect or pain.

"Oh, he's still alive," Sanji mused.

Usopp tilted his head. "Didn't Mihawk use Haki?"

"What? _He_ was the one who cut you in half!" Luffy yelled in his defense as he waved his hand between Buggy's two halves. "Besides, didn't you come to help me?"

"You dumbass, you hear what you want to hear!" Buggy screamed furiously.

"Yes he does," Nami said with a nod.

Luffy grabbed Buggy again and threw him right into Mihawk, who proceeded to cut Buggy into onion slices. True to form, Buggy completely reformed himself within seconds.

Mihawk had a look of mild wonderment on his face as he stared at Buggy.

"Unforgivable! You're Hawk-Eye, aren't you!?" Buggy screamed in fury as he pointed at the swordsman.

Mihawk still said nothing. It seemed he was observing why Buggy was still alive.

"Hmm, I guess even Mihawk can't cut that fool," Zoro noted in humor. He felt a little better knowing that not even the great Hawk-Eye could slice Buggy.

Brook nodded in agreement.

Buggy had to pushed his luck, however, and shot a Muggy Ball at Mihawk. Without even trying, the great swordsman deflected the ball right back at Buggy.

For the first time since the Strawhats had ever seen him, Buggy's mouth was completely closed as he watched his Muggy Ball fly towards him. It exploded in a grand fashion, engulfing the clown pirate in flames.

"Captain Buggy!" several of the prisoners and Mr. 3 yelled.

Nami sighed. "Moron."

"Thanks, Buggy, I'll never forget you!" Luffy yelled as he waved and left Buggy to Mihawk.

"That was kind of mean of him," Usopp said dryly. "It sounded like he expected Mihawk to kill Buggy."

"Well, it was Buggy, so maybe he figured he would survive somehow," Franky said as he shrugged. "I mean, he made it this far after all."

Robin nodded. "Very true."

"It is not over yet!" Mihawk yelled as he attempted to hit Luffy with another energy wave from the back, knocking the boy captain off-balance.

Before Mihawk could move in for the kill, he was intercepted by one of the Whitebeard's commanders. He had a long mustache that curled on the sides along with a black top hat and cape. He blocked Mihawk's sword with two rapiers.

"Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Fifth Division, Flower the Blade Vista," Mihawk muttered.

"Nice to meet you, Hawk-Eye Mihawk. So, you have heard of me?" Vista asked in a friendly voice. He had a huge grin on his face.

"It would be strange if I had not," Mihawk answered.

This got Zoro's attention. A swordsman that was acknowledged by Mihawk? This Vista guy must be good. Zoro grinned as he thought about crossing swords with the man one day. It would make good practice before he took Mihawk's title.

"I'm saved!" Luffy exclaimed as he turned around to see Vista holding Mihawk back. "Who's that old man?"

Mihawk continued to glare at Luffy, but could do nothing to get to him with Vista stalling his blade. He neither looked upset or happy at Luffy escaping his blade. If anything, he seemed more interested as his golden eyes pierced into Luffy.

"Well, whatever, I'm grateful!" Luffy yelled as he ran away.

Within moments of Luffy moving again, several explosions went off behind him. He glanced to see laser fire from the back of bay and the screams of people. Still, Luffy couldn't be bothered by what was going on behind him.

The Strawhats knew by the zooming lasers that the pirates in the bay were being attacked by Pacifistas. After what happened in Sabaody they could never forget the sounds those cyborgs made.

As Luffy ran forward, he began to encounter less and less resistance.

"The marines are moving out of the bay and into the main plaza," Robin observed.

Nami nodded. "I think they're trying to seal the pirates in the bay area."

"That would be the best plan, especially since there is only ice beneath them," Sanji said.

Luffy was getting close to the wall again when a flash of light blinded him. Standing in front of him was Kizaru.

"Not him again!" Franky yelled.

Kizaru smiled at Luffy before he kicked the rubberman in the face. "Back to where you started from!"

"Luffy-kun!" Jimbei shouted as he caught Luffy, keeping him from flying further.

Luffy was breathing hard as he looked up at Jimbei. He then glanced at Kizaru, who was standing only a few feet away, looking as laid-back as ever.

"One of the admirals are here...dammit!" Luffy huffed tiredly.

"He is a formidable foe, but we must hurry," Jimbei said calmly as he faced the admiral. "You always knew that strong enemies would stand in your way and you decided to come anyway."

Luffy slowly stood up and continued to face down the admiral. He was, however, very unsteady on his feet and the memory blurred slightly.

Chopper frowned worriedly as he stared at Luffy. Was Iva's adrenaline already running out? Luffy's cheeks were also redder, showing that his fever had gotten worse.

At that moment, several people ran towards Luffy and surrounded him.

"Ace's brother, has your stamina run out?" one of the people asked. He was dressed in a kimono and had lipstick and eyeliner on like a woman. His hair was also pinned up in an exotic style.

Sanji blinked when he saw the man. That was the most feminine Okama that he had ever seen. If his woman radar was not so finely tuned, he would have thought that the pirate was a woman.

"Oh, it's the commanders!" Jimbei yelled. "This makes things easier on us!"

"You can't let one admiral stop you," the man went on. "Come with us!"

"Alright!" Luffy yelled as he followed the Whitebeard's commanders.

"Now's our chance while the marines are fallen back!" the commander yelled to his troops. "Let's break their defenses!"

The pirates cheered in compliance.

"Oh, now that looks like a tough bunch," Kizaru noted in his normal dull surprised manner. It was impossible to tell if he meant what he was saying or if he was mocking them.

They didn't get too far before the battlefield suddenly became dead silent. Everyone on both sides had stopped fighting and looked behind them in shock and surprise. It was like time itself had stopped.

Luffy slowly turned around and saw that Whitebeard had been stabbed through the chest by one of his allies.


	34. Beyond the Limit

The Strawhats were stunned to see that the mighty pirate Whitebeard had been stabbed. Not only stabbed, but one of his own allies actually did the deed. From where they stood, Whitebeard seemed equally surprised by the betrayal as he stared down at the giant swords piercing his gut.

"Wha...what just happened?" Usopp stuttered, not believing his own eyes. What he was seeing was impossible.

"How did Whitebeard get caught off guard?" Nami asked in disbelief. It was said that Whitebeard could sense everything.

"He should have sensed him with his Haki," Sanji stated in shock. "Whitebeard wasn't a man who lowers his guard, even around an ally."

Zoro narrowed his eye. "He didn't. His senses failed him at a critical moment."

"How could that happened?" Franky asked.

"It could be because Whitebeard has gotten old and simply can't maintain his senses for long," Brook surmised.

"I am certain that was what happened," Robin said as she stared at the disturbing scene. "Even the strongest man in the world cannot beat the effects of aging."

"But why would his own friend attack him?" Chopper asked in dismay. "I thought everyone who served under Whitebeard was family to him!"

"That is the real question," Robin agreed.

"Squardo!" a man with blue flames coming out of his body yelled as he flew onboard Whitebeard's ship. He quickly and ruthlessly tackled the man, knocking him to the deck. "Why would you do such a thing!? Answer me, Squardo!"

"Shu...shut up! You're the one who forced my hand!" Squardo screamed.

"What? Do you have any idea what you have..." the blond man started to yell. He stopped when he saw that Whitebeard had fallen to his knees. The man immediately ran to his captain's side. "Old Man, if you keep pushing your body like this..."

Whitebeard raised his hand, stopping the man in mid-sentence.

Squardo sat up and glared at Whitebeard. "Drop the charade already, Whitebeard! You made a deal with the marines, didn't you!? A deal to ensure that Ace and the Whitebeard Pirates would get out of this alive!" He turned to face everyone outside the ship. "Listen everyone, he lured us into a trap!" He was breathing hard and shaking in what could only be rage. "I had no idea….but Ace is the son of Gold Roger!"

All the Strawhats could hear the hatred and anger in the pirate's voice as he spoke the Pirate King's name like it was a curse.

"I was alone when you found me...I'm sure you know why I was alone..." Squardo stuttered as grief and anguish overtook his voice. He was on the verge of tears and fought to keep his voice steady. "It was because my cherished comrades, who I had fought beside for so long, were all _killed_ by Roger!"

Some of the Strawhats gasped in shock at this information.

"Roger murdered an entire crew!?" Chopper asked in horror.

"It doesn't sound like the Roger that Rayleigh spoke so passionately about. Could he be lying?" Usopp asked.

He felt numb hearing Squardo's accusation. Although he didn't hero-worship Roger the same way that Luffy did, he always believed that Gold Roger was an honorable and overall good man, especially after speaking to Rayleigh. Also, Shanks was a good guy and he sailed under Roger as his cabin boy. Certainly, there must be some kind of misunderstanding.

"Listen to the agony in that man's voice," Sanji said as he puffed out some smoke. "He speaks no lie."

"Then why...?" Usopp started to ask.

"Roger was a pirate, first and foremost," Zoro said, cutting Usopp off. "Pirates are not saints. I don't know the history, but pirates killing pirates is common."

Brook nodded. "Very true. My crew saw its fair share of bloodshed even though we tried to avoid unnecessary conflict. Still, to wipe out an entire crew and leaving its captain alive is unbearably cruel, even among pirates. It is considered a fate worse than death since the captain must live with the sin and shame of letting their crew die."

Many of the Strawhats immediately thought of the Baron and how he had tortured Luffy by showing him their deaths. It left a bad taste in their mouth to think that Roger could be capable of a similar act of cruelty.

"I'm sure you know my hatred for Roger! You could have at least told me that Ace is Roger's son! Told me of your plans to make him the next Pirate King!" Squardo screamed as more tears built in his eyes.

Luffy was left taken aback by Squardo's words. "The old timer wants to make Ace the Pirate King?"

"I think Ace missed that memo," Franky said with a slight hint of humor.

"Was that really Whitebeard's goal? I thought he wanted to become the Pirate King," Usopp said.

"If Whitebeard truly desired the title of Pirate King, he could had gained it at any time after Roger was executed," Robin observed. "It would seem that the reason why Whitebeard never became the Pirate King is because he never desired it to begin with."

"I guess he didn't need the title since people already referred to him as the God of the Sea," Sanji said with some thought. "What would being Pirate King mean to him?"

"But why would Whitebeard want to make Ace, the son of his former rival, become the Pirate King and exceed him? It doesn't make any sense," Nami said, completely lost.

Zoro crossed his arms. "Whitebeard obviously doesn't care about crap like bloodlines. He judged Ace as his own person, just as it should be. He obviously believed that Ace was worthy to be the next Pirate King, if what that Squardo guy saying is true."

He couldn't disagree. From what he had seen of Ace, he was more than a worthy adversary for the title. In many ways, Ace was to Luffy as Kuina was to him. A benchmark to be surpass on the way to the top. The ultimate test to see how much stronger they became.

Sadly, much like Kuina, Ace became a benchmark that Luffy could never surpass. Luffy would eventually become stronger than his brother, but that was because Ace had stopped growing. For the rest of his life, Luffy would always be haunted by the shadow of his brother and wonder what he could have become if he grown into his stronger form. As he had learned from Kuina's death, winning by default was much more painful and bitter than losing.

"Even then, you've already betrayed us!" Squardo yelled as lasers were fired in the background, lighting up the sky that was blackened by black smoke. "You let me become his friend, never knowing how you were mocking me! And then your golden child was captured! The Whitebeard Pirates are within the bay, we allied crews are out here along the shore! You _traded_ the lives of the forty-three captains of your alliance in exchanged for Ace's life!"

"What!?" Usopp exclaimed in shock and disbelief for the second time.

"There's no way I can believe that!" Franky yelled as he narrowed his eyes. "Whitebeard betrayed his allies? I'll believe the World Nobles are doing volunteer work before I buy that crap."

Robin closed her eyes as she listened to Squardo's rant. Was this a sample of the hatred that Ace had to endure throughout his life? That a person who had become his friend would come to despise him purely based on who his father was?

"The allied crews will be executed while Ace and the Whitebeard Pirates are spared!" Squardo accused. "You and Sengoku have already agreed on that, right!?"

"He's either a fool or naïve if he believe that the marines would let the son of the Pirate King and the King of the Sea go free," Franky said. "Their heads are worth more than almost all the New World Pirates."

Brook shook his head. "How did that man draw such a conclusion?"

"I believe that he was deceived," Robin said after some thought. "Squardo could not have come up with this theory on his own."

"Destroying the enemy from within by sowing the seeds of mistrust and doubt. A ruthless but effective tactic," Sanji said, understanding the trick that the marines had pulled on the poor fool.

"And what do you know, we came here for Ace and Whitebeard's sake to lay down our lives, unaware of the deception!" Squardo screamed as he pointed towards the shore where lasers continued to be fire. "Look for yourself!" More explosions were heard in the distance. "Just as he said, we're the only ones the marines are attacking! Those monsters are coming in from behind and the left and right flanks are blocked by walls of ice, meaning no escape!"

Whitebeard sat stoic the entire time as he listened to Squardo talk.

"It's practically a miracle that I hit you even once," Squardo said as he spread his arms, ready for Whitebeard to kill him. "I'm ready. Kill me!"

Whitebeard just stared at Squardo and didn't move.

"I didn't want to believe it...I doubted my own eyes! How could you betray us, Old Man!?" Squardo yelled.

"You idiot!" the blond-haired man yelled as he grabbed Squardo by his coat. "He was the one who took you in, Squardo! Why don't you have faith in the Old Man!?"

"You have no right to say that, Marco!" Squardo yelled as he glared at the other man. "You're the Commander of the First Division! I refuse to hear you say that you didn't know about Ace or the deal with the marines!"

"It is true that Ace is Roger's son. So, they found the man who would be the most hurt to hear that and turned him against us," Whitebeard mused as he looked towards Sengoku. "Their plan was one step ahead of my own."

"You are a disgrace, Whitebeard!" Crocodile suddenly screamed in rage across the battlefield. "I didn't know I lost to such a weak man!"

Robin glanced at her former boss. Ah, that was his story. It would explain why Crocodile was always so bitter, disillusioned, and demeaning towards people. The monsters of the New World had broken him and he took out his bitterness on those weaker than himself. How pitiful.

Luffy looked lost to what was going on. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking or if he even understood what was happening.

Chopper stared at Whitebeard as everything clicked for the young doctor. "So, I was right."

"Right about what?" Nami asked.

"When I first saw Whitebeard, I thought he looked a little ill, but he was so powerful that I dismissed it. But given what happened, it confirmed what I suspected," Chopper said. "Whitebeard is actually quite sick and he shouldn't be in this war. If he pushes himself past his limits..."

"I see," Sanji said as everything came together. "That would explain how that Squardo guy was able to hit Whitebeard, even if age played a part in it."

Whitebeard stood on one knee and stared down at Squardo. He raised his hand at the other pirate. "You do realize what you have done!? You have turned your blade against your own father! You foolish son!"

Almost all the Strawhats unconsciously trembled. They felt that man's anger. It was like nothing they had ever experience before.

"He's going to kill that man!" Brook exclaimed.

Squardo stood firm, awaiting the killing blow with no fear in his face.

Whitebeard put his hand down, but instead of killing the other pirate, he embraced him in a tight one-armed hug, surprising the Strawhats and the others within the bay. "Though you are a fool, I still love you, my son."

"He..." Nami muttered, unable to finish her sentence. That gentleness reminded her of Luffy.

"He…really is a father to his men," Brook whispered as tears leaked through his empty eye sockets. He felt ashamed for thinking that Whitebeard could murder one of his allies, even if that man did betray him.

Whitebeard kept hugging Squardo for several seconds.

"Don't...try to...trick me..." Squardo stuttered, completely taken off-guard by the act of love and forgiveness. "You...sold out our..."

"Who has dragged your pure, loyal heart into such darkness?" Whitebeard asked.

"A marine insurgent," Squardo answered after he had found his voice. "He said he would save the allied pirates if I killed you. That was what Akainu said."

"Akainu," Robin whispered harshly. She had heard that he was the craftiest among all the admirals. It looked like those rumors were true.

"Akainu...he's..." Brook started to say.

Zoro nodded as he narrowed his eye. "The one who will eventually kill Ace. Looks like he's been spinning a web of lies to cause division among Whitebeard and his allies."

"I expect no less from that scumbag," Franky growled in anger. He had heard more than a few nasty things about Akainu, better known as Fleet Admiral Sakazuki these days.

"I am painfully aware of how much you hate Roger. But Squardo, it is wrong to resent a child for the sins of his father," Whitebeard said calmly. "What did Ace ever do to you?"

Squardo looked like he was shot in the heart by the question.

"Together, you and Ace have been through pain, joy, and difficulty, rising above it each time with your friend beside you. It does not matter who Ace's parents were. We got a chance to meet on this big, wide ocean. Not only you two, but all my sons," Whitebeard said in a gentle voice. "So Squardo, try to get along. Do not think Ace is a special case. You are all my family."

Squardo dropped his sword as he took in Whitebeard's words.

Whitebeard loosened his embrace on the other pirate and slowly stood up. "Still, you really have not changed, Sengoku. You sure duped him." He walked forwards and took a horse stance. "Me, sell out my own sons' lives!?" He slammed his arms against the air. Visible cracks appeared in the air like Whitebeard had broken glass. Not even a second later, the ice on the left and right side of the shore shattered.

"With one attack he shattered those giant glaciers!" Usopp exclaimed.

"It's more than that. He gave his allies an escape route," Zoro said.

"If you are pirates, then decide for yourselves what to believe!" Whitebeard shouted for everyone to hear.

Squardo started to shake and cry in grief and regret. He now knew the truth. He had made a terrible mistake.

From the back, the Strawhats could hear Whitebeard's allies scream and shout their trust and eternal devotion to him. It was at this moment that the Strawhats saw why Whitebeard was both feared and greatly respected by all. He truly was a great pirate. He didn't need the title of Pirate King to show the world that he was a king.

Luffy could only stare in respect and awe for the man that he saw as his rival. Even he was left speechless by the old pirate. His aura was just like Shanks. Now, he could clearly see why Ace followed this man.

"Those who will come with me, follow me even if it costs you your lives!" Whitebeard shouted.

A huge roar from the allies could be heard.

"The marines' plan has backfired," Robin noted. "They have managed to fire up the pirates even more."

"Still, they did get that Squardo guy to hurt the old man," Zoro said as he stared at the wound on Whitebeard chest. "Strongest man or not, that's a serious injury."

Whitebeard ran off his ship and leaped onto the icy battlefield. The Strongest Man in the World had truly joined the war.

"That old man is amazing!" Luffy exclaimed in admiration. "Even with that wound..."

"Luffy-kun, we must keep moving," Jimbei said, knocking Luffy out of his stupor.

With his head clear again, Luffy began to run forward with the other Whitebeard Pirates.

"I guess even Luffy isn't immune to Whitebeard's greatness," Usopp humored.

The way was nearly completely clear now. There were almost no marines in sight. The ones who could be seen were all retreating into the plaza.

"What are they up to this time?" Sanji asked with a note of concern. Watching this war felt like he was watching a game of chess. Whitebeard may have joined the battle, but the marines still had all the advantages.

Gun and cannon fire slowed some of the pirates, but they kept up their advance. They were stopped for a moment when a giant wearing a red marine uniform charged into the bay and knocked several pirates over with his giant sword.

"I won't let you reach the plaza, Whitebeard Pirates!" the giant yelled.

"It's one of the vice-admirals, John Giant!" a pirate exclaimed.

John was ruthless as he mowed down every pirate within his range. The vice-admiral continued his rampage until he reached Whitebeard. He attempted slash Whitebeard with his sword, but the old pirate easily countered him with his bisento, freezing the giant's movements.

"He stopped a giant!" Nami yelled, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Franky's mouth dropped. "He stopped him with one hand too!"

"It that man even human!?" Brook shouted. He never seen anything like that in either of his lives.

John was shocked that a human could stall his blade.

"You are in the way," Whitebeard said calmly as he pushed the vice-admiral upwards, leaving him completely open.

The old pirate threw his bisento in the direction of the sky and made a gesture like he was grabbing the air. Using his powers, he pulled and tilted the entire ground around him.

"What the..." Usopp muttered as he watched the world began to shake.

"The entire ground is titling!" Chopper screamed in shock as the ice split from under him. It looked like the entire island was sinking.

"Is this the power of the Quake Quake Fruit?" Robin whispered in awe as the roar of cracking ice overtook all other sounds.

Luffy was still trying to run, but he was knocked off his feet by the earthquake.

"That hurts..." Luffy muttered as he looked up. He was left speechless as he watched the earth shake and tilt around him like the world itself was being torn apart. It was like he was looking in different world. What really made his eyes jump out, however, was the sea. It rose at Whitebeard's command like he was some sort of god.

All the Strawhats were left speechless and awestruck. This was truly the power of the strongest man in the world. If he wanted to, he could destroy the entire island.

Luffy was so transfixed by the sight of the rising sea that he failed to notice the ice break and shatter from under him. Before he knew it, he fell into a ravine that led straight into the sea.

Luffy attempted to save himself by stretching his arms to latch onto something, but he found nothing to grab. He was rescued, however, by Jimbei, who grabbed his stretched arm before it could recoil.

"Jimbei!" Luffy shouted.

"I've got you now!" Jimbei yelled as he pulled him up.

Luffy took several deep breaths as he attempted to slow his rapidly beating heart. "You saved me...thanks!"

"You need not thank me," Jimbei said.

Luffy looked around at all the damage Whitebeard had caused. "Can't that guy tell his allies from his enemies?"

"His crewmates knew to take refuge by the flanks," Jimbei said.

When the shaking finally stopped, the view took everyone's breaths away. The entire island looked like it had been picked up, thrown into the air, and then dropped like a child's play set.

"Whitebeard's Devil Fruit rivals Eneru's in pure destructibility," Nami whispered. She didn't think there was any Devil Fruit that could match the power of the Rumble Rumble Fruit.

"There is a reason why the Quake Quake Fruit is considered one of the strongest Devil Fruits in the world," Robin said. "If Whitebeard wanted to, he could destroy the world with his power."

Chopper's mouth dropped. "Eh!? The entire world!?"

"And to think, that nutcase Blackbeard can do this," Sanji murmured as he shivered.

John, who had somehow withstood the massive earthquake, was on his knees quivering before Whitebeard's might like a small child.

"What awesome power..." John whispered before he stood up and retrieved his sword. "But the marines' Absolute Justice is at stake. I will not let you pass!"

Before he could make his move, Whitebeard jumped and punched John with a quake punch to the chest. The vice-admiral went down hard and the earthquake kept moving through the air like a shockwave. It was heading straight for the execution platform.

"No way! He can make his quakes move through air!" Nami yelled in disbelief.

"One hit from something like that could shatter a person's bones," Zoro noted.

The earthquake was almost at the platform when it was stopped by the combined power of the three admirals, who were somehow able to create a shield around the execution platform.

"What'd they do!?" Chopper wondered in disbelief. They stopped an earthquake with their bare hands. What were these people!?

"Looks like Haki. Maybe Armament," Zoro observed in thought. Truthfully, he wasn't sure what they did.

"Still, it took the power of three admirals to stop that thing," Sanji said in awe. To think that one man could match the ability of those three men was mind-numbing.

Usopp's mouth was wide opened as he took in all these events. This wasn't a war against monsters. This was a war against demons and gods. Even after two years of fending off man-eating plants, his skills were nothing compared to the people fighting in this war. And this was two years ago. Many of these people could have gotten stronger.

After the pirates had gotten over the shock of Whitebeard's attack being deflected, they charged forward again.

After what felt like forever, Luffy finally reached the wall. He quickly used his power to stretch his arms, ready to rocket himself into the plaza.

"Ace, I'm coming now!" Luffy yelled. He allowed his arms to snap and he was flying towards the wall. At the last second, a metal wall suddenly came shooting out of the ice and knocked Luffy off-course.

"Where did those walls come from?" Franky asked.

"I see. Their plan was to seal off the pirates in the bay using those walls," Sanji said. "What a simple yet brilliant plan."

The walls were so high that it completely covered the cannons the marines were using.

"Oh no, they're trapped!" Chopper screamed.

"Hm, looks like that brilliant plan has a slight flaw. Look," Franky said as he pointed to the area where mini Oars had fallen. The wall in that area didn't raise.

"How could that have happened?" Usopp asked.

"Maybe the blood from that giant messed up the gears," Nami suggested as she rubbed her chin. "I doubt it was Oars' weight alone that kept the wall from raising."

The pirates attempted to break the walls, but their weapons shattered on impact against the strong metal. Shooting it also did no good. It didn't even bend the metal.

"Must be some dense steel to deflect cannon fire from that close of range," Franky noted.

"This is very bad," Brook said as he looked down at the frozen bay. "In this bay, there is only ice under their feet. If the marines melt it, it would be the end of all the Devil Fruit users. Even the non-users will be easy prey in the water."

As if reading Brook's thoughts, magma started to shoot into the air like fireworks. It was eerily pretty.

"The lava's shooting into the air…." Luffy murmured, not quite believing what he was seeing. The magma kept flying until it disappeared into the clouds. The sky immediately darkened.

"This…this isn't good…" Franky whispered. He felt his mouth grow dry.

Everything was completely silent and the wind blew harshly across the ice field. After a couple of seconds, a loud rumble filled the air. It almost sounded like thunder.

Not long after the rumbles started, large fists of magma descended like meteorites upon the trapped pirates.

Usopp, Chopper, and Brook screamed in panic and fear.

"We are not letting you escape!" Sengoku yelled from the plaza. "Melt the ice and take away their footing!"

The magma fists hit the ice and exploded like bombs across the ice field, blasting several pirates off their feet. The pirates barely had time to dive for cover as rain of magma fell on their heads. Within seconds, the entire bay began to look like Level 4 of Impel Down.

Luffy could only watched with wide-eyed horror as everything caught on fire and burned around him.

Screams of pain and panic could be heard across the bay as the ice melted from under the entrapped pirates.

Nami had to fight not to cover her eyes. "They…they're all being killed..."

"Between that huge earthquake and now this…it's like the world is ending!" Usopp exclaimed. He wasn't even a part of this war and he was scared out of his mind.

"Did Luffy really experience all of this!?" Chopper asked as he watched people fall into the sea. There were several cries of pain as the water boiled the pirates.

Brook looked around at the chaos. "It looks almost impossible now."

Luffy was left in terrified awe at the display of power as he watched the magma rain down. Between this and seeing Whitebeard's ability, he started to truly see the scope of what he had gotten himself into. In this war, he was even less than an ant. Despite everything he had done since becoming a pirate, this was what he amounted to against the strongest in the world.

Things got much worse for the pirates when the marines began to shoot their cannons into the bay. They were now dealing with attacks from above, the sides, and the front. Things went downhill even further when an army of Pacifistas moved into the bay and blocked the pirates' backs, trapping them on all sides. Lasers were fired, blasting all pirates within range.

It was a mass genocide. Pirates fell by the dozens as people were hit with cannonballs, lasers, and magma. Those who were unlucky enough to fall into the water were boiled alive. The marines had the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies caught in a death trap.

Luffy did his best to keep the magma from hitting him, but even he was blasted around, knocking him further away from the wall. He also had to watch his footing since falling into the water meant death.

When he did manage to catch his breath, Luffy was left horrified at the massacre. He had never seen so many people butchered.

Chopper buried his face into Zoro's pants leg, no longer able to see any more death.

Usopp had a hand to his mouth as he watched people burn around him or lose limbs to the cannonballs hitting them.

Nami was much the same as Usopp. All the color drained from her face as she watched the pirates getting slaughtered. This was _far_ worse than the civil war in Alabasta.

Zoro kept a blank expression. He barely blinked at the chaos erupting around him. This was the price of war and he wouldn't dishonor the people who died here by turning his head.

Brook shook as he could only watch helplessly while Luffy stood in shock. Someone of Luffy's age and mentality shouldn't have to bear witness to such horrors.

"Got to give the marines credit," Sanji said as he looked at the living hell around him. "Their trap was nearly flawless. Even with the hole mini Oars made, that would be guarded heavily. I can't see any way for them to escape."

Whitebeard attempted to break the walls with his ability, but they wouldn't budge even to him.

"Not even Whitebeard can break that metal wall!" Franky exclaimed. What kind of metal were those walls made of?

Whitebeard's ship took a direct hit from the magma fist and burst into flames. There were several loud panic screams from the pirates. It sounded like someone had been killed. All the Whitebeard Pirate were devastated to watch their precious ship being destroyed and they did everything within their power to put the flames out.

Franky had to turn his head away from that terrible scene and he shed a few tears. The death of any ship was always a moment to be mourned. Especially one that had carried the great Whitebeard for decades. The Moby Dick was as revered and legendary as the Oro Jackson. If Whitebeard desired it, he was certain that ship would have carried him to the end of the Grand Line.

The sight also saddened the Strawhats. Seeing the Moby Dick burn reminded them of Merry. The reaction from her crew was also very similar. This wasn't just a ship that was dying; it was a friend and comrade.

"Whitebeard, your era is at an end!" Akainu proclaimed as he mercilessly destroyed the Moby Dick with several well-placed magma balls.

Timber flew everywhere and the Strawhats could hear both the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies yell and scream in distress.

Whitebeard, who was still standing near the Moby Dick, slowly turned around and looked over the remains of his beloved ship.

"Forgive me," Whitebeard said so softly that it was amazing that Luffy even heard from where he stood.

It was getting harder to see as steam occurred the view of the bay. All that could be clearly seen was flames and the silhouette of mini Oars. Ash also floated in the air like falling snow.

Since the execution platform was so high, Ace also could be seen in the distance. He could only look on in horror as everyone he knew was being murdered before his eyes.

"The plan is proceeding smoothly," Sengoku yelled through the speakers. "The execution of Portgas D. Ace will proceed immediately!"

The two executioners got into position as Garp sat cross-legged next to his grandson. His head was down, hiding his expression from everyone.

Ace steeled himself for his fate. There was no fear in his eyes, only sadness and regret for dragging his family into all of this. He closed his eyes.

The announcement snapped Luffy out of his daze as he looked up in horror. There was no way he could reach his brother in time if he didn't escape from this trap. There was only one way. He turned towards the opening that mini Oars had made and narrowed his eyes.

Flames surrounded the path. It was almost daring Luffy to break through.

"He's not..." Nami whispered.

"It's the only opening that any of them have," Zoro said. "They either die fighting, or be killed in the bay like rats."

"Are you crazy!?" Nami yelled. "The marines are going to guard that path like dogs. There's no way that Luffy can break through!"

"At this point, none of them have much a choice," Robin stated.

"Ace!" Luffy shouted as he made his charge towards the open path.

The pirates behind him were shocked, but they too took their fate in their hands and charged with Luffy.

Cannonballs and magma rained on them, but they couldn't stop. Time was not their friend.

"That route is far too obvious! It's definitely a trap!" Iva screamed from the back, but no one listened.

Pirates flew as cannonballs hit them. Some seemed to melt as the magma got to them, creating a horrible image that the Strawhats would never forget. Most of the more timid Strawhats started to get physically sick from the sight of war.

Still, Luffy didn't let anything stop him as he avoided the cannonballs and the rain of death from above. He was almost halfway to the opening that would take him into the plaza. Without warning, a piece of cannonball shard broke and nicked Luffy in the face, causing him to stop as blood ran down his cheek.

Another cannonball nearly hit Luffy and the memory shook violently and a loud ringing could now be heard, blocking all other sounds. It was almost like the cannonball had ruptured Luffy's eardrum. The blood coming out of his ears seemed to confirm that fear.

"Luffy's body can't take much more damage!" Chopper yelled in concern. "He's pushing himself too much!"

Luffy's run was reduced to a slow walked as he kept pushing himself forward. His body wanted, begged him to rest, but his mind kept it going despite all the pain he was in. Through the fog of fire, and steam, he could see Ace's silhouette, posed to be killed at any moment.

"Ace..." Luffy mumbled brokenly as he pushed himself forward.

The Strawhats felt their hearts bleed from seeing Luffy push himself this hard. He was practically killing himself and in the end, his efforts would only end in tragedy.

"Ace!" Luffy shouted just as several cannonballs hit him at once and exploded.

The boy captain was blasted into the air and knocked into a half-conscious state. He kept flying until he landed into the steaming seawater. As Luffy sank into the depths of the sea the memory went blank for a moment.

The memory came back after a few minutes and Luffy was lying on his back on a remaining patch of ice. Jimbei and Iva were there and they knelt by him worriedly.

"Are you alright, Luffy-kun?" Jimbei asked worriedly.

"Really, how reckless can you be!?" Iva scolded.

"Seriously!" Nami yelled. She was more than a little angry at the stunt Luffy pulled.

Luffy was too out of breath and tire to answer.

A loud roar got the Strawhats' attention away from their captain.

"What…what is that!?" Usopp yelled in fear. Was there even more monsters.

Sanji turned towards the source of the roar, which was coming from the metal wall. "Oh, look who woke up."

In the background, the crew saw that mini Oars was awake and causing chaos among the marines, who had thought for certain that the giant was dead. They were so busy dealing with Oars that they stopped firing into the bay and the magma rain had ceased.

"Looks like Chopper was right," Robin mused.

"Those giants are so tough," Usopp whispered in amazement.

Then again, he shouldn't be too shocked. Dorry survived a bomb going off in his stomach and woke up not even an hour later. Losing a leg was probably just a minor inconvenience for a giant that was so much like Oars.

"He lost so much blood on top of his other injures. How did he regain consciousness?" Chopper asked, not quite believing what he was seeing. Everyone here was beyond normal.

"Who cares," Franky said. "Thanks to mini Oars, the marines have stopped attacking the pirates."

"Even so, how can they pass those indestructible walls?" Brook asked. "They may be spared for now, but they're still stuck in this death hole."

"I've got to do something," Luffy said softly, getting the Strawhats attention back to their captain. It took more effort than it should for him to sit up. "I've got to hurry. They're going to execute Ace!"

"Yes, we must act quickly!" Jimbei yelled. He too appeared close to panicking.

"Jimbei!" Luffy yelled as he grabbed the ex-Warlord's kimono. Luffy stared at him desperately. "I've got...a favor to ask!"

"I've seen Luffy look that way before," Usopp muttered. It was never a good thing.

"If he gets too desperate, he's just going to get himself hurt further," Sanji said.

"I doubt Luffy cares," Nami said worriedly.

Luffy's favor amounted to him having Jimbei use his Fishman Karate to create a waterspout to launch Luffy over the steel wall. As a weapon, Luffy carried a piece of a wooden mast with him.

The plan worked perfectly, and Luffy finally made it into the plaza. However, whether Luffy planned it or he just had terrible luck, he made his grand entrance right in front of the three admirals.

"LUFFY!" Ace shouted in shock and horror. Luffy stood no chance against the three powerhouses.

The admirals seemed mildly surprised to see Luffy. Aokiji appeared somewhat impressed while Kizaru seemed mostly amused. Akainu had a hardened expression as he looked over Luffy.

For some reason, Akainu was the one that sent chills up the Strawhats' spines. Unlike the other admirals who seemed all business, Akainu had an aura of malice around him.

"Damn, he landed in front of the admirals!" Sanji yelled, breaking the silence among the crew.

"They're going to kill him!" Chopper screamed in horror.

"This is, by far, the worst scenario!" Nami yelled in fear.

Luffy glared at each of the admirals. If he was afraid, which he should be if he had any sense, he didn't show it.

"Oh my, you finally made it here," Aokiji mused.

"Quite an entrance, Dragon's son," Akainu said, slightly impress.

"This youngster sure is scary," Kizaru said in his usual easy-going manner.

"I'm starting to think Kizaru has only one emotion," Franky said dryly. "I mean, seriously, he could at least do a better job pretending to be surprised or impressed."

"I honestly think that guy's on some kind of drug," Sanji said.

"If nothing else, I praise your tenacity," Akainu said.

"But you are not ready for this stage yet," Aokiji stated.

"There is no way you can beat us, you know?" Kizaru informed casually.

Luffy still showed no fear, even though he knew that he was correct. Even on a good day, he couldn't beat one admiral. Still, he trained his eyes on Ace. He was so close. He couldn't stop even if it meant facing the monsters of the marines.

"Give Ace back!" Luffy screamed as he threw the mast at the admirals.

Aokiji effortlessly froze the mast, but that was exactly what Luffy wanted. He jumped and hit the mast repeatedly with a Gatling Stomp, shattering the frozen mast and creating a fog of ice that obscured the admirals' vision.

With the ice-fog made, Luffy wasted no time going into Gear Second and running like hell away from the admirals.

"That plan is doomed to failure," Zoro said as he watched his captain run. He was much, much slower than usual. Even without his Haki, he could easily track Luffy's movements.

"I don't have time to fight these guys!" Luffy yelled as he past the admirals.

"Like you can fight them, Luffy," Nami muttered humorlessly.

Luffy leapt towards the execution platform as fast as he could, but he was cut off by Kizaru.

"Too slow," Kizaru mocked before he light-kicked Luffy in the face.

Luffy screamed as he went flying into a nearby building and crashed into it. It took him a few seconds to regain his bearings and he finally realized the deep trouble he was in. Not only did the admirals block him, but he was also surrounded by elite marines from all sides.

"If I didn't know Luffy would live through this, I would say that he was pretty much screwed," Franky said as he looked at all the marines, ready to attack Luffy if he so much as twitch.

"His chances are not good," Robin noted. "In his current state, even the regular marines could kill him."

"Dammit!" Luffy growled as he saw the danger he was in.

Sengoku barely glanced at Luffy before he turned to give the order. "On my mark!"

"Yes, sir!" the executors exclaimed as they ready their blades.

Ace had his head down, prepared to face his death.

Luffy attempted to get up, but his body was too weakened to move. He collapsed back into the rubble and slumped onto the ground.

"Do it!" Sengoku ordered as he brought his hand down.

The executors brought their blades down to behead Ace.

"ACE!" Luffy screamed as he was about to watch his brother die.

The Strawhats inhaled deeply despite themselves. They all wondered if this was the moment that Ace was killed. Although, the situation felt wrong. Didn't Dream Ace say that he died protecting Luffy? And how did Akainu fit into all of this?

Before the Strawhats could answer their own questions, Ace was unexpectedly saved at the very last second by none other than Crocodile. He used his ability to knock out both of the executors with one blow.

"Crocodile!?" Robin exclaimed in complete shock. That was the last thing she had been expecting.

"Huh, Crocodile saved Ace!?" Usopp yelled in disbelief as the executors collapsed.

"Who saw that coming!?" Nami exclaimed.

"Very unexpected," Brook said in equal shock.

"Who did this!?" Sengoku yelled in surprise.

Crocodile stood smugly among the crowd of marines.

"When did that shit head get up here anyway?" Sanji asked.

"He must have flown over the wall using his powers," Robin surmised. "Everyone was so focused on Whitebeard and the other pirates that they must have lost track of him."

"Bastard!" Sengoku yelled in fury at the former Warlord. "Considering your old grudge with Whitebeard, I had thought we were lucky, Crocodile!"

"Him!" Luffy shouted as his dislike for the man resurfaced.

"You were hell-bent on killing the Old Man!" Jimbei yelled from the bay. "What is this sudden change of heart?"

"That dying old man? I will eliminate him later," Crocodile said nonchalantly. "Right now, however, I do not want you to enjoy victory."

Sengoku sneered in rage. He looked ready to jump down from the platform and strangled Crocodile.

Brook titled his head. "He did all of that just to mess with the marines?"

"Hm. Now we owe that bastard one," Zoro said as he kept count of Luffy's debts. Luffy wasn't kidding when he said that he owed a lot of people.

Crocodile suddenly lost his head as Doflamingo beheaded him from behind. It was not fatal, since the Warlord didn't use Haki.

"Hey now, Crocodile-man! So, you're ditching me to team up with Whitebeard?" Doflamingo asked teasingly. "It's enough to make a guy jealous, you know?"

Crocodile reformed his head and stared at the other Warlord in annoyance. "I do not team up with anyone."

"That's the same as brushing me off," Doflamingo said in amusement.

"More or less," Crocodile admitted.

The two Warlords started to fight, knocking away several marines who were unfortunately in the their way.

"I don't know what happened…but we were saved," Luffy sighed in relief.

The marines took notice of Luffy again and attempted to attack him. Since he had a moment to rest, he was able to handle the average marine without too much problem.

"Get out of the way!" Luffy screamed as he kicked an entire group of marines away from him.

He ran into some problems with marines who knew Rokushiki, but even in his weakened state he was able to handle them even when they used Tekkai. After all, their mastery of the style was nothing like CP9's.

Luffy's luck ran out, however, when an ice spear came out of nowhere nailed him in his upper arm. It was a not a lethal blow, but it undoubtedly hurt given how Luffy was rolling on the ground, screaming in pain.

"An ice spear shouldn't cause him that much pain," Nami said.

Chopper gritted his teeth. "His body is hypersensitive to pain because of all the wounds he accumulated."

"I thought that adrenaline numbs pain," Usopp said as Aokiji approached their fallen captain.

"It does, but adrenaline eventually wears off, which causes the body to feel more than normal," Chopper explained.

"What about the injection that Iva gave him? Shouldn't that lessen the pain?" Brook asked.

Chopper said nothing. He didn't want to worry his crew more, but he knew that the Tension Shot that Iva gave Luffy was quickly wearing off.

Aokiji reached over Luffy's body and pulled the spear out. "I am indebted to your grandfather, but I have no choice!" He raised the ice spear to kill Luffy. There was a slight look of regret on his face. "You have chosen your own death!"

The fatal blow never came as Marco flew in and kicked Aokiji away from Luffy. The admiral went flying into some buildings, much to the marines' shock.

"I've been wondering for awhile, but how does that guy have blue flames and able to fly?" Usopp asked.

"One of the rarest Devil Fruits in the world, the Mythical Zoan Fruit. He is a phoenix and has the ability to heal from any wound. He has also been granted the ability to fly, a very rare trait granted by bird zoans," Robin explained.

"I didn't know such Devil Fruits existed," Brook said in awe.

"It makes sense that you would not know of it or even see Mythical Zoan Fruit. They are rarer than logias," Robin stated. "You can go an entire lifetime without ever seeing one."

Luffy took a moment to catch his breath and nursed his wounded arm. He looked up toward his savior and gave grateful smile. "Thanks for saving me."

Marco smiled back at him. "Don't mention it."

"Three Devil Fruit users have crossed into the plaza!" someone screamed in the distance. Guns and cannon fire could be heard as the marines attempted to keep any more pirates from breaking through.

Screams were suddenly heard about a second-coated ship coming out of the water before mini Oars lifted a ship over the steel wall, allowing the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies through into the plaza.

It was a fairly big paddleboat that was in the shape of the Moby Dick. Despite its size, Oars held it like it was a model ship.

"Oh, so that's how they got through!" Chopper cheered.

"Clever. They had a second ship hidden under the water the entire time," Sanji said, deeply impressed. Whitebeard was far more than just power.

"With Whitebeard and his crew here, Luffy won't have to deal with the admirals anymore!" Usopp cheered. He was more than a little relieved.

Robin looked at her captain with concerned eyes. "I do not think it matters anymore."

The Strawhats turned to see Luffy struggle to get to his feet. His breaths came out as harsh puffs and he coughed up some blood.

He looked horrible. His cheeks were a burning red as his fever got worse, and he was littered with wounds from both the war and Impel Down. He was literally soaked in his own blood. He appeared only seconds away from collapsing completely.

The memory fuzzed and refocused several times as Luffy attempted regained his senses. Luffy was so out of it that he leaned heavily on the rubble as he attempted to stay awake.

"Luffy will not last, regardless of who he is fighting now," Robin stated. Her voice might have sounded cold, but everyone on the crew could hear the concern in her voice. In fact, she was downright scared.

"I thought the adrenaline Iva gave him was supposed to last an entire day?" Franky asked.

"Under normal conditions, it may have lasted a day, but Luffy has pushed himself too much," Chopper said in deep worried. He knew this would happen. "Because he has been constantly fighting and getting hurt since he left Impel Down, he's been rapidly burning his energy, making the adrenaline that Iva gave him last for only a fraction of the time. That is also why Luffy is feeling pain more acutely. It is most likely part of the terrible side-effect that Iva mention."

Sanji nodded before he frowned. "Just as I thought. Iva only gave Luffy so much adrenaline to keep him from hurting himself too much."

"Couldn't Luffy-san just get another adrenaline shot?" Brook asked.

"That would be crazy!" Chopper yelled angrily at the skeleton swordsman. He was violently flinging his arms. "That adrenaline is not a cure! If Luffy pushes himself anymore than he already has, he will burn his body out completely and die!"

Zoro said nothing, knowing what would eventually happen.

"Old Man!" Ace screamed at his captain.

"Still got your head, Ace?" Whitebeard asked.

"We made it!" mini Oars exclaimed as he gasped for breath. He appeared close to passing out again. "Now, Ace can be rescued..."

Marines ruthlessly shot at the injured giant, causing him to scream in pain.

"Dishonorable!" Brook yelled as he watched mini Oars get blasted. "That man can't even defend himself!"

When the firing stopped, Oars was left shaking and barely conscious. Before he fell, he turned towards his fellow pirates with pleading eyes. "Save...Ace..." He then collapsed and didn't move.

"Damn, is he still alive!?" Franky yelled.

Chopper glanced over the unconscious giant. "Amazingly, yes. He must have an incredible will to live."

"Mini Oars seems to have a history with Ace, given how desperate he was to save him," Brook said with a note of sadness.

"They all do," Robin said as she glanced at Ace, who looked on in distress. "At first, I thought everyone here was mostly supporting Whitebeard, who sees everyone who flies under his flag as his son. Now I understand that these pirates are not just here because for their loyalty towards Whitebeard. They all truly care and want to save Ace, as if he is their own brother."

Nami looked at the crowd of pirates. "To think that one person is so valuable that so many groups would come together and shift the world and risk everything they have to save them. Ace not only has the support of the Whitebeard Pirates, but dozens of crews from across the New World."

Sanji took a puff of his cigarette. "It seems Luffy wasn't the only one with the special gift of making friends with anyone. For a child who was regarded as the spawn of the devil, he made some wonderful friends."

Whitebeard moved forward and stood on the front of his ship. Everyone waited for him to make his move, including all the Warlords, admirals, and Luffy.

After only a moment, Whitebeard jumped down from his ship and landed hard on the stone ground, cracking it under his weight.

"Whitebeard has entered the plaza!" a marine screamed as the soldiers quickly took aim at the aging pirates.

"Stand back, my sons," Whitebeard warned. He raised his bisento and struck it across the air. His powers cracked the air around him and sent every marine within his range flying. Only the stronger marines remained standing.

With the way cleared, all the Whitebeard commanders jumped to join their captain.

"Men, rescue Ace and destroy the marines!" Whitebeard yelled into the sky.

All the commanders gave their war cries as the as the remaining pirates jumped off the ship.

The battle started again and both sides charged each other. It was an all-out war, with the marines being pushed back during their efforts to protect the execution platform. This time, there was no retreating for anyone.

Luffy used the chaos to his advantage and ran through the horde of marines. The memory blurred as it reflected Luffy's state of consciousness. He was truly on his last legs. Regardless, the boy captain kept going and glanced up to see Ace, who was still awaiting his death.

"Ace..." Luffy muttered breathlessly.

Up ahead, the vice-admiral that had escorted Boa to Impel Down, Momonga, approached Luffy. He jumped forward and brutally cut Luffy across the stomach with his saber. Luffy was too tired to dodge and fell hard on the ground.

"Strawhat Luffy, I, Momonga, stake my pride as a marine vice-admiral on stopping you right here!" he declared as he readied his blade.

Luffy laid on the ground, barely bothering to get up as he gasped for air. "Vice-admiral...the same as gramps, huh?" he muttered as he forced his body up.

Momonga appeared to disappear and attempted to blindside Luffy. The Strawhat captain sensed him and attempted a spin kick, but he missed Momonga, who disappeared again. The vice-admiral jumped high into the air and did a downward slash. Luffy managed to avoid a mortal hit, but he was cut badly across his chest.

"Luffy's being destroyed by that vice-admiral," Franky said in worry.

"If he was at full strength, he may had stood a chance, but Luffy is now wrecked by fever and fatigue," Robin stated, not bothering to hide her concern. "He will die if this fight continues."

"Don't say that so calmly!" Usopp yelled, in tears.

Luffy grunted as he went into a horse stance. "Gear Second!"

He pumped his legs, but nothing happened. Instead, Luffy cried in pain as he grabbed his chest and the memory went red for several seconds. By the way Luffy was grabbing his chest, it looked like he was having a heart attack.

"Huh, what happened!?" Brook exclaimed. The memory continued to shake violently.

Luffy was almost on his knees as the chest pains pulsed through his body, robbing him of his remaining strength. He was gasping for air as he attempted to recompose himself.

"Luffy literally has nothing left. Gear Second is useless if Luffy has no nutrition in his body to burn," Chopper whispered. He clenched his teeth so hard that his lower jaw started to hurt. "All he can do now is speed up his heart, and even that is now causing him pain. By burning so much energy, he also put his body in starvation mode."

Usopp growled as he watched Luffy hurt himself. He knew those Gears were dangerous. He had already lost ten years of his life just coming to this forsaken war. How many more did Luffy lose by pushing himself this far?

The memory slowly cleared, but it was obvious that Luffy was in no condition to fight as the rubberman desperately attempted to catch his breath.

"Looks like you're out of energy!" another vice-admiral with a dalmatian Devil Fruit yelled as he ruthlessly stabbed Luffy with his clawed finger, piercing his chest several times.

"LUFFY!" most of the Strawhats screamed in dismay.

Luffy's eyes rolled back into his head as he was knocked back and sent sliding across the stone ground. This time, no matter how hard he tried, Luffy couldn't will himself to stand up. He coughed violently and blood came rushing out of his mouth. His stab wounds were also bleeding heavily, soaking the stone ground.

"I'm not surprised. He's just a rookie, after all," the dog vice-admiral said in a dismissive tone.

"But he is still as persistent as ever," Momonga said as Luffy slowly forced himself up.

Luffy was out of it. He stared dim-wittedly at the ground as he looked at his own blood with dull interest. His eyes were glazed and the memory faded in and out. Everything within ten feet of Luffy was a complete blur.

As Luffy lifted his head, a bright yellow light blinded him. He didn't have a chance to figure out what was happening before he was blasted by Kizaru. The laser pierced his chest and he was engulfed in a huge explosion.

"LUFFY!" Nami screamed in horror. How did Luffy live through that!?

"Luffy-san!" Brook also yelled. He was ready to unsheathe his sword.

Luffy landed hard on the stone ground and his eyes rolled back into his head. The attack happened so fast that he didn't even have the chance to scream. He looked eerily similar to the state that Zoro was in at Sabaody.

Zoro growled at the admiral. He definitely owed that bastard more than one.

Luffy laid face down on the pavement, unable to move at all now. He could just barely twitch his fingers. He was totally spent as his remaining vision faded. The faint sounds of footsteps got Luffy's attention and he was soon looking at the white shoes of Kizaru.

Kizaru hummed at Luffy like he had found an interesting bug on the side of the road. "You have to have more than just courage. Willpower alone means nothing without strength. Strawhat, without enough strength, you cannot save anyone no matter how hard you try."

Luffy winced at the admiral's words. All the Strawhats knew that Kizaru's speech had hurt their captain more than all of his laser blasts and kicks. What made it worse was that Kizaru spoke the truth. Without the strength to even move, what was all of Luffy's willpower worth?

Luffy forced his eyes away from Kizaru and looked towards his brother. Ace caught his eyes and seemed to be sharing in Luffy's pain. It almost looked like that Ace was apologizing to Luffy for bringing him into this hellhole.

"Ace..." Luffy whispered weakly, nearing tears. The battlefield around him began to fade into darkness and the sounds of fighting dulled, but he kept focusing on his brother.

"Luffy..." Usopp whispered.

He knew those tears. Those were tears of frustration, shame, as well as sadness. Luffy was frustrated by his own weakness and his inability to help even himself. He shed those same tears when he allowed the money to be stolen by the Franky Family and when he failed to retrieve the money from Franky. He never thought, or wanted, Luffy to experience that same helplessness. The same self-loathing.

"Now, will you please disappear?" Kizaru asked nonchalantly before he ruthlessly kicked Luffy in the face with his power.

Luffy went flying and the memory went completely dark. Regardless, the Strawhats could still hear sounds, although they were muted and it was hard to hear.

"Ace's little brother!" they heard several people screamed.

"Ace..." Luffy whimpered in a broken tone. He sounded like a dying dog.

"Oh, Whitebeard's command has been dulled," Kizaru mused. "To think that a man like you would let such reckless trash lead your attack."

"Reckless trash?" Brook repeated in anger.

"I would like to meet that bastard now and show him how reckless trash can kick his light-covered ass," Sanji growled.

They heard the sound of Kizaru charging a laser.

"Don't let him touch the Old Man!" someone ordered.

"Oh, how admirable," Kizaru teased.

"There he is! It's Straw-boy!" Iva screamed from somewhere. It sounded strangely far away. "There he is, Jimbei!"

"I was wondering what happened to that guy," Sanji said.

"Who's that?" someone asked.

There was suddenly a noise of surprise and shock.

"Don't you see me!?" Iva screamed. "I'm Ivankov, dammit!"

"Up there!" a pirate screamed. "What's with the size of his face!?"

Nami shook her head. "He made his head big again."

"Glad we don't have to see that," Sanji said with a small nod.

"Luffy-kun!" Jimbei yelled. He sounded panic.

"Are you still alive, Strawhat-boy!?" Iva screamed.

"What a noisy guy," Whitebeard said after a giant commotion. It sounded like something big had fallen.

The vision of the memory returned as Luffy willed his eyes open. Everything was extremely blurry and it was hard to tell what was going on. Most of the people around Luffy looked like deformed blobs.

The Strawhats could still see, however, that Luffy was being held upside down by Whitebeard. Their captain looked like a doll in the great pirate's hand.

"Iva...Jimbei..." Luffy murmured softly. It sounded like he had forgotten where he was. He quickly remembered a few seconds later and struggled weakling in Whitebeard's grip. "Let me go, Old Timer! I'm...I'm...let me go…!"

"He has done more than enough, treat his wounds," Whitebeard ordered as he tossed Luffy to his men.

They caught Luffy and gently lowered him towards the ground.

"I don't need that! There's no time!" Luffy continued to scream as he struggled vainly to stand.

The memory was so blurry and out-of-focus that the Strawhats could barely see what was happening. It almost like Luffy was going blind.

"I got to save him! Don't get in my way!" Luffy yelled frantically as stumbled around. "Ace...Ace is...Ace IS MY ONLY BROTHER IN THE WORLD!" He suddenly lunged at one of the pirates and grabbed their shirts. He shook the poor man violently. His eyes were wide with fear and he was delirious from his wounds and fever. "I'll...I'll definitely...definitely...SAVE HIM!"

He got up and ran. The entire memory seemed to tilt like the earth itself had moved from under Luffy and he collapsed with a loud thud that seemed to reverberate. The memory went completely black again. There was nothing now, not even sound.

The Strawhats said nothing as they could only helplessly watch the pain their captain was experiencing. It reminded them of the state Luffy was in when he was told that Ace in his Dream World had to be killed in ordered to free himself from Toby's power.

It was also heartbreaking to see Luffy fighting so hard, but his body no longer had the strength to carry out his will. It was worse than when Luffy was immobile at Enies Lobby. At least then, Luffy's enemy was defeated. Here, there was still much to be done, but Luffy was simply too weak to make a different.

"How is he?" the Strawhats heard the voice of Iva suddenly ask, startling them.

"How, you ask? In his condition, my emergency treatment will not be enough!" a man exclaimed. "He needs proper medical care!"

Chopper almost sighed in relief. Finally, Luffy would get proper medical attention and stop hurting himself. Iva maybe a miracle worker, but his ability was no substitute for a real doctor.

"Hurry and bring Strawhat-boy to the ship!" Iva ordered.

The vision returned to the memory and the Strawhats could see Luffy grabbing Iva's boot desperately. It was still hard to see anything since everything was blurry and shaky. It was obvious that Luffy was seconds away from passing out completely. How he managed to drag himself back to awareness given the state of his body was a miracle in of itself.

"Iva..." Luffy whimpered so softly that the Strawhats could barely hear him. He sounded so weak, almost like a child.

"You're still conscious!?" Iva exclaimed in surprise.

Only one of Luffy's eyes was opened and he was quivering badly. He was also drenched in sweat and dry blood. It almost looked he fell into water. "I...have one last favor to ask you..."

By the tone of Luffy's voice, the Strawhats knew that they were going to hate the favor.

Zoro narrowed his eye. So, this was the moment. He tightened his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"One last favor? Don't say such ominous things!" Iva yelled.

"Seriously," Usopp said in worry as his heart speeded up. What was Luffy going to ask?

Luffy took several deep breaths. "Please, give me...adrenaline...like before..."

All the Strawhats, save for Zoro, were shocked by the request.

"He can't be serious!?" Chopper screamed in horror. He was shaking in rage. He wanted to run over and shake some sense into Luffy. "His body can't take anymore! If he's given another dose of that adrenaline, he could push himself to the point where he'll slip into a coma and die! Dammit, Luffy, do you have any regard for your life!?"

Franky gritted his teeth. "Bro has gone insane. How much more does he think he can take before his body gives? He's far more damaged than what he was at Enies Lobby or even Thriller Bark and those wounds nearly killed him."

"Please...Iva..." Luffy begged as he squeezed Iva's boot tighter.

"Are you sure about this?" Iva asked in disbelief before his eyes narrowed as anger overtook him. He looked almost as angry as Chopper. "You want another shot of the Tension Hormones!? That's too reckless! It's hopeless! You and I fought our way out of Impel Down together, didn't we!? You body had been fatally poisoned and then brought back from the brink of death! It's way beyond its limits!"

Luffy continued to try to sit up, but failed each time. He no longer had the strength to even lift his head.

"Didn't I tell you before? The Tension Hormones are nothing but emergency treatment! If you keep deceiving your body, you really will die after all of this is over!" Iva continued to scream as he flailed his arms.

"Listen to him!" Nami screamed at her captain, despite know that he couldn't hear her. "You've done enough! Ace wouldn't want you to die for his sake!"

Luffy suddenly stretched his arm and grabbed Iva by his collar. He looked directly at Iva with his fading vision. "As long as I've done all I can, then I don't mind dying!"

Iva was horrified by his words.

The Strawhats were also left in horrified silence as they stared at their captain. It was common for Luffy to talk about his own death in a matter-of-fact sort of way, but the tone of Luffy's voice this time had an air of absolution.

"Please let me fight, Iva!" Luffy pleaded as he pulled Iva closer. His eyes became teary as he carefully spoke his next words. "If...I don't fight here...if...I can't save Ace...I...I WOULD WANT TO KILL MYSELF!" he shouted in a choked voice. His blood-shot eyes were looking directly into Iva's eyes.

Iva's mouth dropped in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

This Strawhats were left equally horrified and speechless. Hearing Luffy willing to risk his life and die to save a loved one was normal. Here, Luffy wasn't just talking about risking his life. He knew if he did this, if took more adrenaline, he was going to die. Luffy was rarely a person who spoke in metaphors or exaggerated to showcase his feelings. He was literal when he said that he would want to kill himself if Ace died.

To save his brother, he was going to give up everything; his dream, his ambitions, his promises, and even his precious crew. He all but said that life wasn't worth living if he failed to save Ace.

"Not even a factor," Zoro whispered in a hoarse voice as he remembered what Luffy had told him. His body was shaking as the gravity of the scene before him hit him. He fully understood now.

Nami stared at the swordsman. "You knew he did this?"

"He mentioned it to me once," Zoro stated as he looked carefully at his captain. He never felt so useless. What Luffy was doing in this war zone was a failure on all their parts.

"But what about us?" Chopper asked in tears. He was close to heaving. "Doesn't he care how we would feel if he died here?"

"He…he has forgotten us," Robin said with sadness in her eyes and voice. She too looked close to crying. "In his desire to save Ace, he has forgotten about his crew. Since the beginning of this war and even as far back as Impel Down, he ceased being our captain. He is now a brother trying desperately to save his last big brother."

"How can Luffy just forget us?" Usopp asked with tearful eyes.

He wasn't angry, just very confused. After all they've been through together and the memories they shared, how could Luffy just forget them? Did his brother mean more to him than all of them? Were they worth anything to Luffy?

"He did it to protect himself," Zoro answered, catching his crew's attention. "He went into all of this alone knowing that we couldn't help him. In order to keep his sanity he sealed his memory of us. As time went on he allowed himself to forget us completely as he became more focused on saving Ace."

"He told you this the day after he woke up from Toby's spell, didn't he?" Sanji asked, although it really wasn't a question.

Zoro chose not to answer, which was all the answer the crew needed.

"Please, give me the power to fight!" Luffy screamed at the top of his burning lungs.

Iva stared at him for a moment. "And I'm telling you, if I allow you to die, I won't be able to show my face to Dragon again! You ignorant fool!" He slowly calmed down and stared at Luffy again.

Luffy reached out his hand towards his brother. He was close to fainting again. "Ace..."

Iva knew he was defeated. "Fine, do whatever the hell you want!" he yelled as he grew his spikes and stabbed them into Luffy's side.

"Hey, what are you doing to Strawhat!?" someone yelled.

The memory became vivid and clearer as Iva pumped Luffy full of adrenaline. Soon, everything was crystal clear as Luffy stood up and gave a loud battle cry. His eyes were white with focus and determination.

"ACE!" Luffy screamed as adrenaline rushed through his body, filling him with energy.

Ace looked down at his brother in shock. He wasn't sure how Luffy was able to stand.

"The Tension Hormones only deceives your body! Your injures haven't been healed!" Iva yelled. He looked close to tears. "If you fall again, no matter how persistent you are, you won't wake up."

The absolution in Iva's voice frightened all the Strawhats. In so many words he had all but said that Luffy would drop dead the next time he ran out of energy.

Luffy was sweating hard and face was nearly completely red. Still, he stood as strong and as tall as ever. "I...I will not fall again!"

"Another empty boost," Iva sighed.

Luffy's eyes widened when he saw that they had two new executors to replace the ones that Crocodile had attacked. "Those guys!"

He ran off, knowing that he didn't have any time left.

"Wait!" Iva screamed.

"They're trying to execute Ace again!" Luffy yelled.

"Strawhat!" the marines exclaimed in shock. Their surprise didn't last long before a group of marines attempted to intercept him.

"Take down Strawhat!" the marines yelled.

Luffy wasted no time taking down those marines with a vigor and strength the Strawhats hadn't seen since Impel Down. He was closed to being the unstoppable machine he was back in Enies Lobby.

"Those hormones really fired Luffy-san up," Brook said with a mix of awe and horror. It looked so wrong to watch Luffy move around like his old self while he was covered in so much blood.

Chopper's body shook as he gritted his teeth. Hot tears built in his eyes as watched his friend and captain hurt his body even more. "Just like Iva said, Luffy now thinks he's fine, which is why he's able to jump around like that. But he's far from fine. He isn't okay at all!" He started to cry again. "He...he has most likely shortened his life even more by doing this to himself. He's pushing all his organs past their limit and making the wounds he has already received worse. Not to mention his high fever. At this rate…"

He didn't even want to imagine the untold amounts of internal damage that Luffy was doing to himself. After this was over, he was going to give Luffy a long check-up to make sure he was really alright. Even if he examined all his crewmates after the events of Fishmen Island, he couldn't believe that Luffy escaped this war with no long-term damage except for a giant scar.

"Dammit, Luffy…" Usopp cussed under his breath as tears built in his eyes. He seriously wanted to smack Luffy.

This was even worse than anything else they had ever been through. If only they were there with Luffy, maybe they could had prevented some of this. He didn't want to see his friend kill himself like this anymore.

"Luffy, you selfish moron," Nami hissed in anger. What was the point in saving Ace if he fell dead soon afterwards? How did Luffy think Ace would take his little brother's death? If he was anything like Luffy, it would destroy Ace.

Luffy quickly got surrounded by elite marines, but Iva came to his aid and knocked all them away with a Death Wink.

"I will back you up!" Iva yelled.

"Thanks, Iva!" Luffy yelled as they both ran towards the execution platform.

As they ran through the smoke Iva's Death Wink left behind, Luffy saw a familiar figure standing in front of him. The marine was young, looking no more than fifteen or sixteen years old. What stood out the most about him was his short pink hair.

Luffy's eyes widened as he recognized the person in front of him. "Coby!"

"That's Coby!?" Brook exclaimed in shock. This was the first time he had seen Coby after the events of Shell Town. "He really did grow up!"

"What's he doing in this war?" Franky asked. "I've seen him fight. He's strong, but he isn't ready for this kind of brawl."

Nami scowled. "It must be Garp's doing. Coby hasn't even been in the marines for a year and that crazy old man dragged him into a war with the strongest man in the world. What the hell was he thinking?"

"Well, at least we know he's an equal opportunist abuser," Sanji said in a deadpan voice. Although, he thought this was going too far.

Coby stood firmly against Luffy with a look of unspoken determination. They were friends and Coby owed Luffy his life and his dream, but none of that matter in this war. He was a marine and Luffy was a pirate. No matter what bond they shared, they were on the opposite side of this conflict. It was the path they had both chosen and accepted. At that moment, they were enemies.

"Back then... If I hadn't met Luffy back then, I wouldn't be here today," Coby muttered to himself. He seemed closed to tears as Luffy quickly approached him. "Alright...in order to be a real marine I have to fight, or I won't progress."

Luffy stared at Coby as he got closer to his friend. There was inner conflict in his eyes, knowing that he had to railroad his friend. As much as he loved Coby, the life of his brother came, and would always, come first.

Some of the Strawhats looked at the incoming scuffled with teary eyes. For some reason, they were reminded of Usopp and Luffy's duel. This wasn't just a battle between a marine and a pirate. These were two friends ready to fight.

Zoro kept an impassive face as he watched everything.

"This is a battlefield," Coby continued to talk to himself as his body tense. "I must be prepared to kill him!"

Luffy narrowed his eyes as he threw his arm back. "Gum Gum..."

Coby disappeared as he rushed towards Luffy.

Either Coby failed to realize where Luffy's fist was heading, or Luffy predicted his movement, the 'battle' didn't even last a second. Coby literally ran into Luffy fist, causing his face to cave in.

"Bullet..." Luffy shouted as he finished his attack.

"Well...kind of anticlimactic," Franky muttered as Coby went like a sack of bricks.

Sanji shrugged. "Were you expecting a different result?"

"He still has a long way to go," Zoro said as glanced at Coby's unconscious body.

Still, he had to admire the boy's spirit. The Coby he met at Shell Town would have never stood up to Luffy. He could only imagine how the boy had improved in these last two years.

Nami rubbed her face. "Did Luffy really need to hit Coby that hard?"

As soon as Coby went down, Luffy ran passed the young marine. He didn't even spare Coby a glance, knowing that he was strong enough to take one of his hits.

Luffy looked up and saw the executors were readying their blades.

Ace stared blank-faced, showing neither fear nor anger. If anything, he wished fate would just make up its mind about whether it would kill him or not.

"Dammit!" Luffy yelled, knowing that his time was limited and he still was too far to do anything.

He was so distracted by Ace that he was nearly blasted by a laser. Both Luffy and Iva were knocked off their feet, but neither of them were harmed.

Luffy glanced up and saw several bright lights coming from his right. He realized that he was in the line of sight of a row of Pacifistas.

"How many did the World Government build!?" Franky asked. "There must have been hundreds of those things in this war."

"Given what just a few of those things did at Sabaody, it's no surprise that the marines built so many. One of those Pacifistas is like having a walking battleship," Zoro said.

"They're going to blow Luffy up!" Chopper yelled in fear. With all the damage Luffy had already taken, one of those lasers could be fatal.

Pacifistas were ready to fire upon Luffy. Suddenly, Hancock seemingly came out of nowhere and jumped in front of the row of cyborgs, blocking Luffy from their view.

"That's dangerous!" Luffy yelled at her.

She didn't even flinch as she stared at the Pacifistas with a cold expression.

Apparently, the Pacifistas were programmed not to fire on their allies and they stopped charging their beams.

"Oh right...you're these guys' ally," Luffy said, forgetting that she was a Warlord. "Thanks, Hancock!" He ran off again.

Iva was left baffled by what just happened. "Is that not the Empress!? Why on earth do you know her!?"

Nami couldn't help but to chuckle. "I don't think even Iva would believe that story."

"Luffy, you said my name again…" the Strawhats heard Hancock coo.

The crew turned to see the Pirate Empress blushing with a peaceful look on her face. They could tell that she was daydreaming.

"Wow...she's completely gone," Usopp muttered as he sweat-dropped.

"Hancock, move," one of the Pacifista ordered.

Hancock's face became cold immediately after hearing the command. She looked very much like the woman Luffy met before she fell in love.

"When did I give you permission to say my name!?" Hancock yelled as she jumped and preformed a roundhouse kick into the Pacifista's head. The cyborg's head turned to stone and shattered.

This turn of events more than surprised most of the Strawhats.

"She can turn stuff to stone by kicking it!? But I thought you had to lust for her!" Usopp screamed.

Robin rubbed her chin. "Apparently, there is more to the Love Love Fruit than I thought."

"Even still, she took out a Pacifista with one kick!" Brook yelled.

"She's a Warlord. She wouldn't be worthy of her position if she couldn't handle one Pacifista," Zoro said in his usual dry manner.

A loud boom got the Strawhats' attention back in the war and their captain.

Luffy was still running and he glanced to his side to see Whitebeard taking out an entire unit of marines who had stabbed him. Whitebeard was undoubtedly hurt, as one could judge by the giant hole in his chest along with several stab wounds, but he was still taking down elite marines like they were rookies.

"What a tough guy. Even with that big hole, he still mauling down the marines like they're punks," Franky said as Whitebeard did a quake attack using his bisento.

An entire section of marines were sucked into the quake and thrown into the air. They literally covered the sky and fell like fallen stars.

"What power!" Brook yelled. "My eyes would pop out…if I had eyes." He laughed.

"Now is not the time, Brook," Nami scolded. Given what was happening around them and Luffy's deteriorating condition, this wasn't the time for Skull Jokes.

Whitebeard slumped over a little from the exertion of using his ability. He was taking several deep breaths and appeared to be having trouble breathing.

"Seems like Whitebeard has hit his limit too," Sanji said with a hint of concern. Even though he knew Whitebeard was going to die on this battlefield, a part of him kept hoping that the old pirate would pull through.

"Do not hesitate; he is fatally wounded!" Sengoku yelled.

Despite hearing the command from their fleet admiral, no marine moved to attack Whitebeard. They were all frozen in place and quivered before the old pirate like he was the devil himself.

It took several seconds before the marines picked up the shattered remains of their courage and charged Whitebeard.

"Fatally wounded, am I?" Whitebeard mused as he caught his breath. "Do not make me laugh! Do you really think I would die that easily?" He stood straight. "Do you…really… Do you not understand what it would mean if I died? I know…if that happened…my eyes would not see the bright future of my sons. I cannot let myself die, can I? Right, Ace?"

Ace stared at his captain with tears in his eyes as the executors' blades posed at his neck. "Old Man!"

Most of the Strawhats were also in tears.

"Whitebeard…he truly was a pirate among pirates," Franky sobbed.

"Whitebeard, he's really great…" Usopp sobbed with Franky.

Tears flew from Brook's empty sockets. "One couldn't ask for a better captain! He's as magnificent as all the rumors said!"

An entire army of marines surrounded Whitebeard's back.

"You just refuse to die!" a marine yelled.

A loud crash was heard and the Strawhats saw that Jimbei was throwing marines into the crowd. He was soon joined by the Whitebeard commanders, who covered their captain's back like a shield. They all glared at the marines, daring them to attack.

Zoro had to admire all of them. They were going to stay by their captain's side to the bitter end.

"Wh…what's with these guys!? Covering Whitebeard's back like that… Do they intend to die together with Whitebeard!?" one of the commanding marines yelled in shock and disbelief.

Jimbei growled at the marines. "You people will never understand!"

"We will protect the Old Man's pride!" Vista declared.

Whitebeard side-eyed his crew and Jimbei. "You are getting too worked up, you fools!"

Sengoku was unimpressed by all of this. "If you want to see the future, I will show you right now, Whitebeard!" He turned his head towards the executors. "Do it!"

The executors moved to execute Ace, who once again prepared himself.

The entire plaza exploded with the screams from the Whitebeard Pirates and the allies screaming Ace's name.

"ACE!" Luffy screamed as he ran faster, knocking marines aside.

Ace closed his eyes and he awaited his fate.

Luffy ran faster, but he wasn't going to make it. "Stop it!" he screamed, trying to fight of the marines in his path.

"That will not work!" Whitebeard yelled as he raised his bisento. "Do you really think that would stop…" He stopped short and all the Strawhats saw the pain that shoot through his body. His body stiffened before he fell on his knees, coughing up blood.

"Whitebeard…what happened!?" Nami shouted in shock.

Chopper shook his head. "He reached his limit. Both Luffy and him had pushed their bodies past their breaking point. Even if Whitebeard did manage to escape from all of this…there wouldn't be much hope for him."

"But without Whitebeard, there's nothing stopping the marines from killing Ace!" Brook yelled as he looked towards the executor platform.

The executors brought their blades down.

"STOP IT!" Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs, unconsciously releasing his Haki across the plaza.

The Haki wave was powerful enough that hundreds of elite marines and pirates from across the plaza were knocked out instantly, including the two executors.

Sengoku looked like he was going to piss himself as he stared at Luffy in disbelief. Ace was also left shock as he stared at his little brother.

Sanji looked around at the damage caused by the wave of Haki. "I would say that was his most powerful outburst yet."

"No kidding, he took out elite marines with that. Heck, even the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies were affected," Franky said in awe. "That's nothing like him knocking out a bunch a women."

Everyone from both sides stared at Luffy. There was dead silence across the plaza as the full impact of what just happened hit everyone.

Luffy took no notice of the sudden drop in numbers or the sudden silence and he kept running towards the platform. "Here I come!"

The marines didn't move to stop Luffy. They were too shocked to move.

"What did you just do!?" Iva asked as he ran beside Luffy.

All the remaining marines began to look at Luffy differently. They no longer saw a stubborn yet weak rookie. They saw a man who would become a powerful enemy to them if allowed to live.

Zoro saw Mihawk from the corner of his eye. The other swordsman didn't seem surprised at all. Although, Zoro could see that Mihawk was somewhat impressed by the strength of the Haki.

Robin looked worriedly at the marines. She could see Aokiji, too, who looked uncharacteristically nervous. She had never seen the man so shaken. She also caught a glimpse of Akainu, whose eyes honed in on Luffy. His intentions were all too clear. If the stories she heard about Akainu were true, he was going to make it his personal mission to make sure Luffy did not leave this place alive. She shivered at the implication.

"Luffy using Haki may have saved Ace, but it may not have been the best choice," Robin said in a hush voice.

"Why's that?" Nami asked.

"Look at the marines," Robin said.

The Strawhats looked around and saw the looks in the marines' eyes.

"They seem…angry," Chopper said. The fur on his body stood up. He could feel their fear and hate.

"No, they look determined. By Luffy showing he has the Conquering King Haki, he has made himself an even bigger target. Now, no matter what happens, they will try to make sure Luffy dies on this battlefield," Zoro said with a note of concern. Like Chopper, he felt the marines' hatred.

"Isn't that the same as before?" Franky asked in confusion.

"Perhaps, but I think it just became more real to them about how dangerous Luffy will become," Sanji said. "The Conquering King Haki is extremely rare. Only one in a million is born with it and fewer ever unlocks it. By Luffy showing that he is one of the chosen few, he showed the marines his potential. On top of being the son of the most wanted criminal in the world, Luffy is now one of the biggest threats on this battlefield."

"Weak-willed men, stand back!" someone ordered frantically. "Don't take him as an ordinary rookie! The Conquering King Haki...he's the son of the Revolutionary Dragon! I suppose we should have known he had it!"

"About what you just did..." Iva asked again. "Where did you learn to use that power?"

"Huh, use what?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"Never mind," Iva said quickly.

"Don't let him escape this war alive!" the marine continued to yell. "If we let him go, he'll become a terrifying enemy! Take down Strawhat without fail!"

The marines yelled as Luffy had an entire army on him within seconds. They didn't have the chance to touch him before Whitebeard blasted them away with his quake power, surprising Luffy and Iva.

Whitebeard chuckled. "You cowardly marines. Are you really that afraid of one kid? What happened to taking my head?" he asked before he used his quake ability again to knock several more marines into the air.

"He can still do that despite being so injured!" Usopp yelled. "How? He could barely move just moments before!"

"I did hear that Whitebeard's final moments were astounding. He took several hits that should had been fatal and kept going," Nami said. And she thought Luffy could be an unstoppable machine.

"He was truly a beast," Brook whispered.

"He's earned his reputation of being a monster! Take him down at all costs!" the marines yelled as they faced Whitebeard.

Whitebeard grinned at them. "Fine by me."

"We will back up the Old Man!" one of the Whitebeard commanders yelled as they, and Jimbei, guard Whitebeard's back.

The marines charged the Whitebeard Pirates, leaving Luffy opened to run through.

"Strawhat-boy, now's our chance!" Iva yelled as they both ran out of the line of battle.

"Don't let Strawhat get away!" someone ordered.

Marines attempted to attack Luffy, but he easily fought them off as he kept running. Still, they were severally slowing him down.

"MEN!" they suddenly heard Whitebeard yell, causing the battle to cease for a second. "As of this moment, lend Strawhat Luffy all of your strength!"

Everyone, including Whitebeard's own crew and allies, were surprised by the order.

"Huh, why's he letting Luffy lead the assault?" Usopp asked, confused.

"He must know the marines won't allow him break through, so he's leaving everything to Luffy," Sanji guessed, although even he was left numb from the announcement. Of all things, this was the last he expected.

"It's more than that," Zoro said as he glanced at Whitebeard. "Whitebeard is testing Luffy. He wants to see his worth." But why? What did Whitebeard gain from doing this?

Robin smiled. "It is far more than even that. Luffy has earned Whitebeard's respect. He truly believes that he can save Ace."

"To think…Luffy got a monster like that on his side," Chopper whispered.

"Take down Strawhat, now!" Kizaru ordered.

Luffy had two of the vice-admirals from before charging him from the front. He would have been hit if one of allied pirates hadn't blocked Momonga. The vice-admiral with the Dalmatian Fruit was intercepted by two twin pirates with cat claws.

Within seconds, Luffy was surrounded by allies of the Whitebeard Pirates who protected him on all sides.

"W...what is this?" Iva asked in confusion.

"We New World Pirates will lend you a hand!" one of them exclaimed.

"Ace is right in front of us! Let's go, Strawhat!" another one yelled.

Any marine that got within range of Luffy was brutally mauled by the New World Pirates. There was no mercy.

"What's with these guys!?" Luffy asked as he kept running.

"Hurry, Ace's brother!" one of the allies yelled. "The marines are currently focusing on the Old Man! If you miss this chance, you'll never make it past the admirals!"

"We'll charge through their defenses, so come with us!" one of the pirates ordered.

Luffy was stunned by all the help he was suddenly getting.

"This is serious, Strawhat-boy!" Iva yelled. "The world's mightiest pirate is trying to test you! Whitebeard has put faith in you! This amazing! I'm asking if you have the resolve to live up to his expectations!?"

"I don't care about that Whitebeard-guy!" Luffy yelled. He sounded more than annoyed over the thought of impressing Whitebeard. "I've only had one reason to come here since the beginning!" He stared at his brother.

Iva gasped when he saw who was ahead of them. "That's...Hawk-Eye!"

Mihawk was as stoic as ever he stood in the way of Luffy.

"Looks like your teacher wants a second round," Sanji said.

Zoro looked around. "I don't see Vista anywhere either."

Mihawk released a wave of energy at Luffy. Before Luffy could dodge, the wave was blocked by Mr. 1, who shielded Luffy with his body.

"That guy!?" Zoro exclaimed in shock.

"You're..." Luffy started.

"Orders from the boss. For the time being, we will confront the marines," Mr. 1 said. "Now go!"

Luffy took this chance to run just as Mihawk took down Mr. 1 with one slash.

"Well, that went fast," Sanji said in a deadpan tone.

"He cut through steel in seconds! Even Zoro can't do that so fast!" Nami yelled.

"As expected," Zoro said in a dry voice.

Mihawk was on Luffy's back, ready to behead him. Before Mihawk could get within range, he was intercepted. This time, he was stopped by Crocodile himself, who blocked Mihawk's sword with his hook hand.

"Now I know this day is completely weird!" Usopp shouted in shock. "Crocodile helped Luffy not once, but twice!"

"More than that, if you count his help in escaping Impel Down," Robin said, equally surprised. Until today, she really thought she knew Crocodile.

"But he must have an ulterior motive for helping Luffy," Nami said. There was no way Crocodile was doing this out of the kindness of his heart, if the bastard even had one.

"From what I've seen, he's helping Luffy-san and the others purely out of spite for the marines," Brook said.

"Amazing how the government can get sworn enemies together," Franky humored.

"Crocodile…" Mihawk muttered, looking more than a little surprised by this new development. Even he could not have calculated this.

"How long are you going to sleep, Mr. 1?" Crocodile asked his subordinate.

Mr. 1 slowly pulled himself off the ground. "It seems my body has gone soft during my prison life."

"You are in the way, Strawhat," Crocodile said, not even bothering to turn his head. "Get lost already."

Luffy didn't look too happy to have Crocodile's help again, but he took it regardless and continued running.

To Luffy's far side, the Strawhats saw the Snake Princess take out an army of Pacifistas with little to no effort. Sentomaru was understandably not happy with her.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Sentomaru demanded. "Are you not a Warlord, Boa Hancock!?"

"Don't talk to my Hancock-chan like that, you diaper-wearing, shit head!" Sanji yelled fiercely.

"Still, how did she keep her position after all of this?" Nami wondered out loud. "I mean, didn't Smoker and Sentomaru report her?"

"She probably charmed the higher-ups," Zoro said in a deadpan voice.

"You have destroyed dozens of Pacifistas! Are you not with the government!?" Sentomaru continued to yell.

"Dozens…" Usopp muttered. How strong was this woman? She didn't even have a scratch on her.

Hancock sat passively on her snake. "Such an unrefined man. It seems you do not understand anything."

"What!?" Sentomaru yelled.

"Let me tell you something. Love is always a hurricane!" Hancock proclaimed.

Sanji had hearts coming out of his eyes. "You tell that shit head, Hancock-chan! You and I think the same! We were meant to be together! Hancock-chan!"

"Oh, will you shut up already!?" Zoro yelled at his rival.

"Luffy's almost at the platform!" Chopper suddenly yelled, making the crew turned to see their captain.

After much fighting and pushing himself past his limits twice, the path to Ace's execution platform was clear.

"The path...is open!" Luffy yelled, almost not believing what he was seeing.

"The execution platform is right in front us, Strawhat-boy!" Iva yelled. "Just keep running straight ahead!"

"Right!" Luffy yelled.

Iva suddenly stopped running, allowing Luffy to past him.

From out of nowhere, Inazuma suddenly came running from behind Luffy, cutting the stone ground as he went.

"Where did Inazuma come from?" Sanji asked. He hadn't seen him since they escaped Impel Down.

With a gesture of his arms, Inazuma sent the stone path he had cut up towards the execution platform. With the stone slab in place, a pathway that led straight to Ace was formed.

"Clever," Usopp whispered.

The marines attempted to stop Luffy, but all the New World and Whitebeard Pirates kept them at bay. The marines who did manage to get through were easily dealt with by Luffy.

"Luffy, go!" Inazuma ordered as Luffy ran passed him.

"Sure, thanks!" Luffy shouted as he ran up the bridge. He was almost to his brother.

The cries of the pirates cheering Luffy on could be heard across the plaza.

"Luffy..." Ace whispered, making Luffy grin ear to ear.

"Here I come, Ace!" Luffy yelled happily.

The exhilaration, however, was short lived as the middle of the bridge suddenly began to collapse. Standing on the bridge was Vice-Admiral Garp.

"Garp!" Usopp and Chopper shouted in terror.

"Should have known it wouldn't be that easy," Sanji said.

"Is Garp really going to fight his own grandson?" Nami whispered.

"Grandpa, please move!" Luffy pleaded to his granddad.

"There's no way I'll step aside!" Garp screamed. His face was filled with rage. "I am a Vice-Admiral from Marine Headquarters! I was fighting pirates long before you were born!"

"Gramps!" Ace yelled as he helplessly watched.

"If you want to get past me, then it will be over my dead body, _Strawhat_ Luffy!" Garp exclaimed.

Luffy was left stunned. His grandfather had never used his pirate name.

"That is the path you chose!" Garp yelled.

"Is he really...?" Chopper muttered in tears. "He really can't kill Luffy and let Ace die…can he?"

The rest of the Strawhats were silent. To see how this war was tearing apart a family couldn't be put into words. Despite all of Garp's abusiveness towards Luffy and Ace, they all knew he cared for his grandsons. Could he really murder one of his grandsons in order to allow his other grandchild to be executed?

Luffy kept running as he looked conflicted about what to do. "Please, Grandpa, let me pass!"

Garp stood firm as the bridge cracked and began to collapse from under them.

"Luffy!" Ace screamed desperately as he pulled on his chains.

Luffy continued to run as he stared pleadingly at his grandfather. He didn't want to fight his grandpa.

" _Strawhat_ Luffy, I've already told you, if you want to get past me, then it's over my dead body!" Gasp yelled.

"I can't do it, Grandpa!" Luffy yelled, desperately looking at his grandfather. "Please, move!"

"If you don't kill me, Ace will die!" Garp yelled in absolution.

"Never!" Luffy screamed.

"It will happen no matter how much you hate it!" Garp shouted. "I'm not holding back! Luffy, I now regard you as my enemy!" he screamed as he raised his fist, readying to punch Luffy.

Luffy looked heartbroken, but his resolved hardened. He went into Gear Second and charged his grandfather.

Ace yelled for both of them, but the two men were ready to fight.

The Strawhats saw Garp's eyes widen as memories undoubtedly flashed through the already-unsure man's eyes. Before his fist reached Luffy, he closed his eyes, readying himself for the punch.

Luffy nailed Garp with a powerful punch to his jaw, sending blood flying out of Garp's mouth. Luffy's eyes were also closed as he landed the punch. Garp went flying off the stone bridge and he opened his eyes to stare one last time at his grandson before he fell.

They both caught each other's eyes and time seemed to stop for a moment. So many words and feelings past between the two men that the Strawhats couldn't catch them. What they could see was the regret in both of their faces.

The trance was soon broken and Garp fell out of sight.

"He couldn't do it…" Nami murmured.

"In the end, what parent could murder their child? Regardless of their chosen path," Zoro whispered.

At last, Luffy reached the execution platform. After so much struggle, sacrifices, and heartache, he had reached his brother.

"Finally...finally!" Luffy yelled, completely ignoring Sengoku, who had his arms crossed, beside him. "I finally made it!" He grinned widely. He looked almost ready to dance in happiness.

"This isn't the time to celebrate, shit head!" Sanji yelled.

"Luffy!" Ace yelled. He was both happy to see his brother alive and surprise to see that he had actually made it this far. He broke into a huge smile. "You're one hell of a guy..."

"Ace!" Luffy yelled. He returned his brother's smile. He looked younger than the Strawhats had seen him in a long time. Luffy quickly reached into his pocket to get the key that Hancock had given him. "Here's the key!"

Sengoku's eyes widened when he saw the key.

Ace was completely surprise. "Luffy...you..."

Luffy began to work the lock, once again, completely ignoring Sengoku who had turned towards him.

Sengoku started to glow as he glared at Luffy.

"Huh, what's happening to him?" Franky asked.

"An ability?" Nami asked.

Sengoku grew to a massive size, but Luffy was so focused on Ace that he somehow failed to notice any of this. Within seconds, Sengoku completely towered over the two brothers. He looked like a golden Buddha.

Brook gave a loud scream. "What…what is that thing!?"

"Human Human Fruit Daibutsu Model!" Robin exclaimed in shock. "Another Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit!" To think she would see two of these kind of users.

"What, he can turn into a literal Buddha!?" Brook asked in shock.

"Well...guess we know why he's called a saint and the Buddha..." Franky murmured as he stared at Sengoku with wide eyes.

"I've heard if an animal eats a Zoan fruit of the same species that they would become enlightened," Chopper muttered.

Ace's mouth dropped when he saw the transformed Fleet Admiral.

Luffy finally took notice of Sengoku and his mouth also dropped. He attempted to clear his head and returned to opening Ace's handcuffs, but his plan was foiled when a laser beam came out of nowhere and shot the key, breaking it in half.

"Dammit, Kizaru strikes again!" Franky cussed. "He has to be the most annoying of all the admirals."

"That bastard was mocking Luffy," Zoro growled. "He could have shot Luffy, but he purposely only hit the key."

Now Luffy began to panic. "This is bad! The key..."

Ace gave a Luffy a look that pretty much said 'you didn't think this through.'

"Strawhat Luffy, you are a renowned criminal worthy of the death penalty!" Sengoku proclaimed. "Now, as your brother, I will execute you myself!" He pulled his hand back, ready to punch Luffy.

As the brothers stood lost as to what to do next, one of the executors chose that moment to wake up. To Luffy's surprise, as well as the Strawhats, the executor was Mr. 3 in disguise.

"How did he get there?" Sanji asked.

"More like, what was the trying to do?" Robin asked. "He almost executed Ace just a moment ago."

"What happened? I lost consciousness all of the sudden," Mr. 3 complained as he rubbed his head. He looked at Luffy, still dazed. "Strawhat?"

"Three, what are you doing here!?" Luffy yelled in shock.

Ace was just lost by these latest developments.

Before Mr. 3 could answer Luffy question, he noticed Sengoku. The wax user screamed in utter horror as the entire platform was bathed in golden light. It was like god himself had come down from the heavens to pass judgment on them.

"WHAT IS THAT!?" Mr. 3 shouted.

Luffy had no time to answer as he put his thumb in his mouth. "Hey, Three, protect Ace with a wall!" He bit his thumb and blew his torso up, shielding Ace from Sengoku. Mr. 3, after getting over his shock, created a wax wall between Ace and him for extra protection.

Sengoku's fist descended upon Luffy and slammed into his enlarged chest. The punch released a shockwave that caused blood to spill out of Luffy's mouth and his eyes to roll back from the pain.

"What kind of attack is that!?" Brook shouted. "What that an energy wave!?"

"Whatever it is, it must be powerful to hurt a rubberman like that," Zoro said.

Chopper bit his lips. Luffy didn't need anymore internal damage.

"He became huge," Sengoku noted, mildly surprised by Luffy's Gear Third.

The force of the shockwave became too much for Luffy and he was forced to release the air from his body. The attack was also so powerful that it broke the execution platform like it was a toothpick, sending all the pirates falling to the ground.

Despite all that was happening, Ace appeared fairly calm. If anything, he just seemed mildly irritated about his situation.

Luffy shrunk and was falling parallel to Mr. 3 and his brother.

"I will make a key! Those shackles will be off in no time!" Mr. 3 yelled to Luffy as he started to make a wax copy of the handcuff key.

"Got it!" Luffy screamed.

"Why are you doing this!?" they could hear Buggy scream from the ground.

"If I were to tell you that I am here to honor the will of my late brother, would you laugh at me!?" Mr. 3 yelled as he finished making the key.

All the Strawhats would taken back by the question.

"Mr. 3…" Robin whispered. It seemed she did not know her former comrades at all despite all her observations.

"I would never laugh at that!" Luffy yelled as cannon fire was heard.

"Save your brother, Strawhat!" Mr. 3 yelled as he tossed Luffy the key.

"I'm on it!" Luffy screamed. He went to his brother's handcuffs and swiftly unlocked them.

It didn't happened a moment too soon before the cannon fire hit them. The explosion blinded Luffy, but he wasn't hurt. His brother was there to protect him.

"You never change, Luffy," Ace scolded as he used his power to create a fire barrier around the three of them. He looked like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Luffy beamed in joy at his brother.

"Never listening to a single word I say," Ace continued to scold. Despite his somewhat harsh words, he was smiling as he grabbed his little brother and lowered them to the ground. "Always doing the dumbest things."

A roar could be heard from the pirates as they cheered Luffy's success. They were screaming Ace's name.

"Ace!" Luffy screamed as tears of happiness ran down his eyes. His brother was finally free.


	35. Tragedy

The Strawhats watched the triumphant scene in awe, sadness, and confusion. Their captain had succeeded. Against all the odds and challenges, Ace was saved from execution. He was free. So, how did everything go so horribly wrong?

"Ace…they failed to execute him…" Nami whispered.

"I can't believe that Luffy actually did it," Usopp said as he watched Ace, Luffy, and Mr. 3 float to safely. "I mean, he went against almost all the Warlords, vice-admirals, admirals, his granddad, and even the fleet admiral. Yet still…he did it."

Zoro could think of nothing to say. Despite knowing the future, he couldn't stop himself from being proud of his captain. What he had just done was a major accomplishment. He succeeded where even the great Whitebeard failed. The question, however, was what happened after this?

The marines wouldn't just allow Ace to escape, but he couldn't wrap his mind around how he got killed. Didn't Whitebeard and the other pirates properly guarding Ace? He didn't see how, given how protective everyone was of the fire user. Maybe the better question was how did Luffy get into so much danger that Ace had to die to save him?

Despite having so many questions, Zoro feared the answers.

"Fi...Fire Fist Ace...is free!" Most of the marines screamed in disbelief and panic as Ace drifted towards the ground with his little brother. Luffy was also holding onto a shell-shocked Mr. 3, who appeared to be close to passing out.

Despite the disbelief of Ace somehow getting out of his handcuffs, the marines were not about to let him go, and they quickly aimed their cannons at him.

"Stay sharp, Luffy!" Ace warned as he glanced over the marines surrounding them. "Let's take them out!"

"Right!" Luffy yelled with a huge grin on his face.

"Are you crazy!?" Mr. 3 screamed. Fighting the marines was the last thing he wanted to do.

Ace lit himself on fire and used his ability to create a column of flames that exploded, throwing the marines aside like they were dolls.

When Ace landed, he was surrounded by his own flames as he protected his brother and Mr. 3.

Luffy landed safely beside Ace and dropped Mr. 3 to the ground. Without any prompt, Mr. 3 quickly got himself out of the line of fire. His courage had long since been spent.

While that was happening, both of the brothers quickly got into battle position as they faced down the marines. They were standing close to each other, but not quite back-to-back. They were closer to a 'V' formation, like they were expecting someone else to fill the opening.

The Strawhats had an idea who they were expecting. Even after ten years, they both unconsciously left a space open for their fallen brother.

"They're strong, be careful!" a marine warned.

"Can you still fight, Luffy?" Ace asked in concern as he glanced at his brother. He frowned when he saw how red Luffy's cheeks were and how he was drenched in sweat and blood.

"Of course I can!" Luffy answered without a shred of doubt. Luffy really seemed to have come back to life.

Ace didn't seem convinced but held his tongue. It wasn't like he could order Luffy not to fight. Until they escape, Luffy was neck-deep in this war.

"Got it! Fire Fist Ace is made of fire! He's a logia type!" a marine yelled to the troops.

"I never even dreamed that the day would come when I would be saved by you," Ace humored with a wide smile, getting his mind off of Luffy's condition. "Thanks, Luffy."

Luffy laughed as he rubbed his nose. He looked almost embarrassed by the thank you. "It's because that old Whitebeard guy and his men helped me out."

"Don't think you're safe yet!" a marine shouted as they surrounded the two brothers and pointed their guns. "This is your execution stand!"

The marines open-fired on the two fruit users and naturally it didn't work. Despite knowing that Ace was a logia, they shot him with regular bullets that passed harmlessly through his body. They also failed to take into account that Luffy's rubber body also made him immune to bullets.

Ace gave the marines a deadpan expression as the bullets went through him while Luffy politely returned all their ammo back at them, freaking out the poor fools.

"Idiots. Even when they said Ace was a logia, they still shot at him," Franky muttered.

"Seriously, what were those marines thinking?" Sanji asked as he rubbed his head. "In this kind of war, you would think the marines would spring for some seastone bullets or something."

"Maybe seastone is in short supply," Nami suggested.

Franky snorted. "They apparently have enough of it to line the haul of their battleships."

"Maybe they should had stolen some Goa bullets," Usopp mumbled.

The marines finally wised up and attempted to attack Luffy with their sabers. This failed to hit the boy captain since Ace did a handstand on Luffy's head, pushing him down and out of harm's way. The sabers went right through Ace's body and he grinned at the marines.

"He's my little brother. I would like you to back off of him," Ace said politely before he jumped off his brother's head.

Once he was in the air, he fried the marines with his signature Fire Fist.

"Wow, look at Ace go!" Chopper cheered.

Sanji tilted his head. "I remember that technique being much than stronger that."

"Maybe Ace is holding back," Brook offered.

While Ace was taking care of his group of marines, Luffy went into his Gear Second. He was currently fighting an unit of marines who knew Rokushiki, and they had used Soru to disappear. Even with their increased speed, they were slow compared to Luffy and he easily beat them all with a well-placed Jet Stomp.

Ace pointed his index finger like it was a gun and began to shoot fire at the marines in his line of sight. A marine attempted to take Ace's back, but Luffy covered him by kicking the marine in the face.

Zoro's eye widened slightly as he watched the one-sided beat down. Ace and Luffy's teamwork was very similar to when Luffy and _he_ fought together. The biggest difference, however, was that Ace and Luffy were able communicate without even glancing at each other. While Luffy had to at least make eye contact with him to communicate orders, Luffy could tell what Ace was going to do by feeling and knowing the other man. It was like the two shared a spiritual bond.

The brothers' superior teamwork put the marines on edge as they realized that they were outmatched.

"Get moving, Luffy!" Ace yelled when he saw an opening. "Let's hurry up and get out of here!"

"Yeah!" Luffy shouted as he smiled at his brother. It was just like their days in Goa.

"Their teamwork is still so sharp," Nami said in awe. In fact, it seemed sharper than it had been back in Alabasta.

"Too bad...that this will be the last time," Usopp whispered as he balled his fists and fought back the tears that threatened to fall.

He didn't want to see the ending to this. He wished things could just end right here. That history was different and both Ace and Luffy had escaped together. After the hell Luffy been through, it wasn't fair for him to suffer anymore.

Luffy and Ace ran as the Whitebeard's commanders and allies cleared their escape path. Ace also covered their backs by releasing several flaming fireballs at the attacking marines while Luffy handled the front with a Jet Gatling. Between the two brothers, the Whitebeard commanders, and the allied pirates, none of the marines, save for the vice-admirals and admirals, stood a chance.

The Strawhats could tell by Luffy's beaming face that their captain was truly enjoying himself for the first time since he was separated from his crew. Fighting by his older brother's side had completely renewed his spirit. The scene would have been almost perfect if the crew didn't know just how ill Luffy was. Despite all of Luffy's joy, there was no hiding the blood dripping from his injuries.

During their run out of the plaza, Ace glanced at Luffy and smiled. "You've gotten strong, Luffy."

Luffy turned to face his brother and stared at him in surprise. He was so shocked by Ace's compliment that his mouth dropped. That was the first time Ace had ever acknowledged his strength and growth. He had always been the weak or dumb little brother.

Luffy quickly got over his shock and smiled. "Someday...I'll even surpass you!"

Ace chuckled as if saying, 'that would be the day'.

The brothers stopped running when they saw Aokiji walking towards them. Without a thought, Ace put his hand in front of Luffy.

"Well then, let me protect you a little longer," Ace said as he calmly looked over the admiral.

Ace's choice of words made some of the Strawhats flinch.

"You will surpass him someday? How can you when there is no tomorrow for you?" Aokiji asked in his usual laid-back manner. Despite the coldness in his words, there was no real malice behind them. "There is no way you will ever escape from here, is there?"

Luffy looked nervously at the admiral, remembering what happened the last time he challenged that man. "He's..."

Aokiji's arm froze and he took aim. "Ice Block!"

"Stand back, Luffy," Ace said confidently before he set his body on fire.

Luffy took his brother's advice and got out of the way of the two superpowers.

"Ice versus fire; Ace has the natural advantage," Brook observed.

"Maybe so, but Aokiji has the experience," Robin said. "Remember, he fought Akainu evenly for ten days, despite Akainu being a magma man."

"And Ace is injured," Zoro said as he regarded Ace's bloody and bruised body. The man had definitely seen better days. "Whatever the hell they did to him at Impel Down has taken a toll on him. I doubt even he can fight all-out."

"That seems to be the case for almost everyone here," Franky muttered. It seemed that almost no one from the pirates' side came to this war in their top shape.

Sanji paused in thought as he considered his rival's words. "That would explain why his Fire Fist wasn't as strong as the one in Alabasta. That thing was able to destroy at least ten ships when we saw it."

"What could they've done to him to weaken him that much?" Chopper asked.

"After seeing the horrors of Impel Down, do you even need to ask?" Nami asked as she shivered. She remembered the blood on the walls where Ace was chained up. God only knew the atrocities they did to Ace while he was at those demons' mercy.

Aokiji shot ice in the shape of some type of bird, while Ace sent a wave of flames at the admiral. When the two powers met, they canceled out each other's abilities. Regardless, the clash left an explosion of steam that blinded everyone in the area.

Luffy could only watch in awe, amazed that his brother could fight evenly with one of the admirals. Even the surrounding marines were surprised that Aokiji's invincible ice was melted so easily by one of Ace's attacks.

"Hurt or not, Ace is still able to stand up to that admiral," Brook said as he attempted to see past the steam.

"Well, he's one of Whitebeard's commanders," Franky said. "It would be disgraceful for him to lose easily to an ice man, even if he _is_ an admiral."

Ace used this chance while they were surrounded by steam to grab Luffy and run away from the admiral. Even though Ace could handle Aokiji, he didn't have time to fight anyone all-out. Not with every marine in the area wanting him dead.

He also had to be mindful of Luffy. He was a high target too and wasn't strong enough to handle the real monsters in this war.

The marines got ready to attack the brothers again when they were taken off-guard by ship heading towards them. It was the paddle ship that the pirates had used earlier to enter the plaza with mini Oars.

"Hey, who's steering that thing!?" someone yelled.

At the front of the ship was Squardo and several other pirates from what the Strawhats assumed was his crew.

"Old Man! Guys! Run away!" Squardo screamed. "We'll stay behind and cover you!"

The other pirates onboard the ship yelled in agreement, lifting up their sabers.

"Don't be a fool, Squardo!" one of the pirates screamed in horror.

"Are you planning to die!? another person shouted.

Squardo lowed his head in shame, undoubtedly thinking about what he had done to Whitebeard. "Well, of course... I did something terrible to the Old Man. Even if this won't atone for my sins, I would never be at peace if I didn't do this!" After a moment of talking to his crew, he raised his sword into the air. "Take Ace with you and flee!"

Ace looked at his friend in horror. "Squardo!"

"That man is out of his mind! What can he do against the admirals and vice-admirals!?" Usopp yelled.

Brook shook his head. "I understand his sentiment, but there has already been enough bloodshed in this war. Him dying won't make up for what he did. Only by living can one atone for their sins."

"That's...pretty deep, Brook," Franky said.

"It's something you learn after living so long. Death solves nothing. It only spreads sadness and regret for those left behind," Brook said as he stared at the paddle ship.

Squardo's plan to go out in a blaze of glory was stopped short by Whitebeard. Even in his weakened, half-dead state, he stopped the massive ship effortlessly with one hand, halting it in place like it had hit a stonewall.

"What, he still has that much power!?" Chopper exclaimed in disbelief.

How was Whitebeard even still standing? What he was seeing was medically impossible. By everything known to science, he should be dead or at least unconscious. He was almost as bad off as Luffy and _he_ was only able to move around because he was doped up on adrenaline.

"Got to admit, he looks worse than Zoro after one his fights," Sanji muttered.

Zoro growled at the cook but said nothing.

"Old Man!" Squardo yelled in shock

"Do you not realize how painful it is for a father to see his own son die before him, Squardo!?" Whitebeard exclaimed.

Squardo trembled when he heard those words.

"I am not so weak as to die from your stab, but everyone dies someday!" Whitebeard turned away from the ship and began to approach the marines. "We have completed our objective. We no longer have business here!"

All the pirates stared transfixed at Whitebeard. They all stood ready to follow any command he gave.

Even the marines stood silence as they waited for Whitebeard to speak.

It still amazed Zoro how Whitebeard could freeze an entire war with his presence alone. He just had an aura that demanded everyone to listen to him regardless if they were friend or foe.

"Listen up, Whitebeard Pirates! The order I am about to give will be my final order as captain!" Whitebeard shouted.

This immediately got the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies murmuring in disbelief.

Zoro lowered his head. Those were the words that every pirate crew dreads hearing.

"Old Man!" Ace screamed. His eyes were wide with terror. He knew what his captain was thinking.

"You and I will be parting here!" Whitebeard shouted. "All of you, make sure you survive and reunite with each other in the New World!"

All the pirates went silent as they listened to the order. They all seemed to be in a trance, not believing what they were hearing.

"Old Man!" one of the commanders yelled after several seconds of silence had past. "Do you plan to die here!?"

"After he took all that damage, did they really expect him to live?" Chopper asked.

"I think it's denial. Many of these pirates have been sailing with Whitebeard for decades. He's their father. They probably never truly believed that he could die," Nami said in a somber voice.

"For almost all pirates, the captain of the ship is invincible," Brook said as he remembered the days when Yorki was captain. "They are always strong and able to conquer any enemy and overcome any challenge. Death has no power over them, even when its shadows lingers over them." As he said that, he glanced at Luffy.

Whitebeard put his foot down, silencing all protests. "I am the one at the top of this era. There is no ship that can carry me in the new era!" he shouted as he used his quake power to summon a huge earthquake, shattering the marine's base even more. "Go, my men!"

The marines screamed in panic as they were knocked off their feet and some fell into the earth.

"Whitebeard!" Sengoku screamed as he watched his men be thrown by the earthquake like they were toys. Only the admirals remained standing through the chaos. Not even the vice-admirals, except Garp, could withstand Whitebeard's power.

"Is he trying to sink the entire island?" Sanji asked as he trembled in fear. He hadn't felt this way since he saw Eneru's Raigo.

"No way, Old Man!" a pirate screamed in denial.

"It's the captain's orders! Get going!" a Whitebeard commander ordered, although the Strawhats could hear the anguish in his voice.

"Old timer!" Luffy shouted.

"Old Man!" Ace screamed, not wanting to leave his captain. It was his fault that this was happening.

Whitebeard gave his signature grin. "Now, let's finish this, marines!"

The entire island appeared to crumble as Whitebeard's last quake destroyed everything. It looked like the world itself was coming apart.

"Marineford is in danger!" a marine shouted. "Stop, Whitebeard!"

"Old Man!" the pirates screamed in dismay.

"I don't want to leave you behind!" a pirate yelled desperately. "Let's go back together!"

Those words struck a chord with the Strawhats. It was their own mantra during the events of Enies Lobby. In many ways, the war in Marineford mirrored their own raid against Enies Lobby. This time, however, there would be no happy ending. There would be no miracle.

"Are you _disobeying_ your captain's orders!?" Whitebeard asked fiercely. "Get going, you imbeciles!"

"Old Man!" the Whitebeard Pirates cried again.

The marines shot at Whitebeard, loading him with even more lead. Regardless of his wounds, he took out the marines with one well-aimed quake shot.

"Whitebeard…what a guy. He came to this war knowing that he wasn't coming back," Franky said with tears in his eyes. "To save Ace…he gave up everything." He began to fully cry rivers of tears. "What a super guy!"

Robin had to fight the tears from building in her own eyes. Ace was truly loved.

"When I look at this...I wonder..." Sanji said slowly, catching his crew's attention. "If Luffy gave us an order to leave him behind, would we obey it?"

"How can you even _ask_ that!?" Usopp shouted. He became ill just thinking about it. "Of course we wouldn't leave him behind!"

"That's right! We'd fight by his side until the end!" Chopper yelled, angry at mere suggestion of leaving their captain behind.

Zoro folded his arms. "If Luffy made it an order, it would be our duty as his crew to obey his wishes. To do otherwise would be disrespecting him as our captain."

"Are you telling me you would just leave Luffy behind if he ordered us to!?" Nami yelled in disbelief. Zoro may be the most loyal to Luffy's commands, but she couldn't believe that he could leave Luffy to die.

Zoro was silent for several seconds. "There's no point wondering about 'what if's. The only thing we can do is to make sure that such a situation never happens."

Brook could only nod. Truthfully, he wasn't certain what he would do. On one hand, he was obligated to obey Luffy's orders. A captain's order was absolute. At the same time, he owed Luffy so much for saving his life and giving him his chance to reunite with Laboon. He was also Luffy's friend.

If Luffy gave the command to leave him behind, could he obey it? As a pirate, the answer was yes. He respected Luffy too much as his commander to refuse. As a friend...he could never live with himself if he left Luffy to die alone. He prayed to any god that existed that he would never have to make such a decision.

The pirates struggled with obeying Whitebeard's final order, wanting to stay to fight by their captain and father's side. After much heartbreak and tears, the pirates eventually started to retreat from the plaza.

Ace was one of the few who wouldn't move from his place. Luffy stood by his brother's side, knowing that Ace needed a moment. It was because of him, losing to the man that used to be one of his subordinates, that Whitebeard was going to die here. Luffy couldn't even imagine his brother's guilt and pain.

At the same time, he was impatient to get moving. The marines were still coming and his strength was going to give. There was no time for long goodbyes.

Ace continued to stare at Whitebeard with a broken expression. It was like he couldn't form words without breaking down into tears.

"Strawhat-boy, what are you standing around for!" Iva screamed as he prepared to make his escape.

"Ace, let's go!" Luffy yelled almost pleadingly. He knew that despite everything Ace's moment was gone. "The Old Timer made his choice!"

He was upset too about leaving Whitebeard behind, but the safety of his brother came first. He could mourn Whitebeard's sacrifice after they had escaped.

The small pirate crew couldn't help but being somewhat amused that Luffy seemed to be the voice of reason at the moment. When was the last time Luffy was sensible?

Ace still refused to move as he watched his captain fight against several marine units. "I know. I won't waste his efforts."

The Strawhats had to keep from shaking their heads. Those were some poor choice of words.

Ace shot a Fire Fist at the marines who attempted to stab Whitebeard in the back. "Get out of the way, all of you!"

Whitebeard turned his eyes towards Ace. Just as he did, Ace got on his knees and bowed his head before his captain.

For a moment, the Strawhats were stunned. From what they had seen from Luffy's memory, Ace was a man who bowed his head to no one. He was very much a free spirit, much like his brother. Whitebeard was undoubtedly a great man to get someone like Ace to willingly put his pride aside.

"There is no need for words," Whitebeard said softly. "Just answer one question for me, Ace. Was I a good father?"

Ace lifted his head and stared directly at his captain before he bowed his head again. Against his own will, he began to cry. "Of course you were!"

This made Whitebeard smile and laugh.

With their final goodbyes made, Ace got up and joined his brother. With nothing more said, they made their escape.

"Run, run to the ship!" a pirate yelled.

"Ace, Luffy-kun, run forward!" Jimbei screamed as he covered the brother's backs.

"Jimbei!" they both yelled.

"They are aiming for the two of you!" Jimbei yelled. "The Old Man is hoping as many survive as possible!" He teared up as he mentioned Whitebeard, but he refused to allow any of his tears to fall.

"They...they're so close..." Usopp whispered, dreading what was coming.

"They're almost at the bay..." Chopper muttered. He felt his heart pound in his chest, knowing what must be coming soon.

Nami put her hand to her mouth as her own heart sped up and ice formed in her stomach. "How...how did things go so wrong? They should have escaped."

"We've stolen a battleship! Get on-board!" a pirate screamed as he waved down his comrades from the bay.

"I don't want to see anymore!" Chopper suddenly yelled in tears. "I don't…I don't want to see Ace die!"

Robin fell to her knees and hugged Chopper.

"It's hard on all of us, bro," Franky said in a tender voice. "But…we must see this. For Luffy's sake…we have to see this through to the end."

"Remember, we are here to save Luffy. This moment, this tragedy, was the reason why we came into Luffy's memories to begin with," Zoro said, never taking his eye off the two brothers. "We must be strong. It's the least any of us can do for him. How much pain do you think he's experiencing from remembering this?"

This left the crew in silence.

Luffy and Ace were getting closer to escaping. The bay was only a couple yards away.

"Do you really think I will let you escape?" Akainu's voice suddenly rang out, causing the Strawhats' hearts to jump. "How optimistic." He shot a magma fist that took out an entire row of pirates.

Ace gritted his teeth as he watched his friends and comrades die, but kept running.

Luffy took a quick glance behind him to see what had happened.

Akainu was slowly walking behind him. Strangely, he wasn't running. In fact, his stance was completely relaxed.

Sanji bit down on his cigarette. The smug bastard was up to something.

"You two, keep running straight to the ship!" Jimbei yelled at the brothers.

"So you think you can free Fire Fist Ace and simply retreat to safety? What a bunch of imbeciles you Whitebeard Pirate are!" Akainu mocked.

"What!?" several pirate yelled as they glanced back at the admiral. They were ready to go back and fight.

"He's trying to provoke you!" one of the Whitebeard commanders yelled. "It's obvious he wants us to stop!"

"I see. Instead of chasing the pirates, he trying to get them to cease their retreat by taunting them," Robin said.

Franky snorted. "How childish. What is this, a schoolyard?"

"Well, I suppose it is no surprise, your captain being how he is," Akainu said in a casual manner. "After all, Whitebeard is nothing but a _loser_ from a dead era!"

Luffy's eyes widened when he heard Akainu's taunt. The Strawhats could practically see him mouth 'oh, no'.

Jimbei also had a similar reaction, except he used much stronger language than Luffy.

The crew was confused by their reaction until they saw that Ace had stopped running. The older man's eyes burnt with rage and anger that was hotter than his flames.

"Ace!" Luffy yelled as Akainu walked towards them. He obviously didn't want to deal with the admiral.

"Seems that Luffy and Jimbei expected this reaction," Zoro observed.

"Dammit, Ace! Why didn't you keep running!?" Sanji growled in frustration. Knowing when to run had its merit over blind courage.

Ace stood still for a moment as he took several deep breaths. "A loser!?"

"Huh?" Akainu said as if what he had stated was an obvious fact.

Ace's fists burned as he turned to face the admiral. He was closed to snarling at the magma user. "Take back what you just said!"

"Don't do it Ace! Don't stop running!" one of the allied pirate screamed desperately.

"Just let him blabber on!" another pirate pleaded as he grabbed Ace's arm, trying to pull him away from Akainu.

"Listen to them, Ace! It's not worth getting yourself killed over!" Nami yelled, although she knew her voice couldn't reach Ace. How she wished that they could change something.

Ace knocked his comrade aside and moved closer to Akainu, leaving the safety of his comrades. "He badmouthed the Old Man!"

"Ace!" Luffy screamed almost desperately. He looked like he wanted to yell at his brother to run. To not let this man egg him into an unnecessary fight.

"Dammit, was Ace still that hot-headed? I thought he grew out of it," Franky said as he tightened his fists. Although he would have acted the same if someone had badmouthed Tom or Iceberg, he thought Ace was more mature than him in that area.

"It seems time had not curbed Ace's temper as much as we thought," Robin said.

"Take it back, you say?" Akainu scowled before he smirked. He took off his hat and casually brushed his hair with his hand. "I have absolutely no intention of doing so. Why would I? Your father, Gold Roger, conquered the entire Grand Line. He gave his life to open the door on a new age. The Great Age of Pirates. A marine man like me probably should not say this, but that man truly deserved the title of Pirate King. What is Whitebeard when compared to that?" He put his hat back on.

"That's low," Brook hissed. How dare that marine mocked a man as great as Whitebeard.

"He's hitting Ace exactly where it hurts," Nami said as she helplessly watched the unfolding events.

She understood Ace's anger. Having a parent figure talked down to like that would invoke rage within anyone. She couldn't remember the number of times she wanted to kill Arlong for mocking and belittling Bellmère.

"That clever bastard," Sanji hissed as he clutched his hand. "What he did hurt Ace on two levels. Not only is he downgrading Whitebeard, but he's raising up Roger, a man that Ace _loathes_."

Ace was beginning to burn brighter as flames surrounded him. He looked ready to burn Akainu's tongue off.

"I mean, did he even have the guts to fight against Roger? All he has ever done is hide in some safe corner of the world and keep himself out of trouble, right?" Akainu asked nonchalantly. "These days, some fools may claim Whitebeard's name alone upholds peace on various islands, but as far as I am concerned, he just intimidates the small-fry and believes himself to be hero for it. Ridiculous!"

This made many of the Strawhats growl in anger. It was Whitebeard's name alone that kept Fishman Island from falling into anarchy when pirates and slavers kidnapped mermaids and fishmen to be sold. The marines, the supposed protectors of justice, did nothing. They actively supported the slave market by protecting the Celestial Dragons.

"Roger maintained his honor as long as he lived, and even in death, his fellow pirates hailed him as a king. In other words, Whitebeard is an eternal loser who will never surpass Roger! That is all he is. Everything that I have said is true," Akainu finished in a matter-of-fact voice.

Ace slowly approached Akainu, getting further away from his comrades.

The Strawhats almost wanted to scream for him to stop once they got over their anger with Akainu. At the end of the day, Akainu was talking bullshit.

Luffy stood behind, but he was obviously upset that Ace was going to fight. But there was nothing he could do. It wasn't like he could restrain his brother.

"Now that I think about it, he sure is one pitiful man," Akainu said after a moment in thought. "Making all his underlings call him their 'father' or 'Old Man' or whatever, and sailing the seas playing house."

"Stop it," Ace hissed.

The other commanders were also pissed, but they refused to indulge the admiral and fall into his mind game.

Akainu, however, was relentless. "He reigned the sea for decades, yet he never became a king or gained anything. He got himself stabbed because one of those foolish 'sons' of his believed every word I said and now he will die to protect that same fool. Truly, an empty existence."

Zoro tightened his own fists and narrowed his eye. It was one thing to mock someone's supposed life goals, but it was another thing to make fun of someone else's sacrifice. _Especially_ a captain and father figure dying for his children. He wanted to cut the bastard's lungs out for belittling the bonds of family.

Ace kept approaching the man as flames danced around his body. "Cut it out!"

"Don't fall for it Ace! Turn back!" one of the commanders screamed. He was close to begging.

"Ace!" the other pirates also yelled, but Ace didn't even glance at them.

Luffy could only watch helplessly. He knew there was no stopping his brother when he got like this.

"Dammit, Ace..." Usopp said in tears. "Why...why don't you run!? They're just words...dammit!"

Chopper quivered in place, unable to say anything.

"The Old Man gave us a place to belong! What do you know of the Old Man's greatness!?" Ace yelled defiantly.

Akainu looked down his nose at Ace. "If a man does not live righteously, he does not deserve to live at all!" His fists filled with magma. "You rogue pirates do not deserve a _place to belong_!"

Robin narrowed her eyes as her own body shook in rage. What a hypocrite. Were these not the same people who claimed that Ace should not exist at all purely because of who his father was? Like it would have mattered if he lived a 'righteous' life. The world never gave Ace a chance to live and condemned his life before he even had lived it.

Brook also reached for his cane, wanting to shut the admiral up. Pirate or not, everyone deserved a place to belong. All life, big or small, was precious. What right did this man have to judge someone's worth?

"Cut it out!" Ace screamed in fury.

"Whitebeard will die a _loser_! A fitting end for a little fish in a big pond and the leader of a bunch of scum!" Akainu sneered.

"Whitebeard is the great pirate who created this era!" Ace yelled. "Don't make fun of the man who saved my life!" His entire body lit up like a torch.

"Stop it, Ace!" the pirates pleaded, but it was all in vain.

"The name of this era is _Whitebeard_!" Ace screamed as he prepared his Fire Fist.

Akainu raised his hand and charged Ace. The two met in the center and a huge explosion blinded everyone. Even outside the current event, the Strawhats could imagine the heat generated between the two logia users.

Luffy had to partly cover his eyes to see what was happening.

Zoro frowned as he watched the scuffle. "Look at Ace's flame." He saw Akainu's magma covered Ace's arm and began to burn his skin.

Sanji's eyes widened in shock. "It's...it's being smothered by Akainu's lava..."

"Whitebeard, and you fools who call him your father, share the same fate as losers!" Akainu yelled as his power quickly overwhelmed Ace.

With one final explosion, the fire user was thrown back and sent flying into the pavement. When he landed, Ace was left clutching his arm in agony. It was badly burnt, easily going down to the bone.

"Did a fire logia just get burned!?" Brook exclaimed in shock. That was the last thing he was expecting.

"How's that even possible!?" Usopp screamed in panic. "Ace should be immune from such injuries! Was it Haki!? What the hell is going on!?"

Even the Whitebeard Pirates were surprise by the result. How could Ace be burnt?

Ace picked himself slowly off the ground and stared at his injured arm in shock.

"You were overconfident because we are both logias, right?" Akainu asked mockingly. It sounded like he was lecturing a child as he sneered at Ace. "You are merely fire. I am magma, that which will burn even flame! My ability is a natural enemy to yours, boy! There is an enormous gap between your strength and mines!"

"Huh? But fire can burn hotter than magma," Nami said in confusion.

"I think Akainu means that magma can smother fire, which was how he overwhelmed Ace's ability. Magma is made of a mixture of molten rock, volatiles, and solids. It is more like earth and earth can suffocate fire," Robin said thoughtfully.

"Even so...it hard to believe that there is such a difference in their strengths," Franky said as he shook. "I mean, they're both fire or flame or whatever. How could Akainu's fruit be that much more powerful?"

"The science of Devil Fruits can be tricky at times," Robin said as she started to sweat nervously. "As Crocodile said, it is impossible to calculate how Devil Fruits will match until they engage in battle. Ace was extremely unlucky. He picked a fight with a person with a superior Devil Fruit. Also, because of his weakened state, he cannot fight Akainu with all of his strength."

"Can't….can't he used Haki or something to bypass Akainu's ability?" Usopp asked desperately as Akainu loomed over Ace.

Robin frowned. "He could, but remember, Akainu also knows Haki and he is far more experience than Ace at using it. Ace is at a disadvantage on all fronts. This fight…is impossible for him to win"

This silenced all the Strawhats as they watched the scene with stilled breaths. They knew the moment was coming. Was Akainu going to kill Ace right there while he lay helplessly?

Ace remained on the ground, trembling in pain. Through his anguish, he continued to glare daggers at the admiral.

"Ace!" Luffy screamed as he rushed to help his brother, breaking away from the safety of the group.

"Luffy, what the hell are you doing!?" Usopp screamed at his captain. "You can't do anything to help!"

Before Luffy could get close to Ace his legs completely gave and he fell to his knees. He coughed weakly and fought to regain his breath. He also appeared to be having chest pains again.

"Luffy's sick again!" Chopper shouted in worry for his captain. It was driving him crazy, not being able to do anything.

Luffy was extremely pale and his fever had reached dangerous levels, judging by the redness in his face. Luffy was slowly dying.

"Hey, Luffy-kun, you have reached your limit!" Jimbei yelled in distress.

Luffy knelt on the ground, shaking in fatigue. The memory itself blurred again and blackened. It was getting harder for the crew to see. Regardless, there was one thing that remained completely clear. Ace's Vivre Card had fallen out of Luffy's hat and it was moving towards Ace.

"Ace's Vivre Card..." Luffy murmured in an almost a zombie-like voice as he reached for the paper, which kept moving out of his reach.

"They need to move Luffy!" Sanji yelled. "He's in danger there!"

"The son of the Pirate King, Roger, and the son of the Revolutionary Dragon. To imagine that these two have become brothers is a frightening thought," Akainu said as his arm burned with magma. "Your very bloodlines are a crime of the highest order. Your fates have been decided. No matter if I let every pirate escape, I will not allow you two to leave here."

The Strawhats felt their hearts stop and their hairs stand as they listened to Akainu's vow. This man was insane. He did not see Luffy and Ace as pirates who would someday become a threat. He didn't even see the crimes they committed as pirates. He actually saw them as pure evil, demons that had to be erased from existence because of the blood that flowed through their veins.

Robin felt her mouth go dry. The aura of hatred that shone in Akainu's eyes were the same ones that haunted her throughout her life. There was also something else. The admiral was terrified of Luffy and Ace. He feared that the 'evil' that they carried within their blood would spread and was willing to do anything and sacrifice everything or anyone to make certain that the two brothers died on this battlefield. He was going to eradicate their bloodlines.

Akainu gave Ace a look of utter contempt and sneered. "Now watch." He suddenly turned his eyes towards Luffy, who was still reaching for the Vivre Card, unaware of the admiral's murderous intentions.

Ace's eyes widened in horror as he realized what Akainu had planned. "Wait!" he screamed desperately.

Zoro felt his own heart freeze in realization. He looked towards his captain with a bloodshot eye. "He's going after Luffy!"

"But he can't even fight back!" Brook yelled in horror. He doubted his captain could even move.

Before Ace could move to stop the admiral, Akainu jumped over the fire user and ran straight for Luffy with his fist raised.

Luffy almost had the Vivre Card in his hand just as he heard Ace scream his name. He looked up to see Akainu almost right on top of him with his hand ready to punch through his face. Luffy could only stare wide-eyed as he saw his fiery death approach him. The memory seemed to slow, like everything was only running at half-speed.

"LUFFY!" Nami and Chopper screamed in unison.

"LUFFY!" Robin screamed in a voice that was nearly unheard of from her. Without thinking, she attempted to use her powers to pull her captain out of harm's way. Her hands passed right through Luffy.

"LUFFY, MOVE!" Usopp shouted in a blind panic. Tears were flying out of his eyes.

"Get the hell out of there!" Franky yelled at the top of his lungs, not caring if this event already happened.

"Dammit Luffy, move your ass!" Sanji screamed as he fought not to run to intercept Akainu.

Zoro did everything to still his body, but every nerve in his body screamed at him to save his captain. At that range, with the admiral's power, and Luffy already being near death, that blow would kill Luffy instantly. Hell, there wouldn't even a head left.

Despite knowing that Luffy couldn't hear them, the Strawhats kept screaming at him, begging him to move. It was just like Enies Lobby all over again. They knew deep in their hearts that even if Luffy could hear their voices, he wouldn't be able to dodge in time.

At even half-power, Luffy would have sensed and evaded Akainu's attack. Now, completely drained and on the verge of dying from exhaustion, Luffy could no longer will himself move. He was helpless as a child.

Akainu's fist descended upon Luffy, but the fatal hit never reached him. Instead, faster than most of the Strawhats could even see or even thought possible, Ace jumped right in front of Luffy. His arms were spread opened and his stance was wide, acting as a shield for his baby brother. Some on the crew could see Ace willing his body to remain solid, despite knowing that Akainu could burn through his logia's defense. They also saw Ace brace himself for impact.

Not even a nanosecond later, Ace's chest erupted as Akainu's fist burned right through him.

The Strawhats could only stare slack-jawed at the scene in shock along with Luffy and all the other pirates in the area. They also heard gasps from several marines standing nearby.

In the distance, Aokiji could be seen, and he did not look too pleased at what he was seeing. He was either upset by the way Akainu had chosen to execute Ace, or angry that Akainu had attacked Luffy, who was completely helpless and posed no threat to anyone. It could have been a little bit of both.

Kizaru stood close to Whitebeard and he neither looked happy or sad at the current events. He kept the same dull expression as always. To say that he was indifferent would be an understatement.

Further away, the Strawhats could see Garp. His mouth was widened with horror and they could see tears in the man's eyes. Through the tears, they could feel the aura of murder as he gritted his teeth. It was the same expression Luffy gave with both the Baron and the World Noble, except Garp's was a hundred-times scarier. The Strawhats were certain that it must have taken a powerful person to keep Garp from killing Akainu where he stood.

Sengoku stood a little behind Garp and watched everything with a morbid expression. He obviously did not care for how Akainu chosen to kill Ace, as he seemed to prefer clean deaths, but understood that it had to be done.

Whitebeard turned just in time to see the fatal blow. The powerful pirate looked like someone had punched another hole in his chest as he watched one of his precious sons being murdered.

The entire memory suddenly lost sound and nothing moved as if the entire moment was frozen within time. The only movement was Akainu's magma as it continued to burn Ace from the inside.

"He..he... Ace just got..." Franky whispered in a hushed voice. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He unconsciously reached his own chest.

"Oh...oh...god..." was all Nami managed to murmur as she put her hand to her mouth. She suddenly had a flashback of her mother's death. It was too similar, _too_ damn similar.

Zoro stared wide-eyed at the memory. He was shaking violently in a way that was unlike him. The manner...the manner of death was exactly like how Luffy had killed Ace in his dream. Did Luffy knowingly recreate this image? The swordsman could feel himself become sick at the thought.

Chopper felt himself becoming ill as bile built in his throat. Even now, he couldn't stop his professional mind from diagnosing Ace's injury. The magma attack had undoubtedly cooked Ace's lungs and maybe even his heart. Even if the initial wound didn't kill him, the internal damage alone was beyond recovery.

Usopp put his hands to his mouth in shock as he witnessed the fatal blow. Hot tears stung his eyes as he thought of the pain Ace must have been in during his final moments. He hadn't imagined it would be this bad. Looking at this, he now wished that Luffy was simply too late. That Ace was beheaded, not cooked alive from the inside out. It was worse than he could ever imagine. Luffy actually watched his brother be impaled and fried.

Sanji dropped his cigarette as his mind processed the scene before him. Even as someone who had more than their fair share of burns over the years, he couldn't even imagine how much Ace was hurting right now. Every part of him wanted to kick Akainu in the gut and break every bone in the man's body for making anyone experience such suffering. Even his fiery attacks didn't burn as hot as freaky magma. He didn't think it was possible, but his hatred for this man exceeded his hatred for even the Baron.

Brook unconsciously grabbed his chest, gripping at his ribcage. He had seen a lot of death in his lives, but this was one of the most brutal and painful deaths that he had witnessed. At least being beheaded, if done correctly, was quick and clean. If it was one thing he respected about the marines, they tended to give pirates dignified and relatively painless deaths. He was certain that was why Sengoku attempted to give Ace a formal execution instead of just killing him outright. Akainu, on the other hand, had given Ace a slow, agonizing, and messy death. This wasn't an execution. This was downright murder.

Robin was left speechless. She could not help thinking that this was the second time she had seen a man of D sacrifice their lives for another. She supposed it was fitting. Men who did not fear death would lay down their lives for a comrade, friend, or a brother.

Time eventually began to move again as Ace gasped in pain, spilling blood from his lips.

Luffy's eyes were wide in disbelief. He was shaking much harder than before, although it had nothing to do with his fatigue. "Ace..."

Akainu continued to burn Ace from the inside with his powers as Ace gritted his teeth. He refused to scream or cry. He wouldn't give the admiral the satisfaction.

Finally, Akainu pulled his fist out of Ace's chest, causing an audio slushing sound that made many of the more timid Strawhats cringe and their stomachs to turn. Despite having the admiral's fist out of his body, the damage has been done. The fire user vomited blood as the hole in his chest burned with both magma and his own fire. It was amazing that he was even still standing.

Luffy forced himself to stand up, horrified by the state of his brother to the point that he was able to ignore his own body's demands for rest. "ACE!"

He heard people behind him also scream Ace's name in panic, but Luffy was beyond caring about any of them. He could only stare at his brother as his attacker loomed over him like death itself. People frantically shot at the admiral, but it were ineffective.

"It's no good! There's no stopping this guy!" someone from Luffy's back screamed as Akainu reformed his body.

Akainu's focused remained squarely on Ace. "Seems you still have some life left in you, Fire Fist Ace." He raised his arm to punch him again.

"Is he crazy!?" Usopp shouted.

"He's already dying! What's the point in hitting him again!?" Brook screamed in rage.

"Stop it..." Luffy whispered brokenly as he stared at the admiral. "STOP IT!"

Akainu moved in for the punch, but was stopped by Jimbei, who blocked the magma fist with his bare hands, surprising the Strawhats.

"Jimbei!" Luffy screamed.

Jimbei held firm as Akainu attempted to punch through him. "I will not let you hurt him anymore!"

"Quit this pointless stalling, Jimbei!" Akainu yelled in annoyance. "You are a famous Warlord. I am sure you know how strong I am!"

"If letting my body burn away will buy us some time, then I do not mind!" Jimbei shouted defiantly as he pushed Akainu back. He didn't even seem to be in pain as he glared at the admiral fiercely. "I have already accepted my death!"

Akainu burned even brighter but Jimbei didn't even flinch.

"Jimbei…" Nami whispered in tears.

The Strawhats already respected Jimbei as a friend and a future crewmate, but they felt their admiration for the fishman increase even more. They could truly see why Luffy had asked this man to sail under his flag and join his family. What he did at Fishman Island didn't even begin to show his greatness and care he had for Luffy and Ace.

Akainu pulled away and glared at the former Warlord. Jimbei grabbed his injured arm, but he still refused to back down.

"So, I need to punish you too, traitor," Akainu hissed as he raised his arm to punch through Jimbei.

Jimbei growled at the admiral, readying himself for another attack.

Before Jimbei could move, he was saved when Marco and Vista attacked Akainu and managed to wound the logia user with their Haki. For the moment, Akainu was no longer a threat to the brothers.

"This is getting irritating," Akainu complained as he reformed himself. "You Haki users are always annoying."

"For a moment of neglect, I feel boundless regret," Vista mourned as he ready himself to fight Akainu.

"How could we let this happen?" Marco asked in grief.

Although the crew couldn't see either of the commander's faces, they could hear the tears in the men's voice.

Luffy paid no attention to any of this. He could only stare at Ace, who was gasping for air as he continued to cough up blood. Ace's eyes were blackened as the life rapidly drained out of them.

Within a few seconds, Ace's knees buckled and he fell forward. Luffy moved fast, catching his brother in his arms and gently lowered him to the ground. The Strawhats could tell that Luffy was having problems supporting Ace's dead weight, but he refused to let go.

The small pirate crew was also heartbroken to see the dumb-struck look on their captain's face. They could tell that the event had not completely sunk in yet.

Ace's back had smoke coming out of it like it was a chimney and his blood drenched his shorts and ran onto the ground, painting the pavement red. The fighting continued around the brothers, but Luffy and Ace might as well be the only people on the battlefield as the field of the memory appeared to narrow.

"Ace...?" Luffy whispered hoarsely.

Ace grunted in response.

"Hey, can you hear me?" Luffy asked. His voice now sounded strangely calm. It was the complete opposite of his body posture and demeanor, which could best be described as being shell-shocked. "You'll be fine, right?" He pulled his hand away from Ace's back and was horrified to see the amount of blood on it. There was so much that it was literally dripping from his hand. "Ace...we have to hurry and treat your wounds."

Chopper had to turn his head as tears freely fell from his eyes. That wound was beyond fatal. Luffy, who had already seen and experienced so much death in his life, must know that Ace couldn't be saved and was in denial. He had seen it too many times in the loved ones of dying patients. It was the one of the few parts of being a doctor that he hated. That look of false, desperate hope.

Brook also wanted look away but kept watching out of the respect for both Luffy and Ace. A man who died to save his loved one deserved that much. He would never turn his eyes, even if no longer had them, away from death.

"I'm sorry...Luffy..." Ace said softly as blood rained down his chin and spilled onto Luffy's shoulder. "Just for me...you did all that crazy stuff...but...I couldn't let you save me properly. I'm...so sorry..."

Luffy's eyes widened even more, making him look even younger. He refused to believe Ace's words. "Wh...what are you saying? Don't be ridiculous! Don't say stupid things like that!" he screamed fiercely. He turned towards Ace's crew, given them all pleading eyes. "Someone, help him! Ace...please save Ace! Hey, isn't there anyone who can save Ace!? Come on!"

It took a moment for the pirates to find their voices, but they eventually hurried over the ship's doctor.

"Ace, are you alright!?" the doctor yelled as he ran behind Ace. He rapidly examined the wound of his commander and friend.

"Hurry, help Ace!" Luffy yelled desperately.

The doctor paused and his own eyes darkened as he realized that the wound was indeed fatal. There was nothing that could be done.

Luffy stared in confusion at the doctor. "Hey...what's wrong? Hurry up and save him!"

The doctor could say nothing for several seconds and Chopper felt for the man. "Forgive me..."

Luffy couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What...do you mean? What are you saying!? Do something!" It looked like Luffy wanted to get up and shake the man.

Nami couldn't take it anymore and turned away as well. She sobbed so loudly that everyone on the crew could hear her.

Without any prompt, Sanji walked over towards Nami and hugged her tightly in his arms. The navigator didn't pull away. Instead, she buried her head into Sanji's chest and cried louder.

Usopp also lowered his head as tears fell from his close eyes. Like Nami, he understood the pain Luffy was trying to hold back and deny. He went through the exact same thing as he sat by his mother's bedside as she lay dying. That same helplessness as they watched their loved one slip away from them, despite all their pleas and prayers.

"Hey...hey, you're a doctor, aren't you!? Aren't you!?" Luffy shouted with a mix of desperation and anger at the poor man.

The doctor couldn't meet the young captain's eyes. He was crying, hating himself for not being able to save his friend.

"It's no use...he fried my insides..." Ace told his brother in a strained voice, saying what the doctor was unable to speak. "I won't...be coming back from this... I can tell...my life is at its end..."

Luffy shook, but he still refused to believe Ace's word. "Don't say that..." His face suddenly brightened. "I know, Iva!" He turned towards the miracle worker, who was standing with the pirates. Surely, he should be able to save Ace. Iva saved him when he was at the brink of death. "Hey, please, use that! Inject Ace with it, okay!?

Iva stiffened as he listened to Luffy's broken pleas.

Sanji gritted his teeth as he felt tears build in his eyes despite himself. He knew that Luffy didn't mean to, but he knew that his captain's pleas for Ace's life were tearing Iva apart.

"Inject Ace with that stuff you save me with!" Luffy continued to beg in a somewhat incomprehensible voice. "Save Ace! Okay? Please! I'm begging you! Ace...Ace...give Ace some of it too! Give him a shot of it!"

"Strawhat-boy!" Iva screamed when he couldn't take it anymore. There was slight pause as he looked Luffy directly in his bloodshot eyes. "Ace-boy is beyond saving..."

Luffy looked like he was stabbed in the face by Iva's words. He didn't want to believe any of them. "That can't be..." He turned back to his brother. "Ace…are you going to die?"

Ace didn't answer him.

Luffy's face took on a new expression. It went from shell-shocked to rage. "Didn't you promise me? You promised! You...said you will never die...didn't you!?"

Robin closed her eyes in an effort to control her own emotions.

Luffy had hung on to that promise for over ten years. To Luffy, it wasn't an arrogant statement made by a hot-headed ten-year-old who though he was invincible, but a vow from his big brother to never leave him alone. Ace had shattered one promise in favor of fulfilling another vow to his departed brother. To the very end of his life, he had taken care of Luffy.

Ace still didn't speak, but the Strawhats could see the pain in his face that had nothing to do with his wound. "I'm sorry…Luffy…"

"Ace...what are you saying...?" Luffy asked as he hugged Ace tightly in his arms, completely lost in his grief. All the anger he previously held had drained away. It was almost like he thought if he held tightly enough, he could prevent Ace from leaving him. "You promised me! You said you would never die! You told me that, didn't you Ace!"

Ace shifted in Luffy's arms so he was no longer just being held by Luffy. He was now hugging his little brother with one arm and rubbing his back and shoulder in an effort to comfort him. This did in fact manage to calm Luffy down a little.

It numbly occurred to the Strawhats that this was really the first time they had seen Luffy and Ace embraced each other. It was also a surreal sight to see Ace comforting Luffy given that he was the one dying. The scene would have been heart warming if the situation wasn't so tragic.

"I...probably wouldn't even have wanted to live if it weren't for that whole deal with Sabo...and having an unruly little brother like you to look out for," Ace said softly as his voice faded. He paused for a second, as he reflected on his life. "No one else wanted me…after all. So…it was only natural…"

This finally caused Robin to break down into tears. She was right. Ace really was like her. They were both rejects from the world.

Brook was shaking as he took in Ace's words. No man should feel unwanted.

Luffy also wanted to cry at hearing Ace's words, but remained calm.

"Oh, right...if you ever...see Dadan...then give her my regards," Ace said before he started to chuckle lightly. "For some reason, now that I know that I'm going to die, even her name sounds touching to me..."

Luffy closed his eyes as he embraced his brother tighter. "I keep telling you...don't die!"

Just about all the Strawhats were in tears by this point. Luffy really sounded like a little kid.

Zoro was the only one among them to remain in even the slightest control of his emotions, and even then, he was barely holding back his tears. It took all his discipline not to cry alongside his crew and captain. There was no point crying over someone long dead, but it hurt like hell to watch this. That look in Luffy's eyes...it looked like he was dying alongside Ace.

"I only have...one regret. That I can't see you...fulfill your dream..." Ace said somberly before he gave a weak, proud smile. "But...I'm sure...you can make it. You are my little brother, after all."

This made Luffy choke down sobs.

Ace was quiet for several seconds as his breaths became fainter and more difficult to draw. "On that day...just like...we promised on that day...the way we would live...I have...no regrets about how I lived my life."

The Strawhats saw a brief shadow of that day on the cliff side, but it quickly faded as the cruel memory continued.

"That's not true! Don't lie to me!" Luffy screamed in a broken voice. This couldn't be the end.

"I'm not lying. What I truly wanted...wasn't fame or to be renowned or anything like that," Ace whispered as he continued to stroke Luffy's back. His eyes took on a reflective look as his life continued to flash across them. "Was it good...that I was born? What I wanted...was just the answer to that question."

Sanji didn't bother trying to hide or fight his tears anymore. He openly sobbed into his hand. Ace's true wish reminded him of Luffy's heart's desire within his Dream World. What Luffy truly wanted wasn't to become Pirate King or have anything that came with it. Luffy's one true desire was simply to have a family who loved him, to have people who accepted and cared for him without fear and judgment. To think, that Luffy's wish was Ace's wish as well.

Nami cried for Ace, hating the world for making him feel that he had no worth. It wasn't fair. Ace was a better man than most people. He didn't deserve half the crap he was put through in his life. He deserved happiness. He deserved a chance to live. He didn't deserved to be killed just because his father was the Pirate King.

Robin couldn't stop herself from smiling through her tears. At the very end, Ace found his answer. He knew that he was truly, and deeply, loved despite the entire world branding his existence as a sin. That there were people who would move heaven and hell to save him and fight for his existence. That was Ace's greatest victory over the marines, the government, and the world as a whole. Perhaps it was sadly fitting for him to die in the arms of his brother, the person who loved him the most.

Ace's breathing became more labored and his hold on Luffy began to loosen. "I...can't speak loud enough for the others to hear it..."

Luffy's eyes had changed. The look of denial had completely faded. There was now realization in his eyes. He knew that his brother was about to die. There would be no second chances or do-overs. This was truly the end. In his arms, his last brother was about to leave him.

"Please...pass on...what I'm about to say..." Ace said so softly that the Strawhats could barely hear him. He took several deep breaths as he prepared his final words. "Old Man, everyone, and you, Luffy... Even though...I'm so worthless...even though…I carry the blood of a demon...THANK YOU FOR LOVING ME!" he shouted in a choked voice as tears flowed from his eyes and he hugged his brother tightly one last time.

Luffy's own eyes were filled with tears as he took in his brother's final words and sealed them into his heart and soul.

Ace trembled one last time before his body started to go limp and Luffy's hold on his brother completely disappeared. Luffy no longer had to the strength to support Ace's body and he was forced to let him go.

The moment seemed to drag as Ace fell onto the stone ground of Marineford and hit with a dull thud that reverberated across the memory. All became silent. Ace now lay limp on the pavement, not moving. His body was caked with blood and smoke continued to come out of the fatal wound.

From the corner of the Strawhats' eyes, they saw the last of Ace's Vivre Card burn into ashes and fluttered away into the wind. The crew felt their hearts stop as the last of Ace's life extinguished before them along with the piece of his brother that Luffy always carried with him.

The cruel irony of where the deathblow hit wasn't lost to the Strawhats even in their numb states. The Whitebeard tattoo, Ace's pride and joy, was all but disintegrated by the magma punch. Only a few traces remained of the once-bright pirate mark.

If one thought about it too much, it seemed almost symbolic. Like Ace was telling the world that Luffy's life meant more to him than even his adoptive pirate family. They challenged the world to save him, but in the end, Ace threw it all away to save his brother.

What was the most revealing, however, was Ace's face. It was not frozen in pain or sadness. Ace instead had a small, content smile embedded on his face. He looked completely at peace, almost like he was simply sleeping despite the blood covering his nose and chin.

Robin stared at Ace's face for a long moment. It was just like Saul, and even Luffy back in Loguetown. There was no fear of death, just blissful acceptance. Was it truly something in their blood that allowed them to smile so happily even in death?

"He looks so…peaceful," Usopp whispered. It reminded him of Luffy's image of Ace when he died in his dream. Also, just like Robin, Usopp was reminded of how Luffy almost died in Loguetown. Both of the brothers looked content in death.

"I didn't think anyone besides Luffy could look that happy in death," Franky muttered. "It almost looks like he's going to jump back to life at any moment."

Well, maybe that wasn't completely true. It was widely known that Gold Roger smiled at his execution. But Roger knew that he was going to die. He had years to prepare himself for his end and he himself chose the manner of his death. Ace, on the other hand, clearly didn't want to die, especially after so many people gave up so much to save him. Ace also died in a much more painful and gruesome manner than his father, yet still, he smiled and was content.

Brook lowered his head in respect as knelt next to Ace. He put his hand closed to Ace's head, knowing that he couldn't actually touch him, and gave a short prayer. Truly, a great pirate and man until the end. If it was one thing he had learned in his long lives, the way that a person spent their final moments revealed their true character. He could only pray that Ace found peace and happiness in the next world. At the very least, Sabo should be there to greet him.

Zoro lowered his head as well and gave silent thank-you to Ace. It was tragic that Ace died this way, but he was forever grateful to the man for saving their captain when they were unable to protect him. In many ways, Ace died because they didn't live up to their end of the bargain when Ace asked them to take care of Luffy. He felt like he had blood on his hands.

Nami also gave a silent prayer and thank you to the fallen pirate. She asked her mother to look after Ace. It was funny; a little longer than two years ago she never thought that she would shed so many tears for a pirate, especially for a man she barely knew. Yet, here she was, crying her eyes out.

Chopper was wailing openly and loudly, not bothering to be dignified in his grief. He knew. He knew the helplessness, the pain, and the anger Luffy felt. Those same feelings rushed through him when he saw his adoptive father blow up and Wapol's cruel laughter at his death. If he had the strength back then, he would have killed Wapol. But, much like Luffy, he lacked the power to avenge anyone. Even if he did, it wouldn't have brought Hiluluk back.

Sanji leaned down and hugged Chopper tightly, allowing the young reindeer to cry onto his shoulder. He may have never lost anyone closed to him like his other crewmates, but he could sympathize and feel their pain.

"Ace...?" Luffy called softly as he looked down at his brother, as if hoping Ace had just had his usual episode and would wake up any second.

He looked over Ace's still body and knew that wasn't the case. There was too much blood and it smelt horribly of burnt flesh. The most telling thing was that Ace's chest wasn't moving anymore.

"Ace..." Luffy repeated his brother's name with acceptance and desperation.

Ace didn't give any response. It was then that Luffy knew and he could no longer deny the truth that was in front of him. His bloodstained hands trembled in both pain and sorrow.

Ace was dead.

Luffy began to tear up and shake as grief and anguish overwhelmed his entire being.

Flashes of memories of Luffy and Ace during happier times appeared before the Strawhats. They were quick, but they still somehow saw every detail. It showed Luffy and Ace growing up together in Goa. They also saw Sabo and their adventures in the mountains. They saw flashes of the memory with the brother's toasting their brotherhood.

" _We are united by our bond of brotherhood. No matter what we do or where we are, no one will ever break that bond!_ " the voice of young Ace said as he held up his sake cup.

" _You want me to live?_ "

" _I'd become one even if you didn't tell me to. I will become a pirate, defeat everyone in my way, and become known across the world! That will be proof that I lived! I don't care if the world doesn't accept me, no matter how much they hate me, I'll become a great pirate and stand above everyone else! I won't run from anyone, or lose to anyone. I'll make sure the world knows my name, even if it's through fear!_ " Ace proclaimed as he announced his dream.

" _Listen up and remember this, Luffy! I will never die! Sabo made that request too. I promise you, I will not die. There's no way I would die and leave behind a weakling of a brother like you_ ," Ace vowed to Luffy as they stood on the cliff.

" _What, it's just a scrap of paper?_ "

" _That scrap of paper will allow us to meet again,"_ Ace said with a wide smile." _Luffy, the next time we meet, it will be at the top. Come to the top!_ "

Those memories ended as fast as they came and they were back in Marineford staring at Ace's body as Luffy heaved violently. The Strawhats watched helplessly as their captain shook and crumbled under the weight of the unbearable agony that they knew he was in.

After a few seconds of heaving, Luffy tilted his head towards the sky and cried. It was a bit like what Chopper did when he was especially sad or upset.

It was the only thing he could do. He lacked the strength to avenge his brother and even if he did, what was the point? It wouldn't bring his brother back. It wouldn't change what has happened. Ace was dead! That reality would never change.

The Strawhats collectively felt themselves cry along Luffy, unable to control their own sorrow.

Their captain looked so small, so helpless. Luffy was drenched in his brother's blood and seemed like a small child as he cried to the heavens. The strong, confident man that was their captain disappeared. It was almost like Luffy was demanding the gods to give his brother back, but the dispassionate entities ignore his cries of anguish.

Zoro, who had held his tears the longest, allowed a few to fall despite his best efforts. He felt so useless. This shouldn't have happened. Luffy shouldn't be here alone facing such pain. Why weren't they _there_? Why weren't they there to carry some of this pain!? They should have been here!

Luffy cries became more frantic until it became more of a primal scream that caused blood to flow out of his mouth as he ruptured his voice box.

The entire memory changed into a hot red that shook like there was an earthquake as it began to replay Ace's death in an endless loop. Within seconds, the memory turned a sick, greenish tint as Ace's death came faster. All the while, Luffy continued to scream, providing the only sounds within the memory.

Suddenly, a loud crack was heard and the entire memory shattered like glass and Luffy's abruptly stopped screaming.

The pieces of the memory fell apart like stardust and there was only emptiness.

* * *

Portgas D. Ace aka Fire Fist, former captain of the Spades Pirates and Second Division Commander of the Whiebeard Pirates, (Chapter 6 - Chapter 35).

" _Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends_ "  
\- John 15:13


	36. Heroic Effort

The Strawhats were left in a state of shock after the memory collapsed. It was the last thing they had expected.

"What happened?" Brook asked as he looked around the void. "Was this the mist's doing?"

"No... I think...I think Luffy suffered a mental collapse," Chopper surmised as he wiped his tear-stained eyes and crossed his arms, trying to clear his mind.

"A what?" Usopp asked in confusion.

"Most likely, it was a combination of physical exhaustion, fever, and mental distress that pushed Luffy over the edge. Luffy's body could no longer handle the stress and shut itself down in order to protect itself," Chopper said after some thought.

"In other words, Luffy had a complete system shut down after he saw Ace died," Robin simplified. "Luffy was pushed to keep going only by his desire to save his brother. With his motivation to stay conscious and fight lost, Luffy had no reason to fight the demands of his own body and was forced to rest."

The remaining Strawhats were silent as they took in their crewmates' words.

"In a way, it is good that it happened that way," Chopper said after a moment of thought. "If he remained awake, he may have done something regrettable in his grief and hurt himself even more."

Zoro remained silent. He could half-imagine Luffy charging Akainu in grief-stricken rage and being melted.

Usopp's face scowled as a bitter question formed in his mind. It was so vile and heartless that he didn't want to ask it. But he knew he would have no peace if he didn't ask.

"Does...does that mean that Luffy was saved in two different ways because Ace died?" Usopp asked softly as he trembled. "If he had kept going until Ace was safe, if he kept pushing himself until the end...would he have any strength left?"

The Strawhats looked at Usopp. They had never even considered that question.

Chopper bit his lip as he thought of the answer. He didn't like what his conclusion was. "There is...a high chance that Luffy's mind collapsing at that point saved his life. I can never be completely certain since I didn't examine Luffy after the war. But given the condition that Luffy was in, he definitely pushed himself past all of his physical limits. If he had gone a few minutes longer...there is a high possibility that he could had exhausted himself to the point of death, or slipping into an irreversible coma."

There was another long pause.

"What a bitter thing to know," Franky muttered as the other Strawhats nodded. In more than just one way, Ace saved their captain's life that day at the cost of his own.

"I can understand what Luffy's going through," Nami whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to comfort herself. "He must be thinking it's all his fault that Ace died. Ace...he was fatally wounded shielded Luffy from a blow meant for him."

She inwardly shivered as she remembered how Arlong brutally murdered her mother after he mocked the love she had for her and Nojiko. To think that Luffy experienced the same pain made her physically ill. She wouldn't wish that kind of agony on anyone, not even Arlong.

Franky slumped over. "I know better than anyone how hard it is to forgive yourself when you blame yourself for someone's death. It's a soul-crushing feeling that stays with you every time you wake up and haunts you before you go to sleep." He fought not to cry as he thought of Tom. "I've carried around my guilt and couldn't even think of forgiving myself for almost ten years. During those years, even when I was happy, I felt guilty because I kept thinking...why do _I_ deserve to be happy? I killed the person I admired the most. I shouldn't be smiling. I deserve to suffer."

Brook stared into the empty void. "Forgiveness is possibly the hardest thing to obtain. When we do try to forgive ourselves, we feel guilty and think that we should be punished. That we deserve the pain we are in."

"It doesn't help that Luffy's body gave at the worst possible moment," Sanji murmured somberly as he clenched his hand into a fist. "Luffy would have to dodge that damn magma fist in almost all situations. That Akainu bastard isn't that fast. If Luffy could had just moved a little..."

"I'm sure Luffy knows that better than anyone," Nami whispered in a hoarse voice.

Zoro remained quiet. He was too lost in his own thoughts. He fully understood now. Just as the ball of light said, even the strongest person could be brought to their knees by grief. In Luffy's case, he had never forgiven himself.

"That...that coward," Usopp hissed. He was shaking in both rage and grief. "Why did that bastard go after Luffy? He couldn't fight… He couldn't even move... He was no threat to anyone..."

Brook also sneered. "It was a dishonorable act, going after someone who was defenseless. There was no point to it. He purposely disengaged from an enemy to attack a helpless person."

Robin wrapped her arms around himself. "He did it on purpose. Akainu was a superior fighter, but Ace still posed a danger to him given that all of Whitebeard's commanders seemed to be about equal with the admirals. Even with that burnt arm, Ace could have still given Akainu a hard time on top of the other pirates and the commanders."

Nami paled as she listened to the older woman. "Are you saying that he purposely attacked Luffy because he knew Ace would shield him?"

Robin said nothing for several seconds. "At the most, killing Luffy would have been a grave moral blow for Ace and would have weakened him mentally, made him reckless, and therefore easier to kill. We have seen for ourselves that Akainu is a master of mental manipulation."

Brook's eyes, if he had any, darkened as he listened to Robin talk. "So, in either case, that man took advantage of the bond Luffy and Ace shared. He knew they would give their lives for one another and used their love against them."

Robin's silence was the only answer the Strawhats needed.

"It was a heartless and cruel, yet effective, tactic. Not only did his plan kill Ace, but it broke Luffy mentally," Sanji growled under his breath. "What was their greatest strength, he made into their greatest weakness."

Robin's thoughts immediately went to Crocodile and how he used the love of a country to tear it apart and nearly destroy it.

Zoro hissed as he balled his fists. He wanted to find that admiral and slice him to shreds. Even then, it wouldn't be even half as painful as what he did to Luffy. The long-term damage that man did was beyond measure.

"Dammit, why didn't Ace keep running!?" Franky suddenly screamed in frustration as he slammed his fists together, causing a loud clunking sound to reverberate across the void. His shoulders were stiffened and he was seething in rage. "If he didn't stop...if he had ignored that asshole, they could had escape together! Instead, he let a few words taunt him to his grave! How...how could Ace be so selfish!?"

"Ace was always protective of his loved ones, especially if they were being bad-mouthed. Hearing the man he regarded as his father and savior being torn apart by a marine was something he could not ignore," Robin said, "especially after he mocked Whitebeard for dying for his sons, people who laid down their lives to save him. If it was Shanks being belittled in the same situation, Luffy would have acted much the same."

"He also kept that mentality of never running until the end," Zoro muttered as he thought of Ace staring down Porchemy and then Bluejam. "I don't completely understand it, but it seemed like Ace was always afraid of turning his back to an opponent."

"Because people would think he was a coward?" Usopp asked.

"No, because he was afraid that if he ran, he would have lost something dear to him," Zoro said. He paused for a second. "In all the cases that we have seen where he refused to run, Luffy was behind him."

The Strawhats stared at the swordsman in shock.

"Are you saying, moss head..." Sanji started to say.

"I think Ace didn't run because he was afraid if he left a strong enemy at their backs, Luffy would have been hurt or killed," Zoro stated. "But we may never know the truth."

The Strawhats reflected on Zoro's words. It seemed right, even if it was just a theory. Zoro was never a people person like Luffy, but the swordsman did have a talent for reading people in his own way.

"What now?" Chopper asked for everyone. "How are we supposed to help Luffy overcome this?" After suffering such a deep emotional wound, was it even possible to recover?

Brook lowered his head. "Getting Luffy-san to move on from such a tragedy will be a tough task. Going through such trauma would destroy most people. Having given up so much, and then the person he went to save died saving his life. If I had a heart, it would weep in sorrow for Luffy-san."

Nami shook her head. "What kind of twisted god or deity would do that to a person?" She didn't want to say it out loud, but it would almost been merciful for Luffy to die in that war zone.

Brook continued to stare somberly into the void. "It was almost like fate itself was taunting Luffy the entire time. Fate created the situation where Ace was captured and Luffy would be without us. Then, after so much struggle, and just how close Luffy-san was to succeeding..."

"Where the hell is Luffy?" Sanji suddenly asked, hating how helpless he felt. He wanted, needed, to kick something. "We can't help him if we can't even find him."

As if granted Sanji's wish, the mist suddenly enveloped them again and they were standing in an enclosed area that was dark and gray. Only lights on the sides of the steel walls gave any illumination.

"What is this place?" Brook asked. He had never seen this location before.

"An underground tunnel?" Sanji suggested.

Nami shook head. "No, I hear waves. Water is definitely on the other side of these walls."

"Could be a tunnel under the sea," Zoro stated.

Chopper's ears perked. "Do you hear that?"

Everyone stopped talking and they could hear some kind of mechanical noise in the distance.

"An engine?" Franky questioned.

"No...it's sounds like breathing machine," Chopper said.

The Strawhats followed the sounds down the cold, empty hallway. The sounds became louder and the Strawhats also heard a slow beeping sound in the distance. After a moment of walking, they reached an opened door that took them into a large room that was filled with many devices and some medical equipment.

"This must be the infirmary," Chopper said as he scanned the room.

From what the young doctor could see, the infirmary was fitted with the latest medical equipment and technology. Most of the stuff in the room was advanced even by today's standards. Whoever owned this room had to be a top-notch doctor, not to mention rich.

A part of Chopper envied the room. He could perform miracles with this kind of equipment. At the same time, he hated this infirmary. It was too cold and impersonal for his taste. It looked more like a medical lab than a room for healing the sick.

Usopp suddenly inhaled deeply as he stared at one of the medical beds that were against the further wall. "Lu...Luffy..." he all but whispered. For some reason, it felt wrong to shout.

The Strawhats turned to see what Usopp was talking about and they saw that Luffy was indeed lying in one of the medical beds, still as a corpse.

"Luffy..." Nami said softly as she walked towards her captain's side.

The rest of the crew followed her and they all soon surrounded their captain in a tight semicircle.

Luffy was covered to his shoulders with a thin blanket, but the Strawhats could tell that he was wrapped in bandages up to neck. Even his forehead was wrapped with several layers of bandages.

Luffy's face was extremely pale and sickly, looking like he hadn't seen the sun in weeks. His cheeks, however, were a bright red, showing that he was still fighting off a fever. By the way his eyes were shrunken into his face and the hallows of his cheeks, Luffy had lost a lot a weight, showing that he had not been eating while asleep. He had to be unconscious for more than a couple of days to reach such a state.

The thing that upset the crew the most, however, was the breathing mask that covered their captain's mouth and the IVs that were hooked all over his body. A heart monitor was also connected to Luffy, which explained the beeping sound in the room. His heartbeats were very slow and somewhat sluggish.

Everyone on the crew was highly disturbed seeing Luffy like this. The only time that any of them had seen Luffy so messed up that he needed assistance breathing was when he was severely sick with Root Fever.

He looked so fragile, like a small child. Luffy didn't look like himself at all. Even when Luffy was beaten within an inch of his life, he still had the appearance of someone strong, even through he looked much younger when he was asleep. Now, it seemed just breathing on him or speaking too loud would kill him. That in any minute, Luffy would simply stop breathing and fade away in his sleep.

Chopper couldn't stop himself from going into doctor mode and examined Luffy. Out of habit, he reached to touch Luffy, but his hooves went right through him. Chopper remained undaunted. Even if he couldn't touch his captain, he still had a key eye for physical damage. He knew Luffy's body better than anyone. He knew where to look for to see how badly his captain was hurt.

"He's in a state of near-death," Chopper whispered as he finished his quick examination. "All this equipment is the only reason why Luffy simply hasn't slipped away. It appears that the doctor here is given Luffy fluids, vitamins, and blood thinners to keep his heart beating. Luffy also seems to be getting heavy doses of antibiotics. If he does have an infection, that would explain why he still has a fever."

Chopper frowned as he realized that none of the IV bags appeared to contain anesthesia or painkillers. Even if Luffy was in a coma, the doctor should still give Luffy at least some measure of pain control. It wouldn't be good to have a patient wake up in pain and hurt themselves struggling.

He also didn't like that the doctor had left Luffy unattended. What if Luffy stopped breathing or had a heart attack? Comatose or not, a patient should never be left alone. Especially not Luffy. Not after what he had been through.

"It is not surprising, given what happened to him," Robin said, breaking Chopper out of his thoughts. She was staring at her comatose captain with a somber expression. It looked like she wanted to cry.

"How are we even seeing this?" Usopp asked softly as he continued to look at Luffy. He felt numb seeing his friend like this. "Luffy's not even conscious."

"It is most likely a recomposed memory using bits of previous information from other memories. There is also the chance that Luffy was at least semiconscious at this time," Robin surmised. "A person who is in a coma does not wake all at once, despite popular belief. They slowly ease themselves back into consciousness. If they are lucky."

Nami wished Robin didn't add that last part.

"But that still doesn't make any sense," Usopp said as he kept staring at his captain. "We've been through several memories where Luffy wasn't completely conscious, and those memories were all black or extremely hazy since Luffy's eyes were closed."

Sanji bit down on his cigarette. "Maybe...could it be Haki?"

Franky turned his head towards the cook. "Can Haki really allow you to see the outside world even when you're asleep?"

"I'm not completely sure, but I think I have heard of this. In people with particular strong Observation Haki, they can see outside their own bodies even when they're asleep," Sanji stated. "Most people mistake this as an out-of-body experience. It's particularly common with those who had unknowingly awakened their Haki and have no control of it."

Zoro's eye widened. He experience something similar to that when he was training with Mihawk. Being able to control his Haki while he was asleep was almost a requirement since Mihawk wasn't above attacking him when he was asleep or resting. It didn't happen often, but there were times where he swore he was outside his body looking at himself. Now that he thought about, he may had even experienced something like this when he was recovering at Thriller Bark.

"So, Luffy-san is unconsciously using his Haki to look at himself while he's in a coma," Brook said. "That's how we are able to see all of this and not just hear sounds." He half-imagined Luffy's soul sticking out of his body, much like his own technique.

"How's Strawhat?" someone asked.

The Strawhats turned to see two people walk into the room. They were both dressed in the same baggy white uniform, which looked strangely familiar. Their faces were shadowed, most likely because Luffy only had vague recollection of them.

One of the men had a cap that read 'Penguin' while the second man had long, stringy hair and sunglasses.

Penguin checked the monitors and Luffy's IVs. "Looks like no change."

"He's been like this for two weeks now," the man with sunglasses sighed. "I wonder if Strawhat will ever wake up."

"Two weeks!" Nami exclaimed in shock.

It usually took Luffy only a couple of days to recover from being hurt. Even after all those weeks and all this medical attention, not only was Luffy still unconscious, but also he still needed all this equipment to stay alive.

"Strawhat pushed himself past his natural limit. I'm surprised the kid isn't dead, especially after getting nailed by Akainu. I mean, the guy burnt a freaking hole into Strawhat's chest," Penguin said as he took notes.

"A hole?" Sanji whispered as he glanced down at Luffy's covered chest. His one visible eye widened. "I see... It was that magma bastard that gave Luffy that giant scar."

"That _would_ explain how Luffy got scarred," Chopper said in thought. "Akainu literally melted his skin. It's also possible that Luffy's healing ability was compromised by all the damage he took during the war, so the wound didn't heal properly."

"Not only did that guy kill Luffy's brother, he forever marked him as well," Zoro said softly as he fingered his own chest scar.

No wonder that scar seemed to be so symbolic to Luffy. It also explained why Luffy grabbed his chest and grimaced in pain whenever Akainu's name was mentioned. Did Luffy always think of his brother's murderer when he looked at his own chest?

Zoro also couldn't help seeing the bitter irony in Luffy's wound. That bastard admiral had struck Luffy in the same place as Ace. Luffy, the weaker brother, had survived an injury that had killed Ace within minutes.

No, that wasn't completely correct. Luffy lived because Akainu's attack didn't penetrate completely through his body since Luffy had no scar on his back. If it had, Luffy's insides would have been melted much like his brother's.

"Yeah, burnt right through Jinbei. Would had killed him, too, if it wasn't for his fat. Still, if Jinbei hadn't acted as a shield, that wound would had been fatal to Strawhat," the man with the sunglasses said as he got closer to examine Luffy. "Still, that attack cooked his insides nicely. This place smelt like a burnt tire for over a week. If Boss wasn't such a great doctor, Strawhat would have undoubtedly joined his brother."

The pirate with the sunglasses reached for the covers and started to pull them down.

The memory suddenly broke and swaged, catching the Strawhats off-guard. Within a matter of seconds, they were back at Marineford. The entire memory was badly fuzzed, almost to the point that the crew could barely see was happening. The colors were also off. The scene was tinted red and kept moving every couple of seconds. It was like they were seeing a bad transponder snail video.

"What...what's happening?" Usopp asked. He didn't want to see this place ever again.

They were standing around Luffy, who was in the same position they left him in the last memory. His head was pointed skywards and his eyes were rolled back so only white, unseeing orbs were visible. He wasn't screaming anymore, but his mouth was still opened like he was. Blood was dripping down the sides of his mouth from his ruptured vocal cords.

It was a disturbing site. He was drenched in blood that was both his own and his brother's. Luffy looked the way he did when he was fatally poison by Magellan, except now he really appeared to be dead.

Around Luffy, there was a lot of crying and moans of grief. The Whitebeard Pirates and their allies were all shattered from the death of their friend and comrade. After everything they gave, their loved one still died.

Jinbei had his hands over his eyes and was sobbing in a way that the Strawhats had never seen before from him. He appeared almost as broken from Ace's death as Luffy was.

"Is this a memory?" Nami asked after taken everything in. Despite herself, her eyes fell onto Ace's body. Seeing the once-strong, lively young man laying face down in a puddle of his own blood made her stomach clutch. It was another reminder on how life could suddenly disappear. "Why is everything so...off...and how are we seeing this?"

"I think a part of Luffy's consciousness was still active after his mind collapse. What we are seeing is maybe more of a flashback or a waking dream more than an actual memory," Robin said. "Luffy is remembering these events while he is lying in his medical bed."

"Still active?" Franky repeated in confusion.

"In other words, it's like the lights are on, but no one's home," Sanji explained.

Chopper nodded. "I think that is precisely what's happening."

"Strawhat-boy!" someone screaming got the crew's attention. They turned to see Iva staring at Luffy in horrified panic. He seemed to realize what happened to Luffy and the danger he was now in.

The yells were soon followed by what sounded like boiling lava. The Strawhats saw Akainu rushing Luffy. The crew could see the bloodlust in the man's eyes, making him appear more than human.

"It's Akainu!" one of the pirates screamed.

"Now, you are next, Strawhat!" Akainu declared as he raised his arm to kill Luffy.

"He's already defeated! He's not even conscious anymore!" Brook screamed in rage. He was ready to draw his sword.

"Brook, you can't do anything," Zoro said in a harsh voice as he grabbed the fellow swordsman's hand. He too wanted to kill that magma bastard, but nothing could be done, no matter how passionate he was. These were events that had already happened.

Brook gritted his teeth as he stalled unsheathing his sword. Akainu was an honorless man. What kind of marine kills a person who has been completely defeated?

Akainu arm descended on Luffy, but Marco quickly blocked the deathblow with his winged arm. Blue flames erupted around Luffy as the First Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates protected him.

Akainu sneered at the zoan user.

"I won't let you kill him!" Marco yelled. He glared hatefully at the admiral. The fire in his eyes matched the flames surrounding him.

He had already lost his fellow commander and friend. He would be damned if he let this man take away the last flame of Ace's will. The same flame that Ace laid his life to protect.

Jinbei rushed towards Luffy's side and shook the unconscious rubberman fiercely. "Luffy-kun, Luffy-kun! Pull yourself together!"

Nothing he did made Luffy even twitch. He was completely gone to them.

"Get out of my way!" Akainu screamed as his magma grew stronger.

Marco refused to yield as he pushed back even harder. "This fight...isn't over yet!" he yelled to his comrades.

The grieving pirates in the area lifted their heads towards Marco.

"Get Ace's bother out of here, Jinbei!" Marco screamed towards the fishman.

"Understood!" Jinbei yelled as he lifted Luffy like he was a ball and ran as fast as he could away from Akainu.

"Strawhat's survival was Ace's final wish!" Marco yelled to his fellow pirates as he continued to glare at Akainu. "That is the life, the 'determination', that allowed Ace to live!"

"Commander...Marco..." a pirate muttered.

The Whitebeard Pirates and their allies wiped their tears and the fire returned to their eyes. The crew all felt their renewed dedication. They still had something to fight for. Something to protect.

"We will absolutely protect him in Ace's place!" Marco declared as he pushed against Akainu. "If we let him die, IT WILL BE THE WHITEBEARD PIRATE GREATEST SHAME!"

All the Strawhats saw it. In the Whitebeard Pirates' eyes, an aura of unbreakable resolve formed. Their grief from before lessened and the pirates were ready to fight again. It was as their commander said. It wasn't over yet.

Zoro was left stunned from the sight. Their aura was very similar to the one that emitted from his crew when Kuma offered their lives for Luffy. It was like Luffy became one of them.

The pirates erupted with loud war cries. They were just as energetic as they were when they declared that they would save Ace.

Luffy remained unaware of any of this as Jinbei carried him to safety.

"Luffy-kun, hang in there!" Jinbei encouraged the comatose boy.

The pirates' renewed spirit did not impress Akainu. "I thought I said I would not let either of them escape!" He suddenly erupted with magma and knocked Marco off his feet.

The blast was so powerful that Jinbei felt it. He covered Luffy with his body.

Akainu ran towards Luffy. "Strawhat!"

Sanji felt the urge to intercept the admiral. Memory or not, his captain was defenseless. Unlike Kuma, he felt nothing but pure malice from the admiral.

"Akainu-san, behind you!" a marine suddenly screamed in horror.

A shadow suddenly engulfed Akainu and he froze in place. For the first time, the Strawhats saw a look of absolute terror cross the admiral as all the color drained from his face. It was like death itself was behind him.

"Whitebeard..." Usopp whispered when he saw the giant of a man loom behind Akainu.

For a second, a chill ran down all the Strawhats' spines. Whitebeard's face was blank and calm, but they felt his rage, his sorrow, his need for revenge. There was nothing to compare it to. Luffy's fury was like a mere temper tantrum in comparison. Even Shanks' glare when the bandits threatened Luffy was a pale comparison.

Akainu slowly turned around just as Whitebeard raised his fist. Without a word, the mighty pirate smashed Akainu into the ground with a quake fist, tearing up the pavement.

The more timid members of the Strawhats cringed as they watched the admiral being warped into the ground. The human body simply didn't deform like that.

The members of the crew who had darker personalities watched the entire scene with grim satisfaction. They knew Akainu would live through his ordeal, which was tragic. At least, however, they knew he got some punishment for killing Ace and mentally debilitating their captain. It was nowhere near enough, but would do for now.

Whitebeard was ruthless as he kept smashing Akainu further into pavement, making it appear like the admiral was melting.

"The Old Man is pissed!" someone screamed.

"Understatement," Sanji whispered, unable to say anything else.

Whitebeard suddenly jumped away from Akainu, giving the admiral time to lift himself off the ground. He barely had time to roll away as Whitebeard attempted to smash his skull in with a quake kick. It was somewhat frightening to see such a large man move with so much agility while in the air.

Whitebeard was merciless as he charged after the magma user and raised his bisento over his head. He attempted to cut the admiral in half, but Akainu pushed himself out of the way. Once he was in position, Akainu pummeled Whitebeard with magma punches, but Whitebeard simply tanked them with his arm. Despite the fury of the magma attack, Whitebeard's arm was barely even singed.

"He's blocking magma with his bare flesh!" Franky yelled in awe. Whitebeard really was a monster. What was this guy like at his peak?

Akainu ran in and engaged Whitebeard in hand-to-hand combat. He landed several powerful blows, but the old pirate was able to keep pace and block him. With one swing, Whitebeard knocked Akainu away from him, sending the admiral rolling across the ground like a rag doll.

Zoro felt the blow and his bones hurt. If Akainu were a normal man, his bones would have been shattered into powder. Whitebeard didn't even use his ability. It was almost unbelievable that one man could be so powerful.

Chopper was left completely speechless. Even Rayleigh couldn't fight an admiral like this. Whitebeard was beating Akainu like he was a child. But he was an admiral. They were nearly unbeatable.

Akainu was on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath. He obviously was not used to being beaten like this. The attack dog of the marines was, for the first time, the one being hunted.

Whitebeard slowly approached Akainu, ready to finish off the man who dared to kill one of his children.

Akainu glared at Whitebeard. His face was a mix of fear and defiance as he sneered at the old pirate.

Whitebeard raised his fist for another quake punch, but Akainu suddenly jumped up and threw a magma punch at Whitebeard's face. Whitebeard tilted his head to avoid the blow, but he was just a little too slow. Akainu's magma punch hit the left side of Whitebeard's face, causing it to instantly melt upon impact.

All the Strawhats gasped in shock and horror.

"He...he melted part of his face!" Nami screamed as she covered her mouth with her hands. How was Whitebeard still functioning? His brain couldn't have remained undamaged from that attack.

Despite the lost of half of his face, Whitebeard did not seem particular bothered. Instead, he ruthlessly grabbed Akainu by his shirt's collar and lifted him off the ground. The magma user was more than a little scared as he stared into Whitebeard's one amber eye that seemed to be burning into his soul.

Akainu was thrown into the air and before he landed, Whitebeard nailed him on the side with a quake punch so powerful that all the Strawhats heard Akainu's rib crack. The admiral was gushing blood out of his mouth as he fell.

Robin darkly mused if Whitebeard had ruptured one of Akainu's lungs.

The ground split as Whitebeard's last quake went into full effect. The entirety of Marineford was spliced in half and Akainu was sent tumbling into the fissure along with several marines who were standing nearby. The main building of Marineford was broken in two and began to descend into ground like it was in quicksand.

Despite his injured and dying state, this was by far Whitebeard's most powerful earthquake. It was like he wanted all the marines to feel the wrath he held because of them. They may have killed Ace, but he was going to make sure they paid the price in full for it.

"Damn you...Whitebeard!" Akainu screamed in rage as he disappeared into the earth. The fissure closed on him, burying the admiral along with dozen of other marines.

"He...he buried that guy alive!" Usopp screamed in shock. How the hell did Akainu live through that? Was he immortal?

"In his rage over Ace, he nearly destroyed the entire island," Zoro whispered.

He had to admire that man's love for his sons. Too bad his anger was not enough to kill that bastard. Maybe it was better that way. If Akainu was dead, Luffy would never been given the chance to fight him. Ace may have been Whitebeard's son, but Luffy was his brother first. He owed that bastard an ass-kicking.

The memory abruptly broke apart and stuttered violently. It took a couple of seconds, but the memory eventually put itself back together.

The crew was standing close to Jinbei, who had stopped running and was staring at something in the distance. His expression was a mix of rage and hatred. He was literally shaking as he held Luffy in his arms.

It didn't take the Strawhats long to realize why Jinbei was so upset. Even in the half composed, fuzzy memory, the crew could see Blackbeard standing in the distance. The treasonous pirate was standing above Whitebeard on a building with a smug grin. The small pirate crew could feel Whitebeard's rage, which was even brighter than when he confronting Akainu. The old pirate truly despised the man in front of him.

Zoro squinted his eye as he realized that Blackbeard's crew had increased in size. One of the new pirates were so huge that he was actually leaning against the Marine Headquarters building like he was a kid playing peek-a-boo.

"Blackbeard..." Sanji hissed. "How did this shit head get here? He shouldn't have gotten past the Gates of Justice."

Sengoku had the same question as he glared at the Blackbeard Pirates.

One of the pirates, the one with the top hat from what the Strawhats could see, laughed at Sengoku's question. "I apologize. It is quite simple. Before the Blackbeard Pirates sailed to Impel Down, I hypnotized the marines in the control room and gave them the order that all battleships approaching the Gates of Justice were to be allowed to pass. It seems this helped others as well."

Brook's jaw dropped. "Then...Luffy-san and the others were only able to reach Marineford because of Blackbeard. Without him, they would have been trapped in the Tarai Current."

"This...this is some kind of joke right?" Franky growled. Was fate really screwing with Luffy?

Blackbeard laughed at the stunned marines as they started to realize the extent of his betrayal.

"For a pirate, an enemy of the government, breaking into Impel Down would have been impossible since the Gates of Justice would never open," Blackbeard said. "That's why I increase my reputation and became one of the Warlords of the Sea. But now, I no longer need that rank!"

"So, your goal was to free those guys!?" Sengoku yelled in outrage.

Blackbeard laughed. "Indeed, that was my plan all along! That was all I wanted!"

"Free those guys? What're they talking about?" Nami asked.

"I cannot really see the new members of the crew that well even with my ability, but I do know that giant behind the Marine Headquarters is San Juan Wolf, known as the Colossal Battleship. He is the largest giant known to exist," Robin stated. "I heard that he was erased by the World Government for committing unspeakable crimes."

"That means he must have been on Level 6," Nami said.

Robin nodded. Using her powers, one of her eyes fell onto one member of the Blackbeard Pirates who appeared to be wearing an Impel Down uniform. Upon looking at the man, she recognized who he was. She remembered researching that man when she was studying Blackbeard when she was with the Revolutionaries. She also realized the full implication of him being part of the Blackbeard Pirates given what she knew now. At that moment, everything fell into place.

"Robin-chan, what's wrong?" Sanji asked as he saw the color leave Robin's face.

Robin took several deep breaths as she prepared to tell her crew what she discovered. Some times, it was a curse knowing too much. "One of the new members of the Blackbeard Pirates is a man known as Shiliew of the Rain. He was the Chef Guard of Impel Down whose strength was equal to that of the warden."

"You mean he's as strong as Magellan!? The guy who had Jinbei and Crocodile running for their lives!?" Usopp screamed in disbelief.

"But why is a person who protects Impel Down with Blackbeard?" Chopper asked, completely lost.

"It is rumor, but from what I remember, Shiliew was stripped of his position and sentence to death because he abused his power and murdered many prisoners," Robin explained.

Franky snorted. "I didn't know there was such a thing as abuse of power in a place known as Hell."

"I guess even Hell have its rules," Brook said.

Zoro stared at the archaeologist. "There's more to it. Blackbeard didn't just release him with the other prisoners, didn't he?"

Robin folded her arms. "Remember when we surmised that Blackbeard and his crew were most likely defeated by Magellan since he was still chasing after Luffy and the others?"

"Yeah, I remember that," Usopp said with a nod.

Nami's eyes widened as she followed Robin's line of thinking. "You think it was this guy who helped the Blackbeard Pirates."

"I am almost certain of it," Robin said in a grave voice. "There is no other way Blackbeard could have cured Magellan's poison on his own. Someone who knew Magellan and his ability helped them."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Usopp shouted as he held out his hands. "That doesn't make any sense. You said yourself that Shiliew was stripped of his position and locked away. How could he help Blackbeard?"

"It is just a theory, but I surmised that Shiliew was most likely imprisoned on Level 6 for his crimes against Impel Down. When Luffy and the others rioted, and Blackbeard broke into Impel Down, they stressed the defenses of the prison to its limit. Even Magellan could not quell the riots on all levels and deal with Luffy's group and Blackbeard. Most of the jailers would have been outmatched by either group," Robin said. "It is then possible to conclude that Shiliew took advantage of the chaos and offered his assistance since he was as strong as the warden. Magellan, being desperate to keep order and stop the jail break, released Shiliew, who then betrayed him to the Blackbeard Pirates."

All the Strawhats stood in silence as Robin finished her theory.

If Brook had a heart, it would have been beating rapidly as he asked the question the entire crew was thinking. "Are you saying that it was because of the breakout Luffy-san led that Blackbeard was able to penetrate Impel Down and free those Level 6 prisoners?"

Robin said nothing for several seconds. "If Luffy never went to Impel Down, Blackbeard would have been stopped by Magellan. They would also had to face the full power of Impel Down. Because Magellan was chasing Luffy and the forces of Impel Down were scattered and disorganized, it gave Blackbeard an opening that he would never have even with the rank of Warlord."

All the air was sucked from around the Strawhats as they took in everything. It felt like the entire world had just dropped them on their heads.

Zoro growled as he turned his eye back towards the Blackbeard Pirates. It would appear that Luffy truly was a pawn for that bastard. Because of several twists in fate, Luffy was made to become Blackbeard's greatest ally.

No, not just Luffy, but Ace as well. Because of this war, it dragged Whitebeard out into the open, weakened him, and gave Blackbeard the chance to kill his former captain. Also, because Whitebeard's forces were weakened by the war as well, they couldn't stop the treasonous pirate from taking over Whitebeard's territories and becoming the new Emperor. Both Luffy and Ace were used by fate. Did destiny choose Blackbeard to rule this age?

Zoro shook his head viciously. No, he refused to accept that. He refused to believe that fate was that screwed up. Luffy and only Luffy was worthy to rule this era. If fate dictated otherwise, then screw it. He would defy destine.

"Now do you get it!?" Blackbeard mocked, getting the crew's attention again.

Sengoku could only tremble in indignation. Just like everyone involved with Blackbeard, the marines and himself were nothing but his fodder.

"None of that matters!" Whitebeard shouted with a stained, but still strong voice. "Teach!" He slammed his arm against the air, causing a massive quake that knocked dozens of marines into the air.

The Blackbeard Pirates were blasted off the building they were standing on as the quake punch kept moving through the island. Despite the power behind the quake, the rogue pirates walked out of the rubble relatively unharmed.

"You aren't holding back!" Blackbeard humored with a chuckle. "Well, I guess that's to be expected."

"You are the one person I will never call son, Teach," Whitebeard growled. "You broke the iron rule on my ship. You killed a member of the crew!" He pointed his bisento at his former son. "So that Fourth Division Commander Thatch may rest in peace, I will take this fool's life and settle the score!" He grimaced in pain as he finished his declaration.

"He...he's at his limit," Chopper whispered. "He's dying..."

"After all those wounds, even he wouldn't be able to live through this. He is still a human," Sanji said. "It's a miracle that he can even stand."

"Old Man!" one of the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates yelled.

Marco went into his full phoenix form and was ready to fly to his captain's side.

"Marco!" Whitebeard yelled, stopping his First Commander from flying to his aid.

"Old Man!" Marco screamed in distress as he went back to his human form.

"Stay out of this!" Whitebeard ordered as he continued to glare at Blackbeard. "Let us finished this, Teach!"

Blackbeard laughed at his former captain. "Fine by me!" Darkness began to engulf his body and spread across the war torn battlefield like a fog. "This is the power of the Devil Fruit I stole after killing Thatch! The mightiest power, the Dark Dark Fruit!"

"That's why!?" Brook yelled in outraged. "He killed his fellow crewmate over a Devil Fruit! For a single fruit...he..." He reached for his sword.

Zoro also felt his heart filled with anger. For a mere ability, he stole the life of one of his comrades. He was the worst kind of scum.

Nami said nothing as she folded her arms. Blackbeard was a real pirate. He used, betrayed, and killed those around him to get his way. This was the reason why she hated pirates.

"Have a good taste!" Blackbeard yelled as Whitebeard started to sink into the darkness.

Whitebeard didn't even flinch as the darkness attempted to suck him in like quicksand.

His focus remained squarely on Blackbeard, who was arrogantly laughing.

"Hey, Old Man, Thatch is dead and so is Ace. I had always respected and admired you from the bottom of my heart. But now, you've grown old. So rusty you couldn't save a single underling from execution! Even though I made sure to let Ace live after our battle on Banaro Island," Blackbeard mocked.

Usopp's felt hot tears burn his eyes as he clutched his fists so tightly that his palms started to bleed. That bastard turned his commander in to die and then mocked his captain for failing to save him. This man was no real pirate. No real man of the sea acts this way. He was a complete, irredeemable monster, who worse than Kuro. He was also, indirectly, insulting Luffy since Ace died shielding him.

Whitebeard prepared to use his ability to blow Blackbeard away.

"Now, now, that won't work!" Blackbeard yelled in a taunting voice as he held out his hand. Darkness filled his palm. "All abilities are useless against me!" He used his powers to pull himself towards Whitebeard and stall his quake punch with his hand.

Much like what happened to Luffy when he faced Blackbeard, Whitebeard lost his ability.

"Well, Old Man, what do you think of my darkness?" Blackbeard asked with an arrogant grin. "I can even suck in Devil Fruit powers, making the user defenseless! In other words, you can't make earthquakes anymore!"

Before Blackbeard could get another word in, Whitebeard ruthlessly slammed his bisento into Blackbeard's shoulder, nearly cleaving the other pirate in half. Blackbeard screamed in anguish as he fell onto the pavement.

"That hurts..." Blackbeard mourned as he clutched his bleeding wound. He rolled on the ground in pain. "That hurts, damn you!"

"After all that shit, he's crying over just that," Sanji mocked as he puffed on his cigarette.

"As I said, the Dark Dark Fruit takes in all damage. Blackbeard was a fool to believe that Whitebeard would be defenseless without his ability," Robin said as her eyes darkened.

Brook nodded. "One does not become known as the strongest in the world by being depended on a Devil Fruit."

Franky sneered. "Whitebeard should have beheaded that bastard with that move."

Whitebeard wasted no time pinning Blackbeard hands with his bisento and foot and grabbed the man by his neck. Now Blackbeard was the one defenseless.

"Overconfident...careless. Those are your biggest weaknesses!" Whitebeard came closed to sneering. "You have become too reliant on your ability."

"Oh the irony," Nami mummer as she recalled how Blackbeard bragged about defeating those fruit users who depended on their powers.

Whitebeard's hand glowed as he prepared to use his powers.

"At that range, Whitebeard's earthquake will tear Blackbeard's body apart!" Chopper exclaimed.

Even though he hated the man for everything he done, he would never be comfortable seeing someone being killed. It was against his nature as someone who dedicated his dream to preserving life.

"We're not that lucky. That bastard lives through this, after all," Zoro said coldly.

Blackbeard realized the same thing as Chopper as he started to panic and struggled in Whitebeard's death grip. "S...Stop it... Old Man, stop it! I'm your son, aren't I!? Are you really going to kill your own son!?"

Brook sneered as he listened to Blackbeard beg for his life. "How dare he..."

"You despicable coward," Zoro hissed. That bastard couldn't even face death with dignity.

Whitebeard showed no mercy as he released a giant earthquake right on top of Blackbeard. The blast left a carter of dust as Blackbeard screamed in anguish.

The Whitebeard Pirates cheered, thinking that their father had avenge their comrades' deaths. The celebration, however, was too soon. Despite taking a full earthquake to the face, Blackbeard was still alive. Although, he was badly wounded from the ordeal.

"He maybe a coward, but he's certainly durable," Franky said as he crossed his arms.

"If Whitebeard was at full strength, there would be nothing left of that pile of shit," Sanji said.

Robin said nothing as she stared at Blackbeard's trembling form. A man who carries the Will of D who feared death? She had never seen one before. All those she had met or known with that initial were fearless and faced death with dignity and acceptance. This man did not accept his end. Instead, he coward and beg when he believed he was going to die. Something was very wrong here.

The Whitebeard Pirates and the ally pirates all yelled for their father to finish the traitor off.

Whitebeard stood perfectly still as Blackbeard fought for breath. After a moment, the mighty pirate slowly approached his former son with deliberate steps.

Blackbeard's eyes were wide with panic and fear as he saw his death approaching. All his self-confidence, arrogance, and bluster had vanished. He was like a cornered rat.

Some of the Strawhats shivered as they felt Whitebeard's murderous rage.

"Hurry and kill that bastard!" Franky yelled at Whitebeard, unable to contain himself.

He knew it was impossible, but he still wanted to see Blackbeard get what was coming to him. Such a coward didn't deserved to draw breath, especially after seeing how Ace faced his end.

"Yo...you monster!" Blackbeard screamed in terror as he fell on his back. He was sweating hard and seemed close to having a panic attack. "You should be dead!"

Whitebeard prepared another quake punch. Even from the broken memory, the Strawhats felt its power. It was much stronger than the last one. If Blackbeard was hit, the quake would undoubtedly shatter every bone in his body.

"Can't you just die already!" Blackbeard screamed as Whitebeard prepared to crush him. He pulled out one of the many pistols he had on his belt and fired at his former captain at point-blank range.

Whether fate intervened or Blackbeard got extremely lucky, that one bullet was enough to knock Whitebeard off base and stop his quake punch.

"KILL HIM, YOU GUYS!" Blackbeard ordered as he fired continuously at Whitebeard.

With the order given, all the Blackbeard Pirates ganged on up Whitebeard and shot at him mercilessly. Those who had no guns used swords and other sharp weapons to hack away at the old pirate.

The scene was terrible. Blood flew everywhere as Whitebeard could only stand and take all of their attacks. He was too weak to move or dodge any of it.

The Strawhats could only stand in shock at the brutal scene. They knew it was Blackbeard who gave the killing blow to Whitebeard, but they didn't know that his entire crew had joined in on the murder. That cowardly bastard couldn't even kill Whitebeard on his own.

Blackbeard's laughter overwhelmed the gunfire as the Whitebeard Pirates and the ally pirates could only watch their captain and father be killed before their eyes. They didn't move to jump in, however. Even if it meant watching him die, they would obey their captain's final order.

Zoro had to admire them. If it was him, he would had ran in to defend his captain, his orders be damned.

Brook teared up at the vicious loss of life. The fact that someone could laugh as they committed murder filled every bone in his body with rage.

It was impossible to say how long the massacre lasted. All the Strawhats knew that is only stopped because the Blackbeard Pirates ran out of bullets.

"I'm out of bullets. Hey, someone give me another gun!" Blackbeard ordered as he dropped his empty pistol.

"There is no need," Shiliew said. "Whitebeard has lost consciousness. I am sure he would fall over if you so much as poke him."

"It is not you..." Whitebeard said in a clear voice, startling everyone.

"What, he's still alive!?" Usopp yelled in disbelief.

"He much have taken hundreds of bullets on top of the injures he has already," Nami said, just as shocked as Usopp. "There's no way he still can be breathing!"

"Is it willpower that's allowing him to clings to life?" Chopper asked in a harsh voice.

Blackbeard looked ready to wet himself when he heard Whitebeard's voice. "You're still alive!"

Whitebeard was obviously at his end as he fought for each of his breaths. Still, his body would not fold. "The man Roger is waiting for...at the very least, Teach, is definitely not you. You are not one of _them_."

"What...what's he talking about?" Chopper whispered.

Almost no one on the crew had an answer.

Robin, however, understood what Whitebeard was saying and her eyes widened. Whitebeard knew about the Will of D. Was it possible that Roger himself told him something? What more, Blackbeard was not a real man of D? How was that possible? He was different from them given his malice and overall cowardly personality, but he still had the D within his name. What was he?

"Just like there are those who carry on Roger's will...I am sure someone will appear to carry on Ace's will, someday," Whitebeard said almost like he was speaking to himself. "Even if you extinguish his bloodline, there is no way that their flame will ever burn out. It has been passed down since ancient times... And in the future...someday...someone will appear, carrying the history all those decades on their back, and challenge this whole world to a fight." He took a breath. "Sengoku, you guys in the World Government, all fear that immense battle engulfing the world that will eventually come."

Sengoku's expression remained blank.

"I do not care myself...but as soon as someone finds that great treasure, the entire world will be turned upside-down," Whitebeard said. "And someone will find it."

Now Sengoku looked pissed. His eyes were wide with horror as he realized what Whitebeard was about to do.

"Is...is he talking about the One Piece?" Franky asked softly. Nothing Whitebeard was saying made sense. Was this the babbling of a dying man?

Robin was frozen as she took in every word Whitebeard said.

"That day will definitely come sooner or later." Whitebeard took a huge breath as he prepared his final declaration. "ONE PIECE DOES EXIST!"

Everyone on the crew felt chills run down their spines as they heard Whitebeard's proclamation. At that very moment, he had rendered everything the marines had done up to that point almost meaningless. They had this execution for Ace to not only extinguish the last of Roger's bloodline, but to also act as a warning to any future pirate. But, much like what happened with Roger, it backfired.

By Whitebeard proclaiming One Piece's existence, it was no longer a fairytale told among pirates. It was a real, obtainable object, waiting for the right person to find it and claim the right to become the new Pirate King. The spark that the marine had hoped to extinguish had turned into a full-blown fire before their eyes. Without throwing another punch, Whitebeard had gotten the marines back for killing Ace by making his death and this entire war worthless. It was poetic justice at its best.

Blackbeard laughed happily upon hearing of One Piece's existence. "Those are some magnificent last words!"

Zoro sneered when he heard Blackbeard's words and cocky laugh. His hands were literally shaking as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. It was just as he suspected. That bastard was aiming to become the Pirate King. Such a cowardly, treasonous, bastard doesn't deserve the right to be called king of anything.

"It was a good voyage," Whitebeard whispered in a serene voice. He sounded at peace despite not being able to kill Blackbeard and avenge his sons.

With his final words said, Whitebeard closed his eye and exhaled slowly. He then became perfectly still. All was silence as everyone realized what had happened.

"H..he died...while still standing!" Blackbeard yelled in disbelief.

True, even in death, Whitebeard's body refused to fall. As the wind blew, it knocked his coat from his shoulders, revealing his back. Upon his back, there was not a single scar or wound, showing that he never once retreated or turned his back throughout his entire lifetime. The Whitebeard mark stood proudly on his back, showing his pride to the world.

The Strawhats were left speechless. Not even death could steal away Whitebeard's presence. He was indeed worthy of all the praise, fear, and respect he gained throughout his life. They now truly understood why Ace loved this man and called him his father. If there was any kind justice in the afterlife, those two were reunited again.

Zoro felt the inkling of tears build in his eye. One could only dream of dying the way Whitebeard did. It was a death fitting of a warrior and pirate.

Sanji felt himself shake at the injustice of the entire situation as he watched the Blackbeard Pirates surround Whitebeard's body like vultures. Whitebeard gave his life to save Ace, but in the end Ace still died and he was murdered by the hands of his former son. What kind of messed up world allowed something like this to happen?

Robin lowered her head in respect. She wished she had met him. Not only to learn more about the Will of D and the history he carried, but because he was a man who would understand her, just like he had understood Ace.

The remaining Strawhats didn't bother to hide their emotions as they openly wept for the fallen pirate. They never once met Whitebeard, and yet, through Luffy's memories, they had all come to respect the man. He wasn't just an immortal god that one heard about from stories and legends. They now saw him for the real man he was. A man who fought, bled, cried, and died for his sons. It made what Blackbeard did all the more bitter and twisted. That man wasn't fit to take Whitebeard's place as Emperor.

The memory suddenly jumped; bring the Strawhats out of their collective mourning. Jinbei was running again to the bay with a comatose Luffy in his arms. His eyes were red, showing that he has been crying. Just like Luffy, he could not change anything.

"Jinbei, hurry and take Ace's brother to safety!" Vista ordered as he ran beside the ex-Warlord. His eyes were also puffy, but he kept going, willing himself to fulfill his captain's final order.

"Of course," Jinbei answered as he dried his tears. He could mourn for both Ace and Whitebeard once Luffy was safe.

"Don't let the pirates escape!" someone yelled from the pirates' backs.

"Destroy every last one of them!" someone else ordered as cannons were fired.

Brook shook as he grabbed his cane so hard that his bone cracked. "The marines have won. Ace and Whitebeard are dead and the pirates are retreating. Why...why are they still trying to kill everyone? Does more blood have to shred before this insanity stops?"

"The marines are filled with bloodlust," Robin said in a knowing voice. It was an aftereffect of any big battle.

Nami shook her head. "It's just like Alabasta all over again."

"Except now there's no one like Vivi-chan to talk sense into any of them," Sanji growled.

"Luffy-kun, hang in there! We need you alive!" Jinbei's yelled, getting the crew's attention. He was staring down at Luffy's limp, unconscious body. "In this world where Ace is no longer present... For tomorrow...and the day after... You must stay strong! YOU MUST LIVE!"

Luffy remained unresponsive in Jinbei's arms.

Robin felt herself inhale deeply. For some reason, Jinbei's words to her captain reminded her of Saul's words to her as they were running from the Buster Call. About how she must live for the sake of the scholars who were being killed by the World Government and carry on their legacy. Much like how she was the last flame of Ohara, Luffy was the last flame of Ace.

Chopper stared at Luffy's pain-filled face and wished that someone would close Luffy's eyes and mouth. It wasn't right to leave Luffy in that kind of state. The look of eternal anguish etched across his captain's face was more than he could bear.

There was some shouting from the bay area, but the pirates couldn't stop. They had to escape or they would all be killed. No matter what, they were going to fulfill their captain's last order.

Just as things couldn't get any worse, it naturally did. The ground around Jinbei and the other pirates suddenly erupted and magma flew into the air.

"That bastard's back!" Franky shouted as he clutched his fists. Hasn't there been enough tragedy? "How did he get back up so soon after Whitebeard beat the pissed out of him and buried him!?"

"No kidding! He should have been laid out!" Usopp yelled.

From a giant volcanic hole, Akainu came rising out like a reborn demon. He was bleeding badly, but the intense look of hate did not diminish at all. If anything, he appeared even more dedicated as his eyes fell onto Luffy.

Zoro gave a low growl as he fingered his swords. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to lunge at the man.

"I said I would not let him escape," Akainu hissed. "Why don't you just give up on life already, you imbeciles?"

Jinbei glared at Akainu as he held Luffy tighter.

"Hand the son of Dragon over to me!" Akainu demanded as his body burn with magma.

Brook narrowed his eyeholes in anger. "At least address Luffy-san by his name. He's more than what his father is."

Chopper couldn't stop himself from shivering as he stared at the magma user. To think anyone could hate Luffy this much not because of what he had done with his life, but because of the blood that flowed through his veins.

What has Luffy ever done to deserve any of this? He has done nothing but good despite being a pirate. He saved Nami and Usopp's villages, his own kingdom, Alabasta, Sky Island, and the people who had their shadows stolen by Moriah. Did none of that count for anything? It was just like Robin said. In the eyes of the world, Luffy was a monster, regardless of his heart.

Chopper couldn't stop himself from crying as the full realization of that fact hit him.

"Akainu...he's not dead!?" one of the pirates exclaimed in disbelief.

"My thoughts exactly," Nami said as she felt her heart pound in her chest. Of all the admirals, this man scared her the most.

"Jinbei!" Akainu yelled at his former ally.

"I cannot obey that order," Jinbei sneered. "I have already decided to protect this man even if it cost me my life!"

Nami felt tears form in her eyes. Even if she knew this information, hearing the dedication in Jinbei's voice was more than she could handle. In her eyes, he was already one of them.

"Then, I will not ask again!" Akainu yelled as he raised his fist, ready to melt everyone in the area.

The Whitebeard Pirates and the ally pirates rushed in front of Jinbei and shielding Luffy from the admiral.

"Protect Ace's brother!" a pirate yelled.

"That was an order from the Old Man!" another pirate yelled.

"Yeah! Ace's family is our family!" someone shouted.

Chopper teared up. "Those guys..."

"We're indebted to all of them," Zoro said in a tight voice. He felt like such a failure that he wasn't there to help guard Luffy's life. Luffy was their responsibility.

"What do you mean, 'family'," Akainu sneered. "I'm fed up with hearing that!"

"Get used to it, bastard!" Sanji yelled at the admiral.

"You sacrifice Fire Fist Ace and Whitebeard, the one you call your father. You do not have any brains to do anything but flee," Akainu mocked.

"Oh, we're so kicking this guy's ass one day," Franky growled.

Robin said nothing, but her eyes darkened in anger. They all owed that man and he would pay one day for mocking and using the bonds of family.

The pirates were more than a little pissed by Akainu's words and they shot at the logia user. Naturally, it did not work, given his Devil Fruit's defense. Even if the bullets were imbedded with Haki, it did nothing against the admiral.

"Get out of the way, you cowards!" Akainu yelled as he raised his fist.

Brook growled. "You're the one trying to kill a defenseless man and you dare call them the cowards!?"

"Move it, Jinbei!" someone screamed.

Iva suddenly jumped over the crowd of pirates with his big head. Inazuma was also there, and he used his ability to cut up the pavement to provide a shield for the pirates.

"I will not let you lay one hand on Strawhat-boy!" Iva screamed.

"I will, without fail, kill Dragon's son!" Akainu shouted.

"Hell Wink!" Iva yelled as his attack blasted Akainu away. When he landed he glanced at Luffy, given the boy a concerned look. "If anything else were to happen to Strawhat-boy now while I'm here, I will never be able to show my face to Dragon again!"

"I feel the same way," Inazuma said as he prepared for battle.

Akainu was really pissed now. "I have no time for the likes of you! Both of you, get out of my way!"

"He has two Revolutionary officers in his sights and all he can think about is killing Luffy," Sanji said in disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with this guy?"

"Akainu was given the title Red Dog for a reason. He pursues anyone he sees as evil like a rabid dog," Robin said in a cold voice. "He is unreasonable, uncompassionate, and merciless. He will chase Luffy until either he is dead or Luffy is dead."

Chopper gasped as he shook in fear.

"In other words, this guy is completely nuts," Franky summarized. To think, this nutcase was now running the freaking marines.

"Bring it on!" Iva shouted. "Right now, I'm burning much hotter than you are!"

Akainu sneered at the Revolutionary leader.

Before the fight could happen, a powerful earthquake shook the battlefield, knocking several people off their feet. The quake was nearly as powerful as one of Whitebeard's.

"That's the Quake Quake Fruit!" Usopp yelled as he watched the memory tremble. "But Whitebeard is dead!"

"Blackbeard..." Zoro hissed as he turned towards the source of the quake.

The memory was too fuzzy to see much except Blackbeard's silhouette, who was standing tall against the backdrop of Marineford.

Blackbeard's laughed reverberated across the war torn battlefield as he tested his new ability. "The gravity of darkness that returns all to nothingness and the power of earthquakes that destroys everything, I've obtained it at last! Now, nobody can match me! I am the strongest!"

"Arrogant fool," Sanji growled. "You can have the power of ten Devil Fruits and it wouldn't make you invincible."

Brook trembled as the need to avenge both Luffy and Ace nearly overtook him. He would repay that man for all the pain he caused. A heartless, ruthless man like him didn't deserve to roam the sea.

Blackbeard laughed again, filling the Strawhats' ears. "Hey, did you all hear that!? Let the whole world know this! Peace-loving, boring commoners! Marines, pirates, and the World Government! The future of this world has been decided! Yes, for now on, THIS IS MY ERA!" He laughed in triumph.

The laughs of his crew could also be heard as Marineford was torn apart.

The Strawhats all felt themselves shake in rage and intense sorrow. Never before in their lives had anyone made their blood boil like this. The added fact that they knew that Luffy and Ace were the keys to Blackbeard's rise left them all feeling bitter and numb. It was like some cruel joke that fate itself had orchestrated.

Franky completely lost his temper and raised his arms, ready to fire a laser at Blackbeard and his crew. Memory or not, he wouldn't let this injustice stand. He had seen enough in his own life.

"Let it go, Franky," Zoro said in a controlled voice.

"But..." Franky growled as his arms trembled. He knew he couldn't change anything, but he had to do something. He just couldn't stand here anymore.

"Let it go," Zoro repeated as he looked at his crewmate. "There will be another day."

Franky sneered one last time before he reluctantly put his arms down. Angry tears ran down his eyes.

"Remember this feeling," Zoro said to his crew, who continued to glare at the Blackbeard Pirates. "Remember this anger and keep it locked within your hearts. When the day comes, we will release our fury on all of them. We will avenge our captain. Until then, keep that rage sealed away."

No one on the crew spoke or turn their eyes away from the Blackbeard Pirates, but they all took Zoro's advice and buried their anger. There would be a day, but it wasn't now.

The memory chose that moment to scatter and the Strawhats were once again cast into chaos as Luffy's shattered mind attempted to recompose itself. It took longer than before, but the fading memory returned and the Strawhats watched Jinbei run towards the bay.

"Jinbei, hand over Dragon's son!" Akainu screamed from the back of the fishman.

Jinbei ran even faster as he approached the wall that would take him into the bay. "Once I'm in the ocean, we will be in my field! We can still escape!"

Akainu was right behind him.

Without a moment of hesitation, Jinbei jumped over the wall. It was then that he realized that he made a terrible mistake.

Jinbei's eyes were widened in horror as he saw that the bay was frozen again.

"The water's frozen!" Usopp screamed in panic. "He can't escape!"

"Oh no, it's all ice!" Jinbei yelled in horror as he turned his head towards the source of his trouble.

Not too far away was Aokiji. He stared at Jinbei with an expression of regret and absolution. Robin recognized it as the same look he gave during the Buster Call when he was comforting Saul. "Sorry to do this to you, Jinbei," the Strawhats heard him say softly.

Jinbei turned his eyes away from the ice admiral as he felt Akainu's presence. The magma user jumped like a rocket and made a straight line for the ex-Warlord.

"So you've come..." Jinbei sneered as Akainu got closer.

"He's going to hit!" Chopper screamed in panic.

"In mid-air, Jinbei cannot evade him," Robin said. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Looks like you lost your escape route!" Akainu yelled.

Jinbei turned around and punched Akainu in the chest, burning his hand.

Akainu did not even flinch as he prepared to punch the comatose Luffy. At that range, the chances of Luffy surviving were zero.

"It did not work," Jinbei growled in frustration.

"Strawhat Luffy!" Akainu screamed as his fist descended on Luffy. "You are mine!"

"Dammit, you stupid fish, do something!" Sanji screamed out of instinct.

Jinbei quickly turned his back on Akainu and shielded Luffy from the fatal blow with his own body. Because of Jinbei's bigger girth, he was able to tank the attack better than Ace. Still, a ball of flames burst out of Jinbei's chest like a lance and struck Luffy.

The memory waved and fuzzed as flames engulfed Luffy and Jinbei.

"He burned right through both of them!" Nami screamed in horror as she watched Jinbei be consumed by flames. It was just like what the people caring for Luffy said.

Chopper's mouth dropped. It was even worst than he imagine.

The flame of the magma burnt the string to Luffy's hat and it flew towards the icy battlefield.

Jinbei now had a giant hole through the left section of his chest and the fishman stuttered in pain. The Strawhats could physically feel his agony.

The former Warlord fell hard onto the ice and bounced several times. The fishman took the full blunt of the fall as he cuddled Luffy's body like he was a baby.

"You got in my way, Jinbei!" Akainu yelled in annoyance as he landed in the bay.

Jinbei moaned and gasped in pain as Luffy fell limply out of his arms.

"That bastard," Franky growled. He would do anything if he could help right now. This was becoming torture.

Nami's gasped got the entire crew's attention. "LOOK AT LUFFY'S CHEST!"

All the Strawhats looked down at their captain and were left stunned by what they saw. In the middle of Luffy's chest was a giant hole. The wound was bleeding heavily and Luffy's blood ooze unto the ice, turning it red.

Luffy remained unaware of anything, but his gasping wide mouth made it appear like he was screaming from the pain of his new injury.

Chopper's mouth was wide with shock and fear. There was so much blood. Luffy was going to bleed to death.

Brook was shaking as panic ran through his bones. He was no doctor, but he knew that wound was mortal. Even with all the knowledge that they were given, nothing could had prepare him for seeing the actual, fresh wound. With all the damage that Luffy had already taken between Impel Down and this war, it was a wonder that he was still alive.

"LUFFY!" Usopp screamed, unable to stop himself.

The memory blurred further, making it harder for the crew to see what was happening around Luffy. Their captain was dying.

"He needs urgent care," Chopper said, trying to remain calm. He knew Luffy lived, but he couldn't stop himself from panicking.

"How...? There's no doctor around..." Sanji said with diminishing hope despite knowing the final outcome. How could all this happen? After he killed Ace, that bastard didn't need another notch on his belt.

Zoro trembled violently. That bastard really did mark Luffy like the dog he was.

He unconsciously touched his own chest wound. Unlike him, Luffy's injury was a coward's wound. Luffy was struck when he couldn't defend himself or was even conscious. There was no pride or lesson to be learned from it. It was there as an eternal reminder of his brother's murderer and his failure.

"Luffy-kun...forgive me..." Jinbei said as he put his hand over Luffy's chest in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. The blood bubbled passed his web fingers. "I let you receive another injury..."

"This is no time to worry about others, you scum," Akainu said as he approached the injured pirates.

Jinbei growled at the admiral as put Luffy back in his arms.

"My aim was a little off because of your interference. It would have been easier for him if I pierced his heart," Akainu said.

All the Strawhats growled at the admiral.

"This guy...he won't stop..." Franky said as he clutched his hand. He noticed that Akainu was walking with a slight limp and taking great care to breath slowly. He was most likely in pain from his busted ribs. It was a small comfort to know that he was hurting. "He really is like a dog."

Zoro had to fight not to reach for his swords. Luffy really would die if he takes another wound.

Jinbei attempted to move, but he collapsed in pain. He bled onto Luffy as he kept trying to keep the rubberman from bleeding to death.

Chopper gave Jinbei a concerned look. He wanted to scream in frustration. Jinbei's life was in danger too. If he kept moving, he would make the wound bigger and bleed to death along with Luffy.

"Are you still trying to protect that hunk of flesh with a hole in his chest?" Akainu asked. He sounded almost amused. "He will die before you know it."

Jinbei kept trying to move, but his body refused to listen to him. He seemed to realize it was futile to run, so he chose to lie across Luffy. He glared up at the admiral as he shielded Luffy from him.

"I will not let him die..." Jinbei said defiantly. "Even if I die myself...I will not let Luffy-kun die!"

Once again, the Strawhats' admiration for the fishman went up, if such a thing was possible. Luffy had indeed chose well when he asked Jinbei to join his family.

Akainu was not impressed as he raised his arm for the finishing blow. "What an absurd claim."

Without warning, a saber of sand suddenly struck Akainu, slicing him in half.

Robin's eyes widened in shock. "Crocodile!"

The ex-Warlord appeared in a whirl of sand. His face was hardened with determination, something that none of the Strawhats had seen from him before.

"Crocodile...he saved Luffy again…" Usopp whispered in disbelief.

Sanji was left in a state of complete shock. Of all things, this was the last thing he expected.

"Crocodile!" Jinbei yelled, just as surprise as the Strawhats.

"Sables!" Crocodile yelled as he created a sand tornado that lifted Jinbei and Luffy into the air and out of Akainu's reach.

"Crocodile!" Jinbei yelled again as his former comrade.

"If you want protect something, then you should do it right!" Crocodile scolded. "Do not let this son of a bitch get his way anymore than he already has!"

"He saved Luffy to spite the marines?" Chopper asked. He honestly didn't care for Crocodile's reasons for helping Luffy. He was just happy that his captain was saved.

Robin said nothing for several seconds. "There is something else." Could it be? Has Crocodile actually become fond of Luffy, or did he want Luffy to live to see what he would become out of his grief?

Jinbei flew for several seconds before the most unexpected person caught him. To the entire crew's surprise, it was Buggy who caught Jinbei and Luffy. For some reason, he was hovering over the bay.

"The hell!?" Sanji yelled. First Crocodile and now Buggy? What kind of alternative universe was he looking at?

Nami was in a state of shock. This was the same man who attempted to execute Luffy in Loguetown. Now, here he was saving Luffy and Jinbei's lives, even if it was unintentional. It was beyond anything Nami ever expected out of the clown pirate.

Buggy was shocked by the unexpected burden he now had. He had a look of what could only be considered concern and fear as he saw how badly wounded Luffy and Jinbei were injured. Both of them looked nearly dead.

"Jinbei and Strawhat! How the hell did you end up flying into the sky covered in blood like this?" Buggy asked once he found his voice.

Jinbei moaned. He was in too much pain to answer.

Before Buggy could ask anymore questions, the entire memory turned even redder. At first, the Strawhats thought it was Luffy's mental state collapsing. They quickly knew something was wrong, however, when they saw Buggy beginning to sweat.

"Hey, it's sure is hot here..." Buggy observed as he turned his head. As he looked down, a giant magma fist was heading right towards him. The clown pirate was understandably panicked. "MAGMA!"

He barely had time to fly away as the magma fist nearly hit him. It looked like a volcano went off behind him.

"Too close..." Brook whispered. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Normally, this would be the time for a Skull Joke, but the skeleton swordsman was too focused and fearful for his captain's safety to even think about joking.

Zoro sighed. "I guess we owe him more than one."

"Thank you...Red Nose... You saved us," Jinbei said softly. Despite how damage his body was, he held Luffy with an iron grip.

"I don't know what happened, but I wasn't trying to save you," Buggy said bluntly as he floated to safety.

Jinbei gave a soft grunt before his eyes closed and his body became slack. It was obvious that the fishman had lost consciousness.

"Jinbei..." Nami murmured in concern. Even unconscious, his hold on Luffy didn't loosen even a little.

The memory grew fainter and the crew could barely see anything, although no one really cared about that. The Strawhats were more concerned about what they heard.

Through the rage of war in the distance, Luffy's breathing was coming more labored and his heartbeats were growing fainter. He was deteriorating quickly.

Chopper was practically biting his hooves in fear and worry. Luffy needed immediate medical care. If his wound wasn't closed soon, Luffy would go into shock and bleed to death. As he thought of that, he knew Luffy's chances were slim even if he did get the care that he desperately needed. There were precious few doctors who could treat Luffy now.

Dammit, why couldn't he be there to help his captain? What the hell was he doing? Being chase by birds and natives while his captain lay dying on some forsaking battlefield?

Buggy was having a hard time evading magma balls as remnants of Akainu's attack nearly hit him.

While all this was happening, there was suddenly a loud roaring sound coming from the unfrozen part of the sea.

"What now?" Sanji growled. Luffy didn't need any more problems.

From the depth of the water emerged a yellow submarine. It cruised steadily towards the war zone.

"A submarine? Where did that come from?" Franky asked.

"Better question, is the person steering it friend or foe?" Usopp asked with an edge of dread.

Robin scanned the ship and her eyes widened as she recognized the pirate mark. "That submarine has the symbol of the Heart Pirates!"

"Heart Pirates!" Nami exclaimed in shock. "You mean...Traffy!?"

From the top of the submarine the Strawhats saw Law walking out along with his crewmates Bepo and the slave from the auction house. Jean Bart, if they remembered correctly.

"Bring Strawhatter over here!" Law ordered in a firm voice. Luffy's hearing was so faded that the Strawhats could barely hear the future Warlord speak.

"Strawhatter? That's a strange way to address a guy," Buggy said, completely baffled by these new turn of events.

"I...I can't believe it..." Franky muttered. "It was Law that saved Luffy."

Chopper's eyes widened as he remember the infirmary. "It makes sense. Very few doctors in the world would have the skills and equipment necessary to treat Luffy's injuries." He felt eternally grateful to Law for being there for his captain when he wasn't there to care for him.

"But why?" Usopp asked. "I mean...we only know Traffy from the mess at the auction house. I mean, he's decent guy and all, but he rushed into a war zone filled with the strongest fighters in the world to save someone he barely knows."

"When we get out of this, you can ask him," Zoro said neutrally. Much like Chopper, he felt his heart breath in relief.

"Who are you, kid!?" Buggy demanded as he glared at Law.

"Strawhatter and I will probably end up as enemies, but I have nothing against him," Law answered as he crew stood behind him. They all had determined looks on their faces. "It would be no fun if he died here. So I'm going to take him away from this place! Let me take care of him now!"

"What!?" Buggy yelled, not believing anything Law was saying.

"I'm a doctor!" Law declared.

Buggy continued to stare at Law. He didn't appear to be in any hurry to hand Luffy to him.

"Don't waste anymore time!" Law yelled. "Give him to me now!"

"And I'm saying who the hell are you and why should I trust you!?" Buggy screamed back at Law.

"Dammit, Buggy, give Luffy and Jinbei to Traffy before they bleed to death!" Nami yelled.

"Strange. Why would he care about who Law is?" Robin observed.

"What are you talking about, Robin?" Brook asked.

"Given Buggy's personality and his dislike towards Luffy, he should have no problem surrendering Luffy to a complete stranger. Yet, here he is, acting cautiously," Robin said.

"That's a good point," Brook said as he looked towards Buggy, who appeared to be holding Jinbei even tighter as he stared down Law.

Luffy was dying and was a high target for the marines, but Buggy wanted to make sure he was handing Luffy to someone trustworthy. Could it be that even Buggy had come to care about Luffy?

The staring contest ended when Buggy was nearly hit by several cannonballs. Law's crew was also in danger as several battleships approached them.

"Hurry up and bring them both over here!" Law shouted. He sounded close to being panic, which was completely against the young pirate's nature.

Despite battleships shooting at him, Buggy still refused to release Jinbei. It was hard to tell if he was actually trying to protect Luffy and Jinbei or he was so panicked that he had forgotten that he was holding them.

A bright yellow light shone from the edge of the memory and Buggy suddenly had a hole in his stolen marine jacket.

"No...not that guy again," Franky muttered.

Although the memory was barely visible at this stage, the Strawhats could see the figure of Kizaru.

"Just leave Strawhat Luffy behind," Kizaru suggested.

"First Akainu and now Kizaru!" Usopp screamed as he put his hands on his head. Could things get any worst?

"Those admirals are going to kill them!" Chopper yelled in complete panic.

Buggy was scared out of his mind when he saw the admiral.

"Hurry up and get them down here!" Law screamed, losing his calm demeanor. There was no playing around when an admiral was near, especially one who had a personal grudge against him.

"Alright, I'll leave them with you, whoever you are!" Buggy screamed as he threw Jinbei towards the submarine. "Do what you can!"

Jean easily caught Jinbei and Luffy. Despite Jinbei being a fairly big person, he was only the size of a beach ball in Jean's arms.

"Let's dive!" Law ordered as he ran toward the hatch.

"You did well to escape me on Sabaody, Trafalgar Law," Kizaru said. The Strawhats saw yellow light bathe the submarine.

"He's horribly injured," Bepo said as the memory became so dark that the crew could just barely see what was happening. "Is he still alive? Let's hurry!"

The yellow glow got brighter and there was charging sound.

"Dammit!" Law cussed.

"They're going to get blown away!" Chopper screamed. It felt like his heart was going to explode.

Zoro growled as he gripped his sword. He was helpless to stop any of this.

The memory faded completely and there was only darkness.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" a voice screamed, shattering the darkness and bring the memory back.

The Strawhats could barely see anything. Regardless, they saw Coby standing in the bay. His voice had completely stopped the war and everyone stood in place. There was utter silence. It was just like when Luffy released his Conquering Haki and when Whitebeard gave the order for his crew to retreat without him.

What made the scene even more surreal was that Coby was standing against Akainu, whose arm was bubbling with magma. The young boy had his arms wide open, as if he was preventing the admiral from moving.

"Coby!" Zoro yelled in shock. What was that boy thinking? He was going to get killed!

"Stop it already! All this fighting, just end it!" Coby shouted. The Strawhats could hear the tears in his voice. It sounded like he was having some kind of breakdown. "We're throwing people's lives away!

Brook was struck by Coby's words. In this insane war, there was someone here who valued life.

"Even though every single soldier has a family waiting for them to return! Even though we've accomplished our goal! We keep chasing pirates who don't want to fight, drawing out the battle that should already be over and abandoning soldiers who could be saved if we treat their wounds now!" Coby screamed at the top of his lungs. "And still, we're sacrificing even more people! What about the soldiers who will fall after this!? We're making them all look like idiots!"

Chopper was moved to tears by Coby's speech. How many people died needlessly in this war? What was the point in chasing people who lost their will to fight and have lost so much?

Franky stared at Coby with awe and admiration. It was unbelievable that this was the same boy that Luffy saved on that pirate ship back in East Blue. That boy couldn't even stand up to one weakling pirate and here he was standing up against Akainu, the future fleet admiral. How did this boy change so much in such a short amount of time?

Zoro stood awestruck. Very few things in his life left him speechless, but this was one of them. He knew that Luffy had changed Coby. But he didn't know that the change was this drastic. The Coby of the East Blue could have never done this. He was standing on top of the world and telling everyone how stupid they were being. It was like he inherited Luffy's courage.

Although the Strawhats couldn't see Akainu's reaction, they knew he was anything but happy with the young marine.

"Huh, who are you?" Akainu asked. Despite the question, it was easy to tell he was not interested in the answer.

Coby refused to back down and the crew could see him trembling.

"You wasted several seconds of my time. The marines have no use for marines who are not righteous!" Akainu declared as his raised his arm.

"He's going to melt him!" Usopp shouted in panic.

"He's a marine! He can't do that to his own comrade!" Chopper screamed. He had seen enough people die already.

"In the name of Absolute Justice, there are no comrades. Just the good and those who stand in the way of it," Robin said as if she was repeating something.

Akainu's arm descended upon Coby.

"Stop it, you heartless monster!" Sanji screamed. He appeared ready to jump to Coby's rescue, even though he knew it was impossible.

Even though Sanji couldn't act, he quickly learned that he didn't have to. Just before Coby would have been melted, a sword blocked Akainu's attack.

Akainu looked terrified as he realized who had blocked him.

The Strawhats were equally taken aback by who had arrived.

Standing in front of Coby was none other than Red-Hair Shanks. Although the memory was badly faded, the red-haired pirate looked much the same as he did ten years ago. If anything, his aura was even brighter.

"Shanks..." Zoro said slowly. One event kept piling on another.

"The...the newspapers...they mentioned another Emperor coming to the war," Nami said as she found her voice. "But...since I didn't really see Shanks...I never really made the connection."

Zoro glanced to where Kizaru stood and was surprise to that the admiral had his hands up like he was surrendering. He looked to the left side of Kizaru and saw someone pointing a shotgun at him. Because of Luffy's fading mental state, it was hard to see who was holding Kizaru at bay.

Zoro, however, had a keen eye thanks to his training with Mihawk. Even if the image was a blurry mess, he could tell by the silhouette that it was Benn. Somehow, with a mere gun, he was holding back an admiral. He knew, thanks to Amazon Lily, that arrows could be imbedded with Haki, but he hadn't thought the same applied to bullets since Haki users couldn't physically touch them.

"But why's Shanks here? This war had nothing to do with him," Sanji said.

"Maybe...he came to save Ace. He was Luffy's brother and his captain's son," Chopper said.

"That...is possible," Robin said slowly.

Coby suddenly fainted. Although it was subtle, Zoro and Sanji felt a burst of Haki from the Emperor.

"You did well, young marine," Shanks complimented. "You risked your life to create a brief moment of courage. For better or worse, that has greatly changed the fate of the world."

"Hurry, hurry, bring him inside!" someone suddenly shouted.

The memory broke at that very moment and the Strawhats were back with Luffy inside the infirmary. The quiet, stoic atmosphere was a sudden change for the crew who had gotten used to the chaos of the war.

Luffy still remained unmoving as Penguin removed the covers and carefully unwrapped the bandages from around his chest.

Completely out of instinct, the Strawhats moved closer so they could see how well their captain's wound had healed and what they saw sickened them.

The magma wound was barely healed and the crew could actually see into Luffy's chest cavity. The area around the wound was crushed over with forming scar tissue, scabs, and the skin was melted and warped.

Chopper could only stare at the injury with wide eyes. Two weeks and the wound was still this bad? It was even worst than he first thought. Given how deep the injury was and how intense the attack had been, Luffy should have been killed instantly. A centimeter more and Akainu would had pierce Luffy's heart.

It was also good that Luffy was in a coma when he received the wound. He didn't even want to imagine the pain his captain would have been in if he was awake and fully aware. He would have most likely tore his chest up.

He felt so foolish. Chopper knew when he first laid eyes on that scar that it was a mortal injury. The scar was far deeper and thicker than Zoro's chest scar, so naturally it would take months for such a wound to fully close even with Luffy's enhanced healing and topnotch medical care. He also knew it would have been an uncomfortable healing process, especially since it was a burn injury. Not only would Luffy be in constant pain, but his wound must have itched badly. Even today, he still had to mix cream for Luffy's chest scar.

Penguin poured what the Strawhats assumed was a disinfectant on the injury. They noticed that the muscles around the wound contracting, showing that Luffy did have some feeling. Although, his face didn't move at all. The Heart Pirate then started to put a thick layer of gauze on the burn wound.

"It helped that he was comatose so he didn't make his wound worse by thrashing around," Penguin said as he finished cleaning the wound, unknowing voicing Chopper's thoughts. "With an injury like this, the pain alone could kill a person."

The man with the sunglasses nodded as he wrapped Luffy back up. "Although, you have to wonder what Strawhat did to have Akainu chase him across Marineford like that some sort of freaking robot. I mean, he passed all the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies, two former Warlords, and the Blackbeard Pirates, who attempted to sink the entire island just to kill this boy. You would think he was the Pirate King's kid too or something."

"Hell, Kizaru would have killed us if it wasn't for that pink-haired marine boy and that Emperor showing up out of nowhere. Sheesh, even as we were escaping those admirals still tried to kill him. We would have been screwed if we had gotten entrapped in Aokiji's ice. Even then, Kizaru's laser barrage nearly got us. Thank god for Jean's expert steering," the man with the sunglasses said. "They all had it out for the kid. I bet Sengoku himself would have been chasing Strawhat if he wasn't dealing with Blackbeard."

"Given who his father is, I guess it makes sense why they wanted him dead just badly as Fire Fist," Penguin said. He pulled the covers back over Luffy. "Who would had thought that this frail-looking boy was Dragon's son? I get chills just thinking about it. This kid got the blood of a demon within him."

Robin frowned at the pirate's choice of words.

Zoro gave a silent thank-you to Shanks and Coby. Without them, and the heroic effort of both friends and enemies, they would have lost their captain that day.

"I can't believe that Luffy had all three of the admirals on him by the end of everything," Usopp whispered, never taking his eyes off of Luffy. He was ready to cry again as he remembered how Akainu had relentlessly chase Luffy. "They really wanted to make sure that Luffy didn't leave that place. To think...we could have lost Luffy and not even known about it until we opened the paper."

The thought that it could have been Luffy's body showcased on the front page made Usopp sick. He had to fight the urge to grab Luffy's hand and reminded himself that his captain lived through this ordeal.

Nami shook her head as tears built in her own eyes again. "We were aware of nothing as Luffy suffered through that terrible day. He lost so much while we..."

"We owe so many people for returning Luffy-san to us," Brook said softly. Even if it took the rest of his second life, he would repay all of those people, no matter whom they were.

There was paused between the two Heart Pirates.

"I wonder...what's his mental state going to be?" the man with the sunglasses asked as he pushed his glasses up. "I mean, his brother died in his freaking arms. How messed up is he going to be after something like that? Especially after he raged against the powers of the world to save him."

"Those are wounds that not even Boss can heal. Strawhat has to overcome this on his own. If he can overcome it, that is," Penguin said somberly.

The man with the sunglasses shook his head. "Got to give the marines credit. As ruthless and cruel as Boss can be, not even he could break a man so thoroughly. I don't think even a lifetime in Impel Down with all its tortures could shatter a person inside and out like this. It's almost masterful. It kind of makes me wonder if saving Strawhat was an act of cruelty on Boss' part."

"One thing for sure, if the marines wanted to show Strawhat hell for decking that World Noble, they showed it to him in full," Penguin mused. "I guess that's the price one pays for challenging the creators of the world."

"Speaking of which, I wonder what happened to his crew?" the man with the sunglasses asked in thought. "Did they abandon him after he punched that World Noble? They seemed so close when we saw them."

"Who knows? Maybe they were all killed by that admiral, or maybe they did abandon him. It really doesn't matter anyway. He went through hell alone and that's the worse thing for any pirate, especially a pirate captain. If he does recover, he'll never be the same, that much is certain," Penguin said as they walked out of the room, leaving Luffy alone again.

Once again, only Luffy's breathing and the slow beating of his heart through the monitor could be heard in the darkening room.

* * *

Edward Newgate aka Whitebeard, captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and Emperor of the Sea, (Chapter 33 - Chapter 36)

_A great captain and father, liberated from the exhausting role and labor, who captained the Moby Dick in the spectacular Era of Pirates_


	37. Broken

As the Strawhats were left in darkness, they could only stare at their captain with a mixture of sadness, guilt, and anger. How could Luffy get like this without them knowing? It was as those men said; Luffy went through hell alone. It was actually a small mercy that Luffy had lost consciousness. At the very least, it delayed the anguish he was going to be in, both mentally and physically.

Without thinking or saying a word, the crew started to settle around Luffy like a human shield. Even if this was just a memory, they wanted to be close to Luffy, so he would feel their presence. It may have come too late, but they wanted Luffy to know that they were with him.

They were too lost in their own regret and guilt to speak to one another as they waited for either Luffy to awaken or for the memory to change. After all they had seen and experienced, everyone was emotionally exhausted. The ball of light was correct when it warned them about coming into Luffy's memories. They were indeed filled with darkness and heartbreak for which the Strawhats were unprepared. They now knew what happened to Luffy when he was separated from them. Now, they almost wished they didn't.

No one on the crew knew how long they sat in silence before Luffy stirred in his sleep and the heart monitor began to beat more rapidly.

"Hey, he's waking up," Usopp said in a hopeful voice as he stood up.

Luffy twitched and his eyes tightened. Sweat also built on his face and his breathing became hasher.

"He appears to be pain," Robin said in concern.

"Could it be from his injuries?" Chopper asked, going into doctor mode. He wished he could examine Luffy. Why did those people leave Luffy alone? Law should know better. He maybe a top-notch doctor, but his bedside manner sucked.

" _Ace..._ " The crew heard Luffy's voice whisper from seemed like everywhere.

The Strawhats looked around in confusion.

"Wasn't that Luffy's voice?" Sanji asked.

Chopper looked at his unconscious captain. "Impossible. He's still asleep. Plus, he can't talk with that mask on his face."

" _Ace..._ " Luffy voice returned, a little stronger this time.

Robin's eyes widened. "We are listening to Luffy's thoughts."

"That explains the strange echo in his voice," Zoro said.

"But we could never directly hear Luffy's thoughts before," Usopp said in confusion.

"This could be just what Luffy's remembered while lying here, making it part of the memory," Nami guessed. She was becoming worried as she looked down at her captain. It looked like Luffy was trying to move, but his body remained in place.

" _Ace...are you there?_ " Luffy asked in a pleading voice. " _Where are you?_ "

Brook could feel something break within him. Those pleas… They were so much like his own when his crew was killed.

" _Please answer me_... _Please...don't go... Don't leave me alone,_ " Luffy continued to plead in a broken voice. " _Please...without you... I don't want to be alone again. Don't leave me too, like Sabo._ "

The Strawhats could feel their tears return as they listened to Luffy begged to his dead brother to come back to him. They wanted to comfort their captain, but he was beyond their reach. It was a memory. This was just an image of things that have already past. Nothing could be done. They could only watch Luffy's suffering.

" _You promised me… You promised not to die... You can't leave me alone like this,_ " Luffy's voice rose in volume. The words sounded partly angry, but they were mostly scared. " _This can't be real. Please…tell me this isn't real. Please let it all be a dream. Ace...Ace...Ace...please don't go away. Who would I have left in the world? You're...my sun._ "

Luffy was now crying rivers in his sleep and winced in anguish. His breathing and heart had sped up and he shifted slightly in bed.

"Luffy...we're here," Nami said barely above a whisper. "You still have us. You're not alone."

Luffy couldn't hear her as his eyes tightened. " _THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! I WON'T ACCEPT THIS!_ "

The memory shifted and they saw an image of Ace's final moments. Fire surrounded everything and Luffy sat on his knees as he watched helplessly as his brother was impaled by Akainu's fist.

A smell suddenly assaulted the Strawhats. For some of the crewmembers, it was an unfamiliar wretched stench that made them cover their noses and caused their stomachs to clench.

For others like Sanji, Zoro, Chopper, and Robin, they knew that smell. It was the smell of burning flesh and blood.

"ACE!" Luffy shouted as the memory shattered.

Suddenly, Luffy's eyes snapped open and he gave a loud, piercing scream, causing the Strawhats to jump back in surprise as they returned from the previous memory. The screams were so loud that it reverberated across the steel walls, making the crew cover their ears. It almost felt like Luffy was going to burst their eardrums.

Luffy frantically tore out his IVs and his breathing mask as he continued to scream like a crazed animal. He knocked over the IV stands and busted the monitors during his struggle.

"Luffy, please calm down. You're going to hurt yourself," Chopper ordered out of instinct as he reached to restraint Luffy. He passed right through his captain when he attempted to touch him.

The door to the infirmary burst open and several pirates came running into the room. They saw Luffy attempting to get out bed and rushed to stop him.

It all ended in failure as Luffy flung the men off of him and jumped out of bed. He stumbled around like a zombie as he made his way out of the infirmary.

"Strawhat, calm down!" one of the pirates pleaded.

Luffy didn't seem to hear him as he stared with crazed, unseeing eyes. "Ace...where's Ace!?" he screamed as he ran down the hallway like a madman.

Several more people attempted to stop his rampage, but Luffy refused to be held down. He was a man possessed as he punched, kicked, and manhandled the Heart Pirates.

"He just woke up from a coma and he's throwing Law's men around like they're rookies," Franky said in awe.

"They've got to stop him!" Chopper yelled in panic. "Luffy is going to tear his wounds open and bleed to death if he keeps this up!"

"Why don't they just sedate him?" Nami asked as she watched Luffy wreck the submarine. If he puts a hole in the metal, everyone onboard would drown, including Luffy.

Chopper growled in frustration. "They should have sedatives. Luffy should have been sedated from the start."

After a moment of knocking more of the Heart Pirates around, Luffy suddenly jumped and tore a hole through the metal roof like it was made of paper. The memory shifted and the Strawhats were now standing outside. They appeared to be on a tropical island.

"This is...Amazon Lily," Nami said as she recognized their surroundings.

It made sense when she thought about it. After seeing how mortally wounded Luffy was, Hancock would direct Traffy to bring him to her home. With Amazon Lily being the kingdom of one of the Warlords, the marines wouldn't think to search for Luffy here. At the same time, she wondered how Hancock managed to find Traffy while the marines were unable to.

While Nami was musing on her question, Luffy busted through the roof of the submarine. He landed clumsily and hard on his head and rolling several times.

With the light of the sun, the Strawhats could really get a good look at Luffy. He was covered in bandages to the point where he looked like a mummy. The most frightening thing about Luffy, however, were his eyes. They were wild and dilated, like he wasn't seeing anything clearly. He literally looked insane.

Nearby were Law and Jimbei, who were staring worriedly at Luffy. They made no sudden moves. They were most likely afraid of startling him.

"Huh, why is he out here? Shouldn't he be inside, looking after his patient?" Franky asked as he looked at Law.

Chopper gave Law a disapproving glare. This was why he should have given Luffy a sedative and had someone watch him at all times. Still, he couldn't bring himself to judge Law too harshly. He _had_ saved their captain.

Sanji eyes went past Law and saw Luffy's strawhat sitting on a nearby rock. The hat was, remarkably, undamaged. In fact, that hat came out better than Luffy after the war. He briefly wondered how Law got the hat. It seemed lost after that Akainu bastard burnt the string.

After a moment of thought, he realized that Shanks must have returned the hat to Luffy somehow. No one else at Marineford except Buggy knew the importance of that strawhat.

Although, what troubled him was that Luffy didn't care about his hat. He never once asked for it the entire time he had been awake. That was disturbing. For Luffy to be so out of it that he wouldn't even think of his precious hat was something he didn't think was possible. He nearly had a panic attack when he thought he lost it in Alabasta after he woke up from his three-day coma.

Zoro got a good look at Law's expression and raised an eyebrow.

For the short time he had known Law this was the first time he had seen the other man look unnerved, outside dealing with his crew's quirks. He appeared genuinely scared for Luffy. There was also something else. There was a glint of sympathy in his eyes.

Luffy stared right past Jimbei and Law, and looked into the nearby jungle. He didn't even seem to realize that they were there. "Ace...Ace...where's Ace!?" he continued to scream in pure panic.

The Heart Pirates attempted to calm Luffy down, but the half-crazed rubber captain threw them aside like they were rag dolls. They could have taken the weakened and sickened pirate down, but they were trying to be gentle. If they were too rough, they risked reopening his wounds.

"Be careful," Law warned his crew. "If his wounds open, he will die." He tapped his sword, almost like he was contemplating using his ability to cut Luffy's limbs off to subdue him.

Jimbei gave Law a disapproving look, as if telling the future Warlord that dismembering Luffy would not help their current situation.

After tossing most of Law's crew into the air, Luffy ran into the jungle, continuing to scream Ace's name frantically.

"He's delusional," Chopper noted, going into doctor mode for a moment. It was the only way he knew to keep himself calm. "It's most likely an aftereffect from being in a coma for such a long period of time. He also still has a high fever and risk making himself sicker."

"He's going to kill himself if he keeps going like that!" Usopp yelled in worry. He then glared at Law. "Why isn't he going after Luffy!?"

"He probably figures that there is no point in trying to pacify Luffy until he calms down on his own," Robin surmised.

"Follow him!" Zoro ordered as the Strawhats ran after their rampaging captain.

By the time they found Luffy, he had torn apart most of the surrounding area. Trees were broken in half, rocks were thrown and shattered, and the ground was ripped opened in some places. It looked like a tornado had passed through.

"Luffy can still do all of this despite being so heavily wounded?" Usopp muttered in awe.

Luffy was standing in a clearing and was attempting to catch his breath. Blood covered his mouth and hands, showing that he had hurt himself doing his rampage. His eyes started to focus as the rubber captain slowly returned to reality.

Chopper gave a small sigh in relief. The injuries to his limbs were minor and could easily be mended.

Luffy looked into the sky as he attempted to clear his mind. "Where am I? Was it all a dream after all?"

The Strawhats' hearts broke when they heard the faint hope in their captain's voice. It almost did seem like the war in Marineford was only a nightmare, compared to the peaceful atmosphere of Amazon Lily. The sun was shining, and birds chirping could be heard in the distance. It was almost like a mirror of when Luffy first arrived on this island.

Luffy suddenly winced and a loud ringing noise filled the memory. Luffy bowed his head and covered his ears as the ringing got louder.

Before the Strawhats could figure out what was going on, they again saw the memory of Ace dying at Marineford.

 _"I'm sorry…Luffy. Just for me...you did all that crazy stuff...but...I couldn't let you save me properly. I'm...so sorry..._ " Ace's fading voice whispered.

The memory dissipated as quickly as it came and Luffy was left screaming as he grabbed his head. Ace's last words echoed in the air, causing Luffy to yell louder as fell onto his back and trembled around like a turtle on its back. The Strawhats saw a vision of Luffy holding Ace's dying body as he bled into his arms and hands.

Luffy looked at his bandaged hands and was horrified to see them drenched in blood. It was Ace's blood.

This broke something within Luffy and he banged his head violently against rocks, trees, and anything else he could find.

"Luffy!" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper yelled in distress as they moved to stop him. Just like all the time other times, they couldn't touch him.

"Disappear! Disappear!" Luffy screamed desperately as he attempted rid himself of the images torturing his mind. The memory, however, wouldn't go away no matter how much rubber captain pleaded. The memory of Ace's death kept repeating itself in an endless loop, tearing to shreds the last bit of Luffy's sanity.

Brook balled his fists so tightly that his bones cracked. He knew too well what Luffy was experiencing. How many times had he suffered waking nightmares of his crew's deaths? How many times he watched his friends die as they collapsed onto the deck, succumbing to poison?

Nami was in tears as she watched the unceasing hallucinations of Ace's final moments. She understood her captain's anguish as she cried with him. For years, she had nightmares and flashbacks of Bellmère's death so real that it was like reliving the event. It was so bad that just hearing a firecracker or hearing a gunshot would make her relive the moment Arlong murdered her mother. It was especially hard during those nights where she was forced to draw maps for Arlong in the darkness of her prison.

Franky cried loudly as he watched Luffy hurt himself in an effort to make the memories stop. To ease some of that emotional pain that was ripping his soul apart. How many times had he wanted to do this to himself back in Water 7? To pray to any god that existed that what happened to Tom was all just a long, terrible dream. That he would wake up and his family would be whole again.

Although Franky never witnessed the death of his father figure and mentor, seeing Tom being carried away on his own seatrain into hell because of how careless he was with his shipbuilding was almost the same as watching him die. It hurt. It hurt far more than when the seatrain had slammed into him.

Zoro could do nothing as he watched his captain and friend tear his own body apart. He remembered having a similar reaction when he heard about Kuina's untimely death. His rage was far more selfish. At the time, he was angry with Kuina for dying on him and breaking their vow. The fact that his childhood friend and inspiration was gone didn't even occur to him until months after her death.

Robin simply let tears fall from her eyes.

"Stop it!" Luffy begged with his own mind as he watched Ace die over and over again in a merciless loop. He thought he was going insane. "Disappear! DISAPPEAR!" He lifted a giant boulder over his head and threw it into a small mountain, breaking it into pieces.

After several minutes of Luffy destroying everything within his sight, he started to calm down as the images finally faded. He fell to his knees and attempted to catch his breath. He had completely worn himself out.

Without warning, however, Luffy grabbed his cheek and viciously pulled it. It looked like was trying to rip his own cheek off.

Being rubber, it was nearly physically impossible for him to hurt himself in that way, but that didn't stop Chopper from running towards his captain and attempting to stop him. Chopper became even more worried when he saw that Luffy's cheek was beginning to bleed violently.

A low familiar clicking sound got the remaining Strawhats' attention. They turned to see Jimbei walking steadily towards Luffy. His face was grim and serious as he stopped a few feet in front of the captain. Like Luffy, he had bandages covering his entire chest. Although, given what he had been through, the crew was somewhat surprised to see Jimbei looking so well.

Luffy glared at the fishman as he wheezed for air. His eyes were completely bloodshot and void.

"The war has ended," Jimbei stated neutrally. "Ace is..."

"Don't say it! Don't say another word!" Luffy screamed at Jimbei, stopping the fishman from saying more. He breathed deeply. "I've already...pinched my cheek so hard that it started to bleed! If this was a dream, I would have woken up by now!" He paused before he forced himself to continue. "It's not a dream, isn't it? Ace...died, didn't he!?" he yelled as tears fell from his eyes.

By the almost pleading tone in his voice, the Strawhats knew that Luffy was hoping against hope that Jimbei would tell him that none of it was true. That it was all a nightmare and that Ace was safely recovering somewhere.

Jimbei stared directly at Luffy, refusing to avert his eyes from the shaking boy. The Strawhats could see Jimbei's own eyes building up tears. "Yes, he is dead," he said bluntly.

Luffy's eyes widened as the last of his remaining hope shattered before him. There was no point in denying it anymore. This was reality.

Zoro was the first one to notice how dark his captain's eyes became. The swordsman became deathly afraid when he saw the light, that burning determination and eternal fate in his power, fade from Luffy's eyes. They were the eyes of a man who had died. At that moment, all the life had been sucked out of Luffy and all that was left was an empty, shattered shell.

Luffy sat back on his legs and cried uncontrollably into the sky. It wasn't the immediate crying scream he gave when Ace died. These were the sobs and tears of a young child who had lost his best friend and guiding light.

Luffy looked nothing like the strong, confident, childish captain that led his crew into life threatening situations, took them on wild adventures, and raged against the World Government because they dared to hurt his loved ones. This was a boy that the crew saw before them. It was the same lonely, fragile child that they saw crying under a tree after being rejected by his peers. This time, there was no one around to take him into their arms and comfort him. To tell him that things would get better.

Without thinking, Nami ran to hug Luffy, but passed right through her captain. It was, just like everything else, a memory. She growled in frustration at her helplessness.

This was torture. They could only watched Luffy suffer and they could nothing to help ease his pain. No matter how much Luffy hurt or cried, they couldn't reached him here because these were shadows of things that had already happened.

"Luffy..." Chopper whispered before he cried with his captain. No one should have to go through such agony alone. Especially not Luffy, their savior and friend. It was completely unfair. What had Luffy ever done to deserve such pain?

Luffy slammed his fists several times into the ground as his grief and anguish overtook him. He grabbed his head, but his tears wouldn't stop falling.

The memory shifted slightly again and the Strawhats saw a vision of Luffy on his boat leaving his village. The difference was striking. Seeing Luffy so full of life, hope, and dreams were the exact opposite of the broken form in front of them.

" _First, I have to gather a crew. I'd like to have about ten people. And then I need a pirate flag,_ " Luffy in the vision said before he pumped his arms into the air again. " _Alright, here I come! I will become the Pirate King!_ " he screamed for the entire world to hear.

The vision burst like a bubble as the words Pirate King faded in the air like a dying breath.

"Pirate King…? Yeah right!" Luffy yelled in anguish, mocking his own dream and startling the Strawhats.

The memory shifted again and the Strawhats saw the visage of Crocodile. " _Listen, you damn brat, the more you get to know these seas, the more you learn not to make impudent statements like that. I have already told you, there are thousands of rookies just like you on these seas, chasing their naïve little dreams._ _The more you learn about the level of this sea, the more you lose sight of those dreams!_ "

" _Even if I did not touch you guys, death is all that would have awaited you the way you are now! You are nowhere near ready for the New World! Even though you have gathered yourself some fine minions...all will be lost!_ " the memory of Moriah declared.

" _You keep acting tough, even though you don't have any real strength,_ " Dadan's image yelled at Luffy.

" _You stupid fool. Why would you go this far? Portgas D. Ace is a felon sentenced to death, and you are an intruder trying to rescue him! I will not forgive any sin! Ace's fated death at Marineford has long since been set in stone! There is nothing you can do about it,_ " the face of Magellan said.

" _What can you do if you go there!? Do you not realize Whitebeard's true strength!? Do you not realize the marines' true strength in its admirals, vice-admirals, and the Warlords!?_ " a visage of Iva screamed at Luffy.

" _Willpower alone means nothing without strength,_ " an image of Kizaru said. " _Without enough strength, you cannot save anyone no matter how hard you try._ "

" _Straw-chan...you have to save your brother no matter what!_ " Bon Clay's voiced echoed through the sea of voices and memories. The Strawhats saw an image of Bon Clay's face, smiling at Luffy with all the confidence and fate in the world. " _I'm sure you can save your brother!_ "

"I'm...I'm...I'm...TOO WEAK!" Luffy shouted to the heavens. His cries reverberated across the island.

All the Strawhats, save for Zoro who knew about this moment already, couldn't believe what they just heard.

Had Luffy, their always cheerful and unbreakable captain, just given up on his dream? The dream that he proclaimed everyday like it was his mantra and fought against the world against all odds to achieve? Had the world truly shattered him to that extent? It didn't seem possible.

Luffy hit his head against the rocks again and continued to cry. "I can't be Pirate King! I can't protect anything!"

Through his tears, Luffy cuddled himself on the ground like he was in great pain. Although he was still physically injured, everyone on the crew knew that Luffy's wounds were not the cause of his current suffering. Luffy's anguish over Ace's death had reached a level where it was being translated into physical pain across his body.

Zoro gritted his teeth and felt like crying himself, truly crying for the first time in years. Luffy's words had become all too real for him. His captain really had given up on everything in his moment of despair, and none of them were around to help him. Luffy was on the verge of wanting to destroy himself and where were they, his supposed crew? He was out fighting fucking baboons on some forsaken island.

Robin felt sick seeing Luffy like this. She almost wanted to collapse right beside him. That look on Luffy was the same look of despair that crossed her own face when she resigned her fate to CP9 and when she was in that tomb in Alabasta. At this moment...Luffy had completely lost the will to live. She desperately wanted to hug and comfort him, just like what he did for her back in Water 7, but she could do nothing.

She also now fully understood why they were shown those memories that were not related to Ace, but to them. It was not just to show them the extent of the pain Luffy went through at Sabaody. It was to fully reveal to them the chain of events that finally broke Luffy.

From Sabaody, to Impel Down, to Marineford, Luffy had suffered nothing but defeat. In the span of a week, he had his crew torn away from him and failed to save his brother from prison that cost him the life of a dear friend. To add insult to injury, Luffy learned from the person who had beaten his brother that he was indirectly responsible for everything bad that had happened. Ace's death was just the final straw in a long line of tragedies.

One event alone may have been recoverable after a long healing process, but having everything happen at once finally shattered the boy. The Heart Pirates were right. The government could not have broken a person more perfectly even if they had tried.

Everything that Luffy had gained through his adventures, all his triumphs, happiness, hardships, and confidence…were destroyed in little more than a week. It almost made everything Luffy had done up to that point seem meaningless. That mere thought alone sent Robin into tears. The most cynical part of her mind wondered if this was why Crocodile saved Luffy. She wondered if he knew that the misery that Luffy would be in would be far worse for him than dying, and that's why he had done it.

Nami felt hot tears run down her cheeks as she watched her captain suffer before her. She could see them now. The shadows that were now permanently embedded into Luffy's eyes. They made him looked older. She supposed that he was. With Ace's death came the death of Luffy's innocence, the last real link he had to his childhood.

"Luffy..." Usopp murmured softly as he fell to his knees besides his captain. Like Nami and Robin, he wanted to hug Luffy. To tell him that they were here, that he wasn't alone. "I...I'm sorry, Luffy. I...I should have been here. We...should have been here!"

Franky couldn't even talk. He was too busy crying his eyes out, not bothering to hide or deny his tears. Luffy's pain was so thick that he could physically feel it.

Brook also couldn't find his voice as he watched his captain cry helplessly on the forest's floor. It hurt. The guilt that pulsed through his bones was almost enough to bring him to his knees next to Usopp. What really made Brook feel guilty was that he was happy that it was Ace who had died instead of his captain.

Ace was a good and honorable man who didn't deserve what happened to him, but at the end of the day he really didn't know the young man. Brook had never even met him in life. Everything he knew of Ace was from Luffy's point-of-view.

Luffy was his captain and he would always put his life above all others outside his crew. Even if that justified his reason for being happy because of Ace's death, it didn't make him feel any better. Not when that one death had all but killed their captain's soul.

Luffy banged his fists into the ground again, causing them to bleed even more. He also began to rip some of his bandages off his body. As he attempted to tear his bandages, the Strawhats could see a blood outline of the 'X' scar on his chest.

Chopper almost wanted to yell at Luffy to stop hurting himself, but any words he was going to say died on his lips. It just didn't seem right to speak at the moment. Not when choked sobs wracked his body.

Sanji clenched his hands and shook in rage. Hot tears built in his eyes as he attempted to control his breathing.

Damn all of them. Damn all the people who caused this tragedy. Damn all the people who made Luffy cry like this. If he ever saw Akainu, or whatever the hell his real name was, or that bastard Blackbeard for that matter, he was going to beat both of those shit heads into the ground. He wouldn't kill them. Death was too good for those bastards. He wanted to make them hurt just as much as Luffy was hurting right now.

All the Strawhats were so transfixed by Luffy's grief that they almost failed to notice that the memory began to haze. It wasn't the normal fade or shift the memory usually went through when it was changing or going into a new memory. Instead, it looked like the mist was covering the entire island. Slowly, but steadily, Amazon Lily was taking on the appearance of the unnamed island.

It took the crew several minutes to notice the change as they tore their eyes away from their hurting captain.

"What's happening?" Chopper asked softly as he wiped his eyes. "Is the memory changing?"

"No..." Robin whispered as she started to shiver. It was getting cold.

Brook look unnerved as the mist spread throughout the memory. "The chill of the underworld is here. I...sense death in the air."

Brook's unusually serious and foreboding words frightened Usopp. On top of what was happening with Luffy, they now had to deal with this.

The chill, oddly enough, also affected Luffy. He was still crying, but he was holding his body like he was freezing and the Strawhats could see puffs of air leaving his lips. The mist also seemed to become thicker and wrapped around him like a cocoon, as if it was trying to choke him.

From Luffy's back, the mist converged together and began to take on a humanoid form.

"What...what's going on?" Franky whispered as the mist took formed.

From the mist, a shadowy figure appeared. It looked like a floating shadow with no face and it appeared its entire body was made out of a cloak. The figure was also a bluish-purple with an eerie glow, just like the mist that surrounded it. The strange figure only had one facial feature that could be identified as 'human'. It had two glowing white eyes that appeared to be glaring into Luffy.

"It is here," Robin whispered as her eyes widened. So, it had finally made its appearance known.

"You know that thing?" Zoro asked, confused by everything that was happening. How was Luffy feeling the cold? Wasn't this a memory?

"That was figure that appeared before me in my memory," Robin answered in a harsh voice.

"Mine too!" Usopp yelled in realization. He shivered as he remembered that thing hovering over him with its burning eyes, mocking about what he had done to Luffy back in Water 7.

"That means...that thing is the entity," Nami said, not bothering to hide her anger and hatred. How dare this thing make Luffy relive his lowest moment.

Robin nodded as her own eyes narrowed. "Undoubtedly." She could never forget that thing. Not after it attempted to tear her apart mentally.

"You never saw it?" Usopp asked the swordsman.

Zoro shook his head. "I only heard a voice speaking to me. Nothing like that."

Sanji nodded. "I only heard its voice too."

Luffy started to calm down as he felt the presence of the creature behind him. He didn't immediately move to address the figure since he was still numb from grief and the coldness of the mist surrounding him.

"What do you want?" Luffy asked in a hoarse voice, breaking the awkward silence.

"Did you enjoy your trip down memory lane, Strawhat Luffy?" the entity asked in an almost sarcastic voice.

Luffy slowly turned his head and stared hatefully at the figure. His eyes were bloodshot and dark circles were under his eyes like he hadn't slept in weeks. His lips were also turning blue, most likely from the chill in the air. He was a mere shadow of the strong man the Strawhats knew.

"Why...why did you show me these things? Why did you make me see Ace...die?" Luffy demanded in a choked voice. It sounded like he was trying to sound angry, but it fell completely flat. His voice was hallowed and void of emotion. It sounded almost dead.

Zoro gave a deep inhale when he heard the defeat in Luffy's voice. It sounded like he had already given up.

"Huh, so that's our Luffy and not the memory?" Franky asked in confusion.

"It's Luffy physically from the past, but his soul must have been infused into the memory," Sanji stated. "We all experienced the same thing when were taken by this damn mist."

"Then...how long have we been watching our Luffy?" Nami asked. Had he been with them the entire time? But how was that possible?

"Hm, you did not enjoy seeing Fire Fist Ace nobly sacrificing himself for 'precious' little brother?" the entity asked. He appeared to be smirking. "I thought you would be happy to see your brother one last time. Before he had the hole blown in his chest because he shielded you."

Luffy breathed heavily, but said nothing. All the Strawhats knew, however, that the entity's words sparked anger within their captain. It was a welcome change, though, since Luffy was now showing other emotions besides grief.

"You…" Luffy hissed.

The entity tilted its head. "Why are you angry at me? I was not the one who killed your brother." It paused for effect as it pushed some mist out of its nonexistent face. The entity then stared accusingly at Luffy. " _You_ were."

Luffy was struck by his words as his breaths puffed out into the mist. All his anger drained as shock overtook his face.

"What the hell is that thing talking about!?" Franky yelled in outrage.

Robin narrowed her eyes. "It is exactly what he tried to do to all of us. It is trying to shift all the blame of what happened to Ace onto Luffy."

Zoro sneered as he took out his swords. "That bastard!" Without thinking, he charged the entity. He passed right through the creature. Its body really was made from the mist.

"The hell!?" Sanji exclaimed as he attempted to kick the entity. Like Zoro, his attacks passed harmlessly through it. It was like the entity was a logia. "Why can't we touch it!? With our Haki, we should be able to touch its true body!"

"The entity must be infused into the memory in such a way that makes it inaccessible to us," Robin theorized with a note of panic.

"It's more than that. This entity...is a being from the underworld," Brook said in fear as the full realization hit him. "As mere mortals, we can't harm it. Because it...it is already dead."

Usopp gave a loud scream. "You...you mean that thing is a ghost!?"

"It's either a ghost or a spirit of some type," Brook said. "Still, a creature of the underworld shouldn't have this kind of power."

"Who cares about that!? How the hell are we supposed to beat this thing if we can't even touch it!?" Zoro yelled in frustration. "Where the hell is that ball of light!?"

"Me?" Luffy repeated numbly when the shock wore off.

"Of course, who else is to blame for what happened?" the entity asked neutrally. "Akainu, the marines, the World Government? They were just doing their jobs. They executed a wanted and dangerous pirate who was renowned across the world and had the qualities to become a king, who would then lead a new generation of pirates."

Luffy said nothing as he took in the entity's words.

"Hm, maybe you blame Blackbeard for what happened to Fire Fist," the entity mused before it sneered at Luffy. "How naive. Blackbeard was a pirate who beat your brother fair and square. It was even your brother who initiated the fight, so Blackbeard was just defending himself. You should be grateful to him for not outright killing your dear brother and turning his corpse in to the marines."

This caused all the Strawhats to shake in rage. Those were almost the exact words used by Blackbeard when he mocked Whitebeard.

"There is only one person to blame for the tragedy that befell day," the entity said as it pointed at Luffy. "It was you who caused Fire Fist to die."

Luffy said nothing for several seconds. His fists were balled and he was trembling badly as he stared at the entity. Normally, this would be when Luffy would try to punch the creature or yell at it to shut up. Luffy wasn't one to listen to other's demean him.

Now, the Strawhats weren't sure how Luffy would react. That defeated, dead look in their captain's eyes did nothing to raise their hopes.

"How...it was me?" Luffy asked softly.

"Don't listen to that thing, Luffy-san!" Brook yelled at his captain. In Luffy's current mental condition, he was open to any kind of suggestions. Brook wished he could do something.

The entity appeared to be glaring at Luffy. It seemed to have an aura of almost moral outrage. "Do not play dumb. It was your overblown ego, selfishness, and arrogance that killed your loved one and caused all those around you to suffer needlessly."

"What...?" Luffy mummer in disbelief.

"You can keep playing dumb all you want, but you know the sins you carry," it said in an accusing voice. "You knew from the start that you were in over your head when you went to Impel Down and then Marineford. Others constantly warned you that you were not ready and you would only manage to get yourself and others killed by your reckless and careless actions. But, in your arrogance, you through you knew better. You actually believed that you were more capable of saving your brother than anyone else."

"That's not true..." Luffy denied. It sounded like he was trying to yell, but he instead started to cough and clutched his bleeding chest wound.

"Luffy!" Chopper yelled in worry as he attempted to grab his captain. He still couldn't touch Luffy. Even if this was a memory, or whatever it was, Luffy was becoming ill from being trapped in his past-self's injured body.

The entity gave Luffy a pitiless look. "Of course it is true. You fought and won a couple of battles against the World Government and other strong foes, and thought you could overcome any challenge in the world with your strength and willpower. You thought that you were untouchable." The creature appeared to smirk at Luffy. "You were going to be the _Pirate King_ , after all."

Luffy stared with empty eyes at the entity as he stopped coughing.

"Oh, you must have felt invincible when you took out every supposedly-strong pirate in your home sea of East Blue. Buggy the Clown, crewmate to the former Pirate King. Kuro of a Hundred Plans, the smartest pirate in East Blue. Don Krieg, the King of East Blue who ruled that sea with his pirate armada, and the terror that was Arlong, a fishman who hailed from the Grand Line itself and sailed under one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. All those pirates were nothing compared to you. With a crew of only four and even just one, you became the top pirate crew in all East Blue and had the highest opening bounty in that sea, something that even your brother never accomplished," the entity said. "Quite a record for someone to have even before they entered the Grand Line."

Robin's eyes widened. As she suspected, the entity did not just show Luffy Marineford or the other traumatizing events leading up to it. Like them, it took Luffy through his entire pirate career. This creature wanted Luffy to fully experience his own rise and fall.

"Not even a month into the Grand Line, you fought and won against one of the world's great powers, a Warlord, along with his entire organization that he spent three years building," the entity continued. "Not even two months after that, you took on a supposed god that no one before you could even touch, ended a four hundred year-long civil war, and brought peace to an old man who was tormented by his descendant's sins. Once your crew returned to the Blue Sea, you defeated a government's organization that was said to be unbeatable, and made fools out of the marines with their failed Buster Call. On top of all those victories, you fought and defeated yet another Warlord, and the Golden Lion Shiki, one of the legendary pirates who was rivals with the Pirate King and Whitebeard. You must have felt unstoppable when you reached the Red Line. Nothing could touch you and your dream was within your reach, am I right?"

Luffy couldn't speak as he took in the entity's words.

"Dammit! Shut up, you bastard!" Sanji cussed as he attempted to kick the entity again. He still couldn't touch it.

"You had so much self-confidence in your power that you thought nothing about attacking and nearly killing a Celestial Dragon," the entity said as it stared down at Luffy. "Which, fittingly, led to your humiliating defeat after you got your ego stroked by the Dark King Rayleigh."

Brook shook in anger. What point was this monster trying to make?

"Still, even after you were completely defeated and your crew scattered across the sea, you still believed you could make a difference against the greatest powers of the world to the point that you thought Whitebeard was nothing but an annoying road block on your road to greatness," the entity accused. "No one, after all, was better than the pirate, Strawhat Luffy, correct? The one who would become the future Pirate King and rule over all the Grand Line."

"Dammit, that's not true!" Luffy yelled, finding his voice. He fought to hold back another coughing fit. "I...I wanted to save Ace! I didn't care about anything else! I couldn't just stand back and let him die! Not after..."

"And you got him killed because you grew a big head and thought you were actually strong when you are really just small fish in a big pond," the entity said mercilessly, cutting Luffy off. "Just as you grew a big head at Sabaody and nearly got your precious crew, who you claim to love, killed."

Luffy winced. "That's..."

"You were warned not to touch the Celestial Dragons. You were told that if you did, an admiral, someone that you knew was beyond your scope of strength, would come, and you punched one regardless of all the warnings. Did you even consider your crew's wellbeing when you hit that World Noble?" the entity asked in a cold voice.

"He attacked a friend of mines! He deserved that punch in the face!" Luffy yelled. Despite the fire in his words, Luffy's voice was shaky and he didn't sound too sure of himself. It was very unlike Luffy.

"Oh. Was that one friend, who once was your enemy who helped torture one of your dear crewmates, worth the lives of your entire crew?" the entity questioned as he floated closer to Luffy. "You told Boa Hancock that you had no regrets hitting that Celestial Dragon. Tell me honestly, Strawhat, would you have said the same thing to her if your entire crew was actually killed that day? What would you have done if Bartholomew Kuma did not save them and they were murdered before your eyes? Would you still have no regrets? Can you honestly look at me and tell me that you would punch that Celestial Dragon knowing that it would cost you the lives of all your 'friends'?"

Luffy was left speechless. He didn't have an answer.

"That bastard's ripping Luffy apart!" Franky yelled in anger. He hadn't felt this helpless since the day Tom was taken away.

"And Luffy's not really fighting the entity at all!" Chopper yelled in a near panic. "He...he's just taking its words as true!"

Nami balled her fists. "That's because he's repeating all of Luffy's doubts and insecurities. These are all things that Luffy feels about himself in the darkest part of his heart. This thing is just confirming all his worst fears and throwing them into his face."

"We have to find a way for Luffy to see or at least hear us before it is too late," Robin said as she watched this entity mentally destroy Luffy. "If we do not hurry, there may be nothing left for us to save."

"Can't answer. I am not surprised. You never do think things through because you believe your strength and will can carry you through anything. That is why you are a terrible captain who does not deserve the crew you were given," the entity sneered.

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Zoro shouted in outrage.

"You have been given the rare and wonderful gift of a crew who dearly cares for you, but you appreciate none of it," the entity said nonchalantly before it shook its head. "They all deserve so much better than you, but they feel obligated to stand by your side and sacrifice their lives and happiness because you saved them. I have to wonder, do you even love your crew or do you just see them as the means to an end?"

Luffy gritted his teeth in rage. "I love my crew! They're my _family_!"

The entity snorted. "You certainly do a poor job showing it. How many times have you nearly gotten your crew killed on one of your childish whims? How many times have you carelessly thrown them into danger without a second thought or care? If that is how you express 'love', then you really are no different than Blackbeard."

"Don't _ever_ compare me to that bastard," Luffy growled as he clutched his burning chest.

"Oh, and what makes you so different from him? You both put your own ambitions and desires before anyone else, and you are both very selfish men who think they are above everyone. You may not have directly killed your crewmates like him, but your careless actions have led to their destruction," the entity said. "You both also use the bonds of friendship to twist and manipulate people to your will. Really, the only difference between you two is that Blackbeard is more competent. You have taken advantage of your friends and their obligation to serve you, just as Blackbeard took advantage of Whitebeard's love for all of his children. You two really are cut from the same cloth."

Luffy froze at the comparison.

"That isn't true at all!" Chopper yelled desperately at his captain.

"When I think about it, you are even worse than Blackbeard," the entity said after a second thought.

"What...?" Luffy asked in a hoarse voice.

"At least Blackbeard has never forgotten or abandoned the crew he leads, unlike you," the entity said.

Luffy narrowed his eyes. "I've never abandoned my crew!"

"That is a lie," the entity said in a soft voice that did nothing to hide its malice. "You abandoned them back in Amazon Lily when you chose to go after your brother instead of reuniting with your scattered crew."

Luffy paled.

"Instead of acting like a captain and finding your crew, who you destroyed in your arrogance, you chose to go off on your own little adventure to Impel Down to play hero," the entity said.

"I...didn't want to leave them..." Luffy stuttered as he attempted to compose his thoughts. "There wasn't any time. Ace would die..."

"Because you were not there," the entity interrupted in a mocking voice. "You never considered Whitebeard's power or the power of your brother's crew. It was about you! You have the gall to talk about how much you love your crew like a 'family', but you were quite quick to abandon them to save your brother. Not just abandon them; you outright forgot them."

Luffy could say nothing.

"That son of a bitch!" Franky yelled as attempted to shoot the entity. His ammo went right through the creature. "Dammit, why can't we hit it!?"

"You really are terrible to your crew. If you had not saved them, your crewmates would have nothing to do with a selfish brat like you and would have never joined your crew, which is a fact. They owe you their lives, which is why you take advantage of them. You use and abuse them and you dare to call them your friends," the entity almost sneered. "But even you know that they have their breaking point, and they soon will not put up with your crap anymore."

"That's not true!" Chopper screamed, near tears, at Luffy, who still couldn't hear them. "Those are lies! We would have followed you even if you hadn't save us!"

Luffy was completely deaf to their words.

Zoro growled in frustration and anger. This monster was directly attacking all the insecurities they saw in Luffy's dream and memories. Given how fragile Luffy was, he feared where this was going.

Luffy's shoulders slumped as he kept listening to the entity's cruel words. "That...that isn't true."

"You do not sound so certain of your own words," the entity mocked. "Is it because you know in your heart that it is the truth that you have been trying to deny for these last couple of years?"

Luffy flinched at the question.

The entity circled Luffy, leaving a trail of mist around the boy captain. "Your crew slaves under you and does your bidding to make your dream come true at the expense of their own and you cannot put enough thought into your own actions to keep them safe, or even remember them. Just like at Omatsuri, where three of your crewmates disappeared, and you did not even notice," the entity stopped circling Luffy and glared at him.

Luffy could feel the entity looking right into his soul. He felt the air chill further.

"You got them all killed on that island controlled by the Baron by walking into an obvious trap. I am willing to bet that if any on your crew remembers that little incident, they would have left, despite the debt they owe you. Your cook said as much, if I recall," the entity said in a pitiless voice. "That is the reason, after all, you never told them about what happened. You knew you lost their trust."

"I...I didn't want them to remember…" Luffy said barely above a whisper. "I didn't want them to remember the pain of dying..." He knew, however, that he was lying.

The entity snorted at him. "You did not want them to remember because you did not want them to abandon you for being a horrible captain. A captain that led them to their deaths over silly carnival games, no less. Is that not what you told your ship?"

Luffy cringed.

"Even though they do no longer remember what happened, those words that your cook spoke to you still rings true, Strawhat," the entity hissed as it waved one of its arms.

" _You're the one who got us into this. You're the one who decided to come to this island. That's what caused all of this! Luffy...this is all your fault,_ " the voice of Sanji spat with venom over the mist, causing Luffy to pale and tear up.

"Damn you!" Sanji shouted as he kicked vainly at the entity. How dare that thing used those words against Luffy.

"Arrogance and selfish to the end. A man who lies to crew to save face and this is the boy that Fire Fist died to protect. What a waste of life," the entity sighed.

Luffy choked on the words.

"Don't listen to that shit head!" Sanji screamed at Luffy, hating himself again for speaking those vile, hateful words.

"Why can't he hear us!?" Usopp asked desperately.

"I feel nothing but pity for Fire Fist. Here is a man who had the entire world at his feet and an army of allies who cared about him enough to move the world to save him. Yet, he was shackled to protecting a boy like you," the entity said with another sigh. "A boy who was so caught up in his own hype that he got on the world's stage, shouting he was going to be Pirate King, and acting like he was the most important thing in the world. How cruel fate was to your brother."

Luffy was closed to tears as he shook his head. "That… I just wanted to save Ace. He was the most important person in the world to me. I didn't...I didn't want him to die...and I would happily died at Marineford if it meant saving him! I didn't care if I died! I..." He lost his ability to speak. He was too choked up by his own tears.

"Luffy..." Chopper whispered in tears.

"You think you were the only one?" the entity asked viciously, taking no pity on Luffy. "Why don't you admit that you did not have faith in Fire Fist's crew to save him? You were told of Whitebeard's power and how much he loved his crew like his sons. You knew from your own brother how much he trusted that man to call him father. That, however, was not enough to satisfy your mind. You had to get personally involved because it was all about you. You thought you could conquer the world and the world kicked you in the ass." The creature got into Luffy's face again. "There is a price to pay for those who think they can overcome the gods and you paid the price in full at Marineford."

Luffy turned his head away from the entity as his trembles became more violent.

"It would have been poetic justice for you to die at Marineford because of your arrogance, but you were saved by your beloved brother," the entity stated as it pulled away from Luffy. "Despite all your boasts, you are still that runt from Goa who was all bark and no bite. Who had to run behind his big brothers for protection. Your brothers are _dead_. Who is going to protect you now, Strawhat?"

Luffy glared at the man, getting back some of his previous fire. "I don't need protection! I'm not the person I was two years ago! I've gotten stronger!" He slammed his hand where his 'X' scar would be, making the wound bleed more. "I've gotten stronger to protect my crew! _No one_ will die for my sake _ever_ again! I won't allow it!"

"Tell him, Luffy!" Usopp cheered, delighted to see his captain finally fighting back.

The entity chuckled. "Oh, you mean you are going to get stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, stronger and stronger, and even stronger than that, and then you will be able to protect anything. You won't have anyone disappear ever again, right?"

All the color drained from Luffy's face when he heard those words. All his previous fire had completely vanished.

"You dishonorable bastard!" Brook exclaimed as he thrust his sword at the entity. Just like all the other times, it didn't affect the creature. The skeleton swordsman didn't care as he kept thrusting his sword into the entity. "How dare you throw Luffy-san's words back in his face like that!"

"You said this all before, remember? You said the exact same thing when your first brother, who you abandoned, was murdered," the entity stated in a matter-of-fact voice. "You swore you would grow stronger and protect everything. Yet, you have failed that vow several times over. Have you forgotten Omatsuri? You would think that the Baron killing your crew one after another would shrink that big head of yours. You could not protect your crew, twice, your brother, or even yourself. You have broken every promise you have ever made. What merit do your words hold?"

As if the prove the creature's point, the memory flashed and an image of Genzo appeared.

" _Listen, boy, I know Nami is going to sail with you as a pirate. It's a dangerous journey, and I know it can't be helped. That's okay, but if you ever take away Nami's smile, I will hunt you down and kill you._ "

" _Well, I don't plan on stealing anything, so…_ " Luffy's own voice answered back.

" _Understood!?_ " Genzo shouted across the memory.

The memory shifted again and they were in Water 7. Luffy was hugging Robin, who was sobbing onto his shoulder.

" _You won't be alone because your family is here now. You are one of us. I will always protect you, Robin,_ " Luffy said gently.

The memory changed again and the Strawhats now stood on the war torn battlefield of Marineford. Luffy had just finished knocking out a giant using his Third Gear.

" _Say whatever the hell you want! I'm saving you even if I die!_ " Luffy shouted to his brother as the memory returned to Amazon Lily.

Luffy was left numb as he stared at the entity.

"Your promises mean nothing. You claim that no one would die for your sake again, but it was the ghosts of your dead brothers that saved you from your own personal dream not even two weeks ago by sacrificing their existences. Your selfishness even extends beyond those you supposedly care for. Tell me, Strawhat, how many prisoners did you sacrifice to Magellan in your reckless raid, or how you wasted Bon Clay's sacrifice?" the entity asked.

Luffy became physically sick hearing his friend's name.

"You...you bastard..." Nami hissed.

"I wonder how Bon Clay must feel knowing that he gave his life for nothing? That you could not even fulfill his dying wish as you left him in Hell," the entity said, twisting the knife further. "Another unfortunate soul killed by the arrogance of a selfish child. Another broken and empty promise."

Luffy bowed his head. Hot tears filled his eyes. "I..."

"You asked why I showed you those things from your past, but you already know the answer, Strawhat Luffy. You have known the answer in your heart for a long time," the entity hissed darkly as it floated towards Luffy. "You have known in your heart and soul that on that day in Marineford that the wrong person died. It should have been you who was killed by Akainu!"

Luffy said nothing as he stared into the entity's cold white eyes. His face was completely blank as his breaths came out as harsh puffs and his skin turned even bluer from the cold.

"Shut up, already, you shit head!" Sanji screamed, hating that he couldn't help his captain. What was the point in coming here and seeing what they had if they couldn't even _do_ anything?

"If you were not so arrogant, if you had put fate in Fire Fist's crew, his _family_ , and Whitebeard's power, Fire Fist would have been saved," the entity hissed, breathing cold air onto Luffy. "Those pirates did not need you, a mere rookie, there. All you did was drain their resources since they had to protect you, being Fire Fist's brother. In the end, your brother died because his worthless, selfish, little brother could not defend himself. Everything would have been better if you had never gone to Marineford, or at least left when you became unable to even move after your first injection wore off." The entity stood silent for a moment as it spoke its next words carefully.

Luffy stared right into the mist. His breaths were faster, like he knew what the entity was going to say.

"Everything that has happened is all your _fault_. It is because of you that Fire Fist was captured. It is because of you that Blackbeard was allowed to become a Warlord, break into Impel Down, and take Whitebeard's power, allowing him to become an Emperor off the blood of his former commanders. It is because of you that Fire Fist is _dead_! It is _all your fault_! The blood of your brother, Bon Clay, those prisoners from Impel Down, and even your crew are all on your hands," the entity accused.

Luffy sucked in his breath.

"You have no one to blame for your misery except yourself! You deserve every bit of the pain you are in! You deserve to be in Hell," the entity finished.

Luffy gritted his teeth and tears ran down his eyes as the entity's words burn him more than Akainu's magma. He glared at the entity, looking like he wanted to murder the creature.

In the end, Luffy lowered his head in shame and slumped onto the ground. He buried his fists into the earth as harsh heaves left his throat.

He started to sob openly, not bothering to hold back his tears anymore as the entity's words took full effort. All his guilt, all his regrets, all his self-loathing from the last two years came pouring out and he was now unable to stop it. As much as it hurts, this creature only voiced things he already knew. The truth he had tried so desperately to bury. It was his fault.

The Strawhats could only watch the entire scene in anger and helplessness. How could this 'thing' reduce Luffy to this? They had all fought this entity and beat it, but Luffy, the strongest of them, was unable to fight back. He just willingly accepted this monster's words.

It was just as the ball of light said, Luffy never made peace with what happened in Marineford. Despite all that he had accomplished and gained since that time, the burning pain of guilt and regret still remained in his heart. That pain had settled deep within their captain's soul and this creature was taking advantage of that pain.

All this time, Luffy has silently been carrying this giant burden of guilt without telling any of them. Why did Luffy feel that he had to go through this alone? Why didn't they notice? Why didn't they see that Luffy was still in this much pain after they had reunited? They should have known as much, given what happened two weeks ago.

On top of that, thanks to the entity's manipulation, Luffy now felt guilty over his actions at Sabaody. That World Noble deserved Luffy's rage and more, but that one action had nearly cost him his entire crew. Because of Kuma, Luffy could feel a sense of pride at what he had done, but even he couldn't deny what could have happened if not for the Warlord's mercy.

"What a pathetic man you are. A man who claims he will be the one to become the Pirate King. A man who has let down everyone he has ever known. A man who let his brothers down, his crew down, and even himself. How can one so pathetic dream of standing on top of the world?" the entity asked as he stared at the suffering boy. "You are not worthy of carrying the title of Pirate King!"

"Shut up!" Luffy suddenly shouted, stopping the entity from talking more.

The Strawhats felt their hearts beat even faster. Was Luffy finally fighting back?

Luffy stared at the ground with blank eyes as he took several heaving breaths. "Shut up! Just shut up! I don't want to hear anymore! Everything you said...everything you just said... I...I already know..."

That was not what the Strawhats were expecting or wanted to hear.

"And?" the entity insisted, wanting to push Luffy further.

"I've already known all that since…Ace was killed..." Luffy choked as some blood came out of his mouth. "I knew since I woke up in Amazon Lily... Since that day..."

The Strawhats saw an image of Ace's dead body.

"I...wished...I wished that I had died..." Luffy admitted in a soft voice as tears flowed from his eyes. "I...wanted to die..."

This stunned the Strawhats into silence.

"Why...why was I the one allow to come back? I was the weakest… I should have died… Why did I live?" Luffy whispered mostly to himself. "It wasn't fair… I should have been the one to die in that place…."

Zoro clenched his teeth. Luffy said the exact same thing to him. He thought Luffy was beginning to move beyond that thinking. That Ace wanted him to live.

"But you did not die," the entity said coldly to Luffy. "You were upset when you woke up on that submarine and realized that you were alone. Alone on this vast sea without anyone to depend on. Alone with a shattered body and only memories of happier days. Your brother was your sun and without him there is nothing but darkness."

Luffy said nothing, but his silence was all the confirmation that was needed.

"Luffy..." Usopp whispered in a choked voice.

"Survivor's guilt," Robin said softly. She knew that feeling well. "He may also have PTSD. That would explain the flashbacks, the waking nightmares, and his depression." She also realized by the looking into Luffy's eyes that has been driven partly insane from reliving his worst memories.

Chopper wiped his eyes. "It makes sense. No one, not even Luffy, can go through what he did undamaged. Even two years wouldn't be enough to heal such deep wounds." He lowered his head. "Why didn't we see it? As a doctor, I should be able to see not only physical wounds."

"It hurts, doesn't it?" the entity asked, almost sympathetically. For a moment, it sounded almost human. Like it too understood the anguish Luffy was experiencing. "Such guilt and regret is soul-consuming. It hurts more than any physical torture and lingers like a dull ache in our souls, even when we think we have moved on. It changes us and alters the way we view the world and ourselves. No matter how hard we try, we can never return to the person we once were. The pain never goes away no matter how much time has passed. Time alone only makes the pain worse because every year that past we are reminded of what we have lost without anyone to help us through it. We are reminded of our failures."

Luffy closed his eyes, silently agreeing with the entity.

Nami glared at the entity, but she couldn't say it was wrong. How much has she changed from that little girl before her mother was murdered and she was forced to work for Arlong? How thinking about her mother still brings a flash of pain every now and then so deep that she is sometimes brought to tears?

Robin knew from personal experience that the entity was correct. The tragedies of the past shape a person. Since she was eight, the destruction of her home has been the driving force behind her entire life. Even now, the scars of the Buster Call and the world's cruelty towards her were a part of who she was. Just as Ace's death was now a part of who Luffy's was, and just as Sabo was before him.

The entity continued to stare down at Luffy. "You must have been in constant pain since that war. You tried to move on, become stronger so the tragedy of your brother's death would never happen again. But, in the end, the guilt returns and you are forever reminded of what you have lost and your failures. Things would have simply been better if you had joined your brother in death. That way, you would not feel the pain guilt. The regret of living."

Luffy still said nothing as tears fell from his eyes.

"Even when you thought you had healed and conquered your demons, it comes back and the pain resumes like it had never left. If you had truly moved on and were at peace, that Dream Fruit user would have never entrapped you within his power with a fantasy world. Your true dream was never to become Pirate King, wasn't it? Your one true dream died along with your brothers," the entity said.

Luffy said nothing as he considered what the entity's words. Was that true? Did his dream really die with Ace? He wanted to become Pirate King more than anything; he knew that for sure. But what was the point of becoming Pirate King if he reached his goal alone? That he couldn't protect anything.

The entity appeared to be looking into the sky in contemplation. "Yes, I can see from your memory. The wish you made when Toby's powers took you into that dream. The wish that his Devil Fruit granted you."

Luffy's eyes widened.

"Your wish was to sail with your brothers as one crew across the endless seas forever. You also desired your crew's happiness. You wanted them to achieve their dreams and have the lives that were stolen from them returned. Although you would never said it, those are your true heart's desire," the entity said in a haunting soft voice before he stared at Luffy again. "Where does the title of Pirate King fit into all of that?"

Luffy still said nothing as he stared at the ground with unseeing eyes.

The Strawhats felt their hatred for the entity grow deeper, if such a thing was possible. What the entity said did not surprise them. Not after what they have witnessed from the memories and his dream world. It was the fact that the entity was using their captain's heart's desire to make it appear like Luffy had nothing left to live for that pissed them off.

"It does not have to be forever, Strawhat. Even though you deserve to suffer, I can help you find the peace that you have sought for these last two years," the entity suddenly said. Its voice almost cooed the words. "I can help you put an end your guilt and regret forever."

Luffy looked at the entity with almost desperate eyes.

The Strawhats eyed the entity coldly. What was this creature up to? After it had so viciously ripped their captain apart for the better part of several minutes, why did it suddenly want to help him?

The entity made a long dagger appear from the mist that made its cloak. It shone in the coldness of the mist given it an almost unworldly glow. The dagger itself was fancy and ancient in design. It looking like a noble once owned it from a time long past.

"If you truly desire peace, Strawhat, take this dagger and thrust it into your heart," the entity all but whispered, causing the Strawhats' heart to freeze. "Only then will you finally have the peace you so desire. For the peace you seek cannot be obtained in life. Only the darkness of nothingness can ease your soul and end your despair."

"Darkness of nothingness?" Luffy repeated softly as he stared at the knife. He didn't take it. What was troubling, however, was that Luffy didn't reject it either.

"Why do you hesitate? Is it because you are thinking of your crew?" the entity asked as if reading Luffy's thoughts. It sneered. "What, do you think your crew needs a failure of a captain like you? Don't flatter yourself. They are more than capable of taking care of themselves. If you have done anything right in your pitiful existence, it was saving them. Now, let them be free and allow them to fulfill their dreams and desires without the burden of carrying you. They would be happier without carrying around your deadweight."

"Don't listen to such stupid lies!" Zoro yelled, desperate to reach their captain. They were going to lose him unless they do something.

Luffy was strong, but he was at his weakest. His eyes were lifeless and his spirit was shattered from the mental torture. Luffy was forced to return to the point in his life where he wanted, _desired_ death.

Luffy shook his head as some of his fire returned. "My crew cares about me! They came into my dream to save me! They returned to me after they trained for two years! They wouldn't abandon me!"

"Tell that bastard, Luffy!" Nami yelled in encouragement.

"It was only natural that they saved you. You are their captain, after all," the entity said nonchalantly. "What kind of heartless crew would not go through hell and back to save and support their captain? Just like how they fought to bring you back from Zizu's control after you betrayed and nearly killed them."

Luffy flinched at hearing Zizu's name again. That was one person he wanted to forget.

Franky hissed in anger at hearing the asshole's name.

"There is a difference, however, between what they want and what is best for them. Whitebeard understood this when he ordered his crew to run at Marineford while he stood behind and died for his sons. Those are the kind of decisions that makes a true, _good_ captain. You have a similar choice before you. How far do you think they can go with a captain who cannot protect them, or even himself? A captain who completely forgot them? A captain who chose a dream world over them? A captain who let his own brother die before his eyes?" the entity asked viciously.

Luffy looked like had been struck and the visage of Ace's death returned in full. "But..."

"Do you even understand the pain you cause your crew weeks ago when you were off living in your own Dream World?" the entity suddenly asked.

Luffy felt his mouth go dry.

"Why tell you? I can _show_ you," the entity said as the mist surrounding the creature broke apart and an image appeared. It was like they were looking at a transponder snail image.

The image showed Luffy losing his hold on Toby and the boy climbing up his body and touching his forehead. In a bright flash, Luffy crumpled to the deck while Toby escaped with Zoro chasing him.

Luffy was stunned by the image. "How...?"

"Are you seeing this?" the entity finished for him. "I have access to all your crew's memories."

"What, but how?" Brook asked in shock.

"That bastard must still have access to our minds because we're still in this damn mist," Zoro cursed.

The image continued before Luffy as he watched his crew gathered around him in panic and Chopper rapidly checking him. He then watched himself be carried into the infirmary where Chopper cared for him and see what's wrong with him.

Luffy felt the guilt build in his stomach when saw how worried and scared Chopper was about being unable to find out what was wrong with him and why he wouldn't wake up. He kept watching when Usopp entered the infirmary and attempted to cheer Chopper up who had worked himself into exhaustion and wouldn't eat. When Usopp finally got Chopper to eat and rest, he watched as Usopp took a seat at his bedside, barely containing his worry.

"Luffy, what's wrong with you?" Usopp asked in a broken voice, causing Luffy to flinch.

Current Usopp also flinched, but for a different reason. He was beyond mad that this creature would show Luffy this. It wasn't Luffy's fault. He didn't know that he was dreaming. He didn't know how much they were all worried about him during those six terrible days.

The images kept going and Luffy watched the day past as his crew took care of him. He saw the event where he had stopped breathing after he tried to drown himself in his dream in a desperate attempt to wake himself up.

Luffy was in tears as Chopper pumped feverishly on his chest in a desperate bid to revive him. Hearing his crew call to him, begging, threatening, and crying for him not to die was enough to make Luffy cover his ears.

He watched the days past and how his real body deteriorated before his crew's eyes as they kept watch over him. He heard the stories they told while he slept, calls for him to wake up and come back to them, and their tears as they were helpless to help him.

The current Strawhats were also moved to tears by what they were seeing. They wanted to forget those days. They didn't want to remember Luffy laying as still as death in that infirmary bed while they were trapped on their own ship because of the weather, unable to search for the boy who did this to him.

They also felt their anger and hatred for the entity grow with every passing second. It was showing Luffy things that didn't matter. They didn't care if Luffy was off in his dream having fun with his brothers. That was all in the past, and they didn't resent Luffy for any of it.

The image was now showing when Toby was in the infirmary attempted to awaken Luffy with his powers. His efforts completely failed and Luffy remained in his Dream World. The distress and fear in his crewmates was more than Luffy could bear.

"Please...stop showing me this..." Luffy pleaded with the entity.

"If this is painful for you, how do you think your crew felt living through it?" the entity asked harshly as the images continued.

"My ability to wake someone is limited to the person's desire. If the person wants to wake up, then they will wake up once I dispel the dream world. Which means if I can't wake your captain, then he doesn't want to wake up," Toby explained to the Strawhats once he realized why his powers weren't working.

Luffy breathed heavily hearing Toby's words.

"What, impossible!" Nami from the image screamed in disbelief. "Luffy would never choose to live in some dream, no matter how pleasant it may be."

Luffy felt his chest become heavier.

"My powers make the dream very real. It's so well-crafted that everything seems real from the sights, sounds, smells, and even touch," Toby explained. "A person can even die within the dream world, so people can't wake themselves by getting killed like any normal dream. To the unprepared mind, my powers make the dream real. That's partly why I don't usually give pleasant dreams because there is an increased risk of the person never waking up, especially after so much time has passed."

"Are you saying that Luffy-san can no longer tell the difference between reality and the dream?" Brook in the image asked.

"Either that or he chose to willingly ignore the fact that he's dreaming. For some, it's impossible to give up one's heart's desires," Toby said as he looked away from the pirate crew. "In either case, your captain has willingly accepted the dream world as his new reality. Because of that, he'll sleep like this forever."

The image faded after Toby spoke those words.

Luffy was openly sobbing onto the ground. He had no idea that he hurt his crew like that. That he caused them so much pain by his selfish decision to ignore his instincts and stay in that world with Ace and Sabo. That he enjoyed having his brothers back so much that he didn't care anymore what was reality. How could he do that to them? After all they had given up for him, how could he be so selfish?

"Luffy..." Chopper said in tears as he attempted to reach for his captain. He couldn't touch his body.

The entity remained silence for several minutes. "Is this the way you treat 'family', Strawhat Luffy? To live in a fantasy world while they are left to suffer? They cry tears over you and you did not think of them at all. That is no way for a pirate captain to act. Those are the actions of selfish child."

Luffy lowered his head further in shame.

"You asked your ship, Sunny, if you were a good captain," the entity said. "Tell me, what would a good captain do here? Be a burden to their crew because they cannot move beyond their own selfish desires, or die and set them free to follow their ambitions?"

Luffy said nothing as he stared at the entity.

"How dare he?" Nami growled, wanting to blast the entity into dust with lightning. It was twisting everything to fit what it wanted. This thing was actually using the bond they shared with Luffy to kill him.

"Besides being selfish, you could not protect any of your crew at Omatsuri Island or Sabaody. What makes you think things will be different in the future? You have gotten much stronger, just like you have gotten stronger after Sabo was killed. You fought Warlords, legendary pirates, and the government, and you still failed to save any of them. Despite everything you have done, you could not protect anything," the entity said cruelly. "If you cannot protect those you supposedly hold dear, Strawhat Luffy, what purpose does your life hold? You are not good for anything else, since all you can do is fight."

Luffy gritted his teeth and clutched the dirt under his fingers.

The entity glared at Luffy. "You cannot use a sword, you cannot navigate the seas, you cannot cook, you cannot heal wounds, you are not smart, you cannot build or fix a ship, you are completely tone deaf, and you cannot even lie. If you cannot protect anything, then what the hell are you worth to them? What can you offer your crew?"

Luffy had no answer.

"That...that son of bitch..." Sanji hissed as he trembled in rage. "He actually corrupted Luffy's speech from Arlong Park."

"What speech?" Franky asked in confusion.

"Luffy more or less said to Arlong that he was depended on us for all the reasons that monster listed," Nami said, not bothering to hide her anger. "Luffy stakes his worth as our captain as being able to protect us and fight the battles we can't fight on our own."

Zoro growled. "That bastard twisted everything Luffy said around to make him feel worthless."

"Your guilt about what happened to Fire Fist and your worthlessness are dragging your crew down, making them abandon their dreams to lift you. Look at the trouble you caused them with that Dream Devil Fruit user. Do they really need to be put through that again?" the entity asked as he held out the knife again.

Luffy glanced at the knife. He could think of nothing to say.

"It is also because you have become so bound by your guilt that you can never escape this mist," the entity stated, getting Luffy's attention again.

"What?" Luffy whispered hoarsely. His eyes were wide in disbelief.

"You cannot leave this place. The moment you became entrapped here, your soul became part of the mist," the entity said. "If you do not chose to end your existence here and carry on, you will be trapped here for all eternity."

Luffy's eyes widened at that thought.

"Forever, you will be trapped within the mist, forced to relive your worst memories," the entity informed in almost a harsh whisper. "You will see your crew suffer and your brother die until time itself ends. That is the fate that awaits you, Strawhat Luffy. An eternity of pain with no reprieve."

Luffy's mouth dropped at the mental image.

"And do you know why you cannot escape?" the entity asked mockingly. "It is because you know that you deserve to suffer. That you do not deserve happiness."

"That...that can't be true," Chopper whispered in horror. He shivered at the thought of being trapped here forever.

"It is a half-truth, I am sure," Robin said as she attempted to steady her voice. "Luffy is trapped in the mist until he face his demons and overcomes them. Until he does that, he would be forced to stay here where the entity can use Luffy's own memories to torture him endlessly until his soul shatters."

"That...is this the real Hell?" Franky whispered in disbelief.

"Take the knife and for the sake of crew and end your miserable existence. It is the only right thing to do as _good_ captain," the entity said. "I am offering you this one chance to not only find peace, but to redeem yourself."

" _Redeem..._ " Luffy murmured.

"To redeem yourself for all the pain and suffering you caused your crew," the entity explained further.

Luffy took his eyes off the knife and stared at the entity. "Why...?"

"I am doing this not for your sake, boy," the entity said bluntly as it glared at Luffy. "You fully deserve to be in Hell and crushed by your own guilt for all eternity. But your crew does not deserve to suffer for your sins. I am doing this for your crew and their future happiness."

"BULLSHIT!" Sanji screamed, biting his cigarette in half.

"If you do not die, then they will remain bonded to you and suffer greatly because of all your failures and arrogance. They have already suffered enough pain for one lifetime," the entity said. "They deserve happiness and the chance to reach their dreams. Even a selfish child like you must agree. That is, if you actually care about your 'family'."

Luffy looked at the knife and then at the creature again. Without a word, he slowly reached for the knife.

The entity glanced at the Strawhats and acknowledged them for the first time with a smug look. " _You have failed_ ," it hissed at them through their minds.


	38. Road to Salvation

Luffy grabbed the knife's hilt and gently took it from the entity's cold, clothed hand. Carefully, he looked over the blade with morbid interest.

He honestly didn't want to kill himself. The immediate desire to do such a thing passed on this day in Amazon Lily. He found the will to live again when Jimbei reminded him that he still had his crew, who was awaiting his return. That he still had something left to protect.

Still, Luffy found himself considering taking his own life despite himself as he touched the sharp blade, cutting his fingers.

He didn't want to die, not after so many gave up so much to save him back at Marineford. He also didn't want to waste Ace's sacrifice. But, at the same time, he was sick of feeling guilty about what happened to his brother.

He knew it was his fault. That Ace would had never died if he just stood away and put his trust in his brother's crew, just as Ace trusted his crew to protect and care for him. Ace never came running to save him when he was in trouble because Ace had faith in those he chose to sail with him. He should have had the same faith in Ace's friends...no, family. That lack of faith took his brother from him as well as the lives of dozen of others, including Bon Clay. Maybe he did deserve to be miserable.

At the same time, was this really the only way to have peace? He thought he was on the road to recovery. He had gotten stronger after spending over a year in isolation, reunited with his crew, and fought and won against several powerful enemies since entering the New World. He was even gearing up to fight two of the Emperors and had an alliance with Traffy. They were back, fulfilling their dreams and sailing the seas of adventure in the strongest ocean in the world.

But what happened with Toby showed him the harsh, undeniable, truth. Despite everything he had gained, a part of his heart was still frozen in that time from two years ago. He never moved on from Marineford.

If he truly made peace with Ace's death, he would have never been ensnared in that stupid Dream World, or be in this place. He also wouldn't desired that Dream World to the point where a part of him resented his crew for waking him. He knew he did the right thing leaving that fantasy world, but he still deeply missed Ace and Sabo. Those months in that dream were some of his happiest times in his life. He had his family back. It showed him what could have been.

He chose a fantasy over his own crew and made them suffer needlessly. He abandoned them again.

It had been two years since Ace died, why wasn't he better? Why did he still hurt? Why did he still have nightmares and flashbacks of Ace's death? He should be stronger than this. After everyone gave up so much to help him, why wasn't he okay?

What would Ace think if he saw his weakling little brother still crying over his death? What would his crew think if they saw him like this after they gave up two years of their lives to train?

He was truly weak, as weak as he was when he gave up on his ambitions. When he renounced the right to claim the title of Pirate King.

Perhaps it was for the best to end it all here and put everyone out of their misery. How could he properly lead his crew and become the Pirate King and fulfill their dreams if he hurt all the time? Could he even look Shanks in the eye as he was now? He could barely look at his crew without feeling shame at what he had become. He couldn't even fulfill his promise to Ace. His life was already filled with many regrets.

Also, if it was true that couldn't even leave, what was the point of living? He didn't want to see Ace's death, or his crew's deaths by the Baron's hand, forever. It hurt enough the first time. He was...exhausted.

Maybe the truth was that he had already died. That he died back at Marineford with Ace. That all he was now was a shell crawling through life on the empty hope that the sun would return.

That mist creature was right; he was just a burden now. A burden that his crew didn't deserve. They deserved freedom. They deserved to go after their dream without a weak captain frozen in guilt holding them back. He couldn't protect anything the way he was now. They deserved...more than him.

The entity stared triumphantly at the Strawhats as it felt Luffy's anguish overwhelm his soul. " _You have failed. Your captain's soul and all of you, belongs to me._ "

"Don't be so cocky!" Zoro yelled as he viciously attacked the entity. Still, nothing touched it.

Sanji also attempted to kick the creature, but just like Zoro, his efforts were futile.

"Dammit, what is this thing!?" Sanji cursed.

" _You still do not get it?_ " the entity mocked. " _On this island, I am a god. You fools should have left when you had the chance. Now, you will share in your captain's fate. In his effort to save you, he will be damning all of you to a fate worse than Hell. Oh, the irony of the anguish he will feel once he realizes the truth makes me shiver._ " If the creature had a tongue, it would undoubtedly be licking its lips.

"You disgusting little..." Usopp growled as he trembled in rage. This monster was pure evil.

"You think you're _so_ powerful by attacking people when they're at their lowest! That torturing people until they lose their will to live gives you strength!" Nami yelled in anger and disgust. "You're nothing but a sadistic coward!"

The entity chuckled. " _What does it matter what an insect like you thinks? All of you will cease to exist and will become a part of the mist._ "

All the Strawhats growled at the entity.

" _I have been enjoying you all since you came here. Your grief, sadness, and regret over not being able to help your captain at Impel Down and Marineford was simply delicious. Your anguish over Sabaody and Omatsuri was also all too delightful. I have never had such an emotional group before in all my centuries. A group that truly loves and cares for one another is extremely rare in these seas. When you hurt one, it causes pain to everyone. I love people like you,_ " the entity continued to tease.

Sanji gritted his teeth as he stared daggers at the entity. "You unredeemable son of a bitch."

" _I have to thank that little pipsqueak for bringing me such a wonderful group of souls to feast on,_ " the entity said, taking no mind of Sanji's anger. " _So many strong souls at once. I could not ask for more._ "

"Pipsqueak...you mean that ball of light?" Franky asked as he growled under his breath. "Did that thing lead us into some kind of trap?"

" _I have to admit, I was worried for a moment,_ " the entity went on, ignoring Franky's question. " _I am not completely sure how you managed to catch up with your captain's soul. This has never happened before, despite his interference. But none of that matters now. Your captain is too broken and weak to hear your voices. He has become so lost in his despair and self-loathing that he has completely closed his mind. When one has lost all hope, they become deaf and blind to everything except their own dark thoughts and feelings. You can only sit here and watch. Everything you have done was for nothing!_ "

"You're sick," Brook sneered. "Why do you take such delight in tormenting people like this? Were you not once a living being? Only one who once had a heart could drag another person into such darkness."

The entity said nothing.

"What has Luffy-san ever done to you to deserve such agony? Why do you feel the need to punish him!?" Brook demanded.

" _I have nothing personal against your captain. You can only blame yourselves for this. You are the ones who allowed such a broken soul to come to this island. If it was not me, something else would had corrupted your captain and pushed him over the edge,_ " the entity said in a calm voice. " _The blame lies in all of you for being blind to your captain's pain._ "

Chopper's eyes widened in horror. "That's…"

"Don't listened to him," Zoro said firmly as he glared at the entity. "He's trying to break us like he did Luffy by pushing all the blame on us!"

The entity chuckled. " _Despite all of your crewmates thinking you are dumb and slow, you are actually quite clever, Pirate Hunter_."

"Stop trying to change the subject!" Sanji yelled. "Why are you doing this to Luffy!?"

The entity laughed at him. " _What does it matters to you when you are about to disappear? With all of your souls added to my power, I will be one step closer to my dream._ "

"Dream!?" Usopp exclaimed in surprise and shock.

"You mean, you don't eat souls for nutrition? Then why?" Chopper asked in surprise.

Brook scowled at the entity. "You're a ghost. What business do you have with the living?"

The entity did not answer for a moment. It appeared to be in pain by the way the mist around him shifted and swirled. " _There is no point telling those who will soon become a part of me. Only pain, misery, and extinction await you. Now, watch as your captain destroys himself. Disappear in despair!_ "

"You...whatever you are..." Luffy suddenly called.

The entity turned away from the Strawhats and stared at Luffy.

"You...you have my crew's memories… That means...that they're in this mist too?" Luffy asked in an unsteady voice.

"They were," the entity confirmed. He side-eyed the Strawhats before returning his attention to Luffy. "But they escaped. Since they had already conquered their demons and pain, they were able to break the curse of this island and are free to go wherever they please."

"So, they're safe," Luffy said as he sighed in relief. They didn't suffer like he had.

There was a slight pause. "Yes, they are safe."

"That's a lie!" Usopp yelled as he flung his arms at Luffy. "That thing wants all our souls, Luffy! That thing is trying to trick you! Dammit, Luffy, wake up!"

"They are safe because they are stronger than you can ever be. They can face and fight through their battles and not run and hide in a dream," the entity said.

Luffy closed his eyes as held the knife closed to his heart. "What are they doing now?"

There was a slight pause.

"They are waiting around your body. They are waiting for you to wake up. Much like what they did two weeks ago," the entity said as it appeared to close its 'eyes'. "It is quite sad. Your little doctor is trying not to cry as he cares for you. You navigator and sniper are in tears. Your other crewmates are trying to stay strong, but they could only look on helpless. Yes, it is exactly like it was the _last_ time."

Luffy's eyes widened in fear and shame. After what he saw, he never wanted to put his crew through such heartache ever again.

"Dammit, Luffy, it's lie!" Sanji screamed at Luffy. "We're right here!"

Luffy twirled the knife. "If I die here...will I die in real life?"

"Yes," the entity answered, attempting to hide its eagerness. "If you continue to live, they will wait on this island until your body eventually waste away because you are too weak to escape and shoulder the burden of your guilt. Going on means accepting and living with the fact that you killed your brother, Bon Clay, failed your crew in every possible way, and will eventually destroy them because of your arrogance and selfishness. If you can handle that then, by all means, leave and go _kill_ your crew."

Luffy flinched at the word. Still, he hesitated.

The entity seemed a little annoyed. It obviously expected Luffy not to have any fight left.

"There is another option," the entity suddenly said, getting Luffy's attention.

Luffy looked up at the entity.

"You can live, return to your crew, and then step down from being captain and leave the crew," the entity said.

"Step down?" Luffy repeated.

"Yes, leave your crew and allow them to remain together and fulfill their dreams. However, if you do take this step, you know what kind of future awaits you," the entity said softly.

Luffy breathed heavily and shivered as he realized what the entity was going to say.

The entity appeared to be smiling. "You will be… _alone_."

Luffy stopped breathing when he heard that cold, hateful word.

"You bastard…" Zoro hissed. They all knew how Luffy feared that word.

"You will be by yourself in this big world. Never allowed to make friends or form a new crew because you will eventually lead them to their deaths in your selfishness and arrogance," the entity went on.

Luffy froze in place. It was like the entity had stabbed him in the face.

"So, what choice do you take? Living a lonesome life, or end it here? Those are the only two right choices you can make for your 'precious' crew. Those are the only two choices you can make to redeem yourself for all the misery you have caused," the entity said. "What will it be?"

Luffy snapped out of his trance and turned his eyes towards the knife. His eyes hardened as he came to his decision. His body stopped shaking and he had an almost serene look on his face. He seemed relaxed and almost relieved.

Robin's eyes widened in horror. She knew that expression. She went through the same thing two years ago. The feeling of relief and peace that overwhelmed her when she accepted her death in Alabasta and Enies Lobby. To know that her nightmare was finally coming to an end, even if it was by the bleakness and finality of death.

"Luffy, stop!" Robin screamed desperately at her captain, startling her crewmates. She very rarely sounded like that. She sounded panicked and closed to tears.

Luffy got into a kneeling position and held the knife like he was preparing to plunge it into his chest.

Now, all the Strawhats were in panic mode.

The entity appeared to be smiling. "Good, Strawhat. End it here and free yourself and your crew from your guilt."

Luffy stared at the knife with an intense expression. "I have only one request. If I do this, you mustn't touch my crew. You feed on misery, right?"

This took the entity off-guard.

"Let them leave this island in peace," Luffy said. "Please…don't take advantage of them."

The entity stood quiet for several seconds. "You have my word. I will not touch your crew."

"You lying son of a bitch!" Sanji screamed in fury.

The entity side-eyed Sanji. " _It is no lie. I will not touch you."_ It appeared to smirk. _"It is your own captain who is damning you._ "

Robin narrowed her eyes as hatred burn within them. "How dare you take advantage of Luffy's heart this way!"

The entity just snickered.

Luffy closed his eyes and raised the knife.

"Luffy, please stop!" Brook pleaded as he attempted to reach for his captain. His hand passed through Luffy. "Killing yourself won't bring you the relief you desire! It will only bring more despair!"

"It's not what your brother would have wanted!" Franky screamed at his captain. "He died so you could live! Don't let this bastard twist that act of love into something evil!"

"Luffy, stop it! We don't want you to die! We would never be happy if you weren't by our side!" Chopper screamed in tear-filled panic.

"Dammit, Luffy, don't you understand! Our dreams, our ambitious would be worthless if you give up! What happened to Ace wasn't your fault! What Bon Clay did also wasn't your fault! They both made their own choices about their lives! Stop punishing yourself for others' decisions!" Usopp yelled as he tried to snatch the knife from Luffy.

Luffy wasn't listening as he prepared himself, taking several deep breaths.

"Luffy, snap out of it!" Nami shouted at her captain. She was in tears. If only she could just touch him, she could smack some sense into him. "You can't leave us like this! Not after everything we've faced together! It wouldn't make us happy to lose you! It would be the same if you abandoned us!"

"Dammit Luffy, you're not this weak!" Zoro yelled harshly. "Don't tell me you have forgotten about us again and bought into this entity's lies!? Goddammit Luffy, you can't just throw away everything you've gained! If you do, that would be _truly_ selfish!"

"Stop being so selfish, you shitty rubber-brain bastard! Do you really think we would be happier if you go and kill yourself like this, shit captain!?" Sanji shouted angrily. "What were those two years for if you're just going to end it this way!?"

Luffy couldn't hear any of them as his resolved hardened. He slowly closed his eyes. " _Ace, Sabo... Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Franky, Brook...I'm sorry. I...I'm not strong enough to shoulder this anymore. I'm too weak to protect anyone...not even myself. Please, reach for your dreams without me holding you back anymore. Ace...I'm sorry that you died protecting a weakling brother like me and that I can't keep my promise._ " His thoughts reverberated through the mist, allowing all the Strawhats to hear them. " _Still...I wish I could hear their voices...just one last time. Just one more time, I want to hear my crew's voices…_ "

With that thought, Luffy's eyes tightened as he ready the knife. Despite his resolve, his hands were trembling.

"LUFFY!" all the Strawhats screamed at once with all their hearts. Their voices rumbled across the landscape like thunder.

Luffy's eyes suddenly snapped opened, startling them.

"What are you doing?" the entity asked impatiently.

Luffy looked around the misty forest. He had a shock expression on his face and he was breathing hard. "Just...just now... I thought I heard my crew calling me."

"What...?" the entity hissed in disbelief. "That is impossible."

"He heard us!" Usopp yelled happily, tears of relief running down his face. They still had a chance.

"But how!?" Nami asked in bewilderment, shaking in shock. "Why so sudden?"

"Who cares," Zoro said as his hope returned. "We can finally reach Luffy."

"Through those trees…I hear my crew…" Luffy said slowly, not seeming to believe himself.

"What you are hearing is just an echo in your own memory. There is no one else here except us," the entity said in a dismissive tone as it regained its demeanor. Its eyes, however, glared at the Strawhats. " _How did you...?_ "

"Don't listen to that shit head!" Sanji screamed, ignoring the death glare the entity was giving them. "It's us, Luffy!"

Luffy looked in the direction of his crew in confusion. "I'm sure it came from there." He saw nothing but mist, however. Had he truly gone insane?

"He can hear us, but not see us," Chopper observed as he waved his hooves in Luffy's face. He didn't even blink.

"Are you that desperate to believe that your crew is nearby?" the entity asked in a taunting voice, choosing to ignore the Strawhats. "No one is here with you. You are _alone_ in this place."

Luffy winced and tightened his hold on the knife.

"You are never alone," Robin said at her captain.

"And you shall remain and deserve to be alone, trapped within this mist with nothing but your memories and broken promises," the entity went on, ignoring Robin. "Even if you somehow managed to escape and leave behind your guilt, you will eventually fail your crew again, just as you have failed your brother. When that happens, what will become of you, Strawhat Luffy?"

Luffy couldn't answer.

"You will be completely alone in this world," the entity answered for Luffy. "An outcast, hated and rejected by society just as you were when you were a kid. You will wonder the sea alone for an eternity without anyone caring whether you live or die. That is what your future holds because your arrogance will eventually kill everything you hold dear, just as it killed the brother you claim to love. Only by dying here can you spare your crew and yourself such a miserable fate."

Luffy said nothing as he lowered his eyes.

"Then again, maybe you want to live, go back to your crew, and continue to be that selfish boy who destroys everything he touches. It certainly would be in your character," the entity mocked. "So what if you become the Pirate King with the blood of your friends on your hands?"

Luffy sucked in his breath as he stared at one of his palms. He was half-expecting to see Ace's blood on them again.

"Stop telling him lies!" Zoro screamed angrily. Dammit, what he wouldn't give to kill this asshole, even if it was already dead.

"That's...Zoro's voice," Luffy muttered dully. This couldn't all be in his mind, could it?

"Yes, it's me, Luffy!" Zoro yelled at his captain. "We're all here! That thing is manipulating you!"

The entity laughed. "It seems your grief has truly driven you insane, Strawhat Luffy. Listening to voices, you are even more pathetic than I thought. Then again, madness will happen once you stay here long enough."

"Shut up, already!" Nami yelled at the entity before turning her attention back towards her captain. "Luffy, we are all here. We...we saw everything."

Luffy's eyes widened. "Everything...?"

"From the beginning to here, we saw all your struggles, triumphs, and pain," Usopp continued. "We understand how hurt you are about Ace's death and your guilt that you couldn't save us at Sabaody." He paused for a second. "You also feel guilty for getting us killed on that party island."

"Usopp…" Luffy whispered in horror. He was sweating hard now. "You saw..."

"It is all in your mind," the entity said forcibly, becoming angry for the first time.

"That entity showed you your past in an effort to break you, Luffy," Robin said. "It wants you to kill yourself so it can take your soul. What it is promising you will not bring peace, but complete extinction."

"What?" Luffy asked softly. He was utterly lost.

The entity snorted. "Even if that was true, is complete extinction really so terrible? Would feeling nothing be better than feeling constant, endless pain as guilt ripped your soul apart?"

"The pain doesn't have to be endless," Brook countered. "It does hurt. It hurts for a long time, but things can and do eventually get better. Especially, with the help and care of one's family."

Luffy said nothing for several seconds. "When? When does it get better!? It has been two years! It hurts...it hurts so much more than when Sabo died. It hurts so bad that...that I thought I was dying." He paused for several seconds. "For a while, I thought I was okay... I thought I could handle it and move on, but the pain keeps coming back! I keep seeing Ace die... I keep hurting! Maybe it will never go away! Maybe I'll cling to my brothers forever just as I did in that dream. Maybe it was better if I'd never woken from Toby's power or died at Marineford! At least that way I wouldn't be dragging down people with me."

"You don't believe that," Sanji said in a firm voice. "That's your guilt talking."

"Luffy, please come back! We all miss you!" Chopper yelled in tears. "This creature has been filling you with vicious lies! You can never be a burden to us!"

"Have I said anything that was not true?" the entity asked Luffy casually. "Did you not become arrogant because of all your past victories, which was why you fearlessly punched a Celestial Dragon, which brought down the wrath of the gods upon your head and nearly killed the crew you say you love? Did you not trust your brother's crew to save him and thought you could do it alone? What would you call that if not arrogance, or outright stupidity?"

"Those are all half-truths," Robin said calmly, but nothing could hide her anger at the creature. "We all became arrogant from what we achieve together. It was not just Luffy."

"We all underestimated the power of the World Government despite knowing how dangerous the admirals were from our run-in with Aokiji," Sanji said with a hint of shame. "Maybe we could have planned things better, but even if I _had_ died that day, I would have never hated you for punching that asshole noble."

Zoro nodded as he touched the hilt of one of his swords. "As I said then, I would have cut him if you hadn't acted."

"You saved Hatchi and Camie's lives!" Chopper yelled. "That's nothing to be ashamed of!"

"Zoro, Sanji, Chopper..." Luffy whispered.

"Two lives for price of your entire crew, sounds fair," the entity mocked.

"All life is precious!" Chopper growled. "I would have never forgiven myself if Hatchi and Camie were made to suffer because they tried to help us! I'm glad Luffy stood his ground and punched that damn noble! I would expect no less from my captain!"

Luffy looked close to tears hearing this.

"Is your imagination always this active?" the entity humored. "What excuse did your mind come up with to justify you going to war?"

Zoro growled at the entity, but wasted no time address it. "Those are also half-truths. I've seen your memories, Luffy, and I know you. You didn't go to Impel Down and Marineford because you were on some ego trip or any of that shit. You went to those places because you truly wanted to save your brother! You cared for his safety and life more than your own."

"You loved Ace and he loved you! That's why he died happy, knowing that he protected you!" Nami yelled at her captain.

"Someone is happy to die for a fool?" the entity asked coldly.

"He had a smile on his face and died with no regrets," Sanji said with a note of sadness and pride.

"You also didn't fail to save Ace!" Nami yelled. "You saved him from the marines and allowed him to spend his final moments as a free man! He didn't die because the marines executed him. He died because he chose to save something more precious than his own life!"

Luffy's eyes suddenly narrowed as he glared at the place where his crew spoke. "Don't you get it!? If you really saw everything, then you should know I didn't want Ace to save me!"

Luffy's sudden burst of anger startled Nami.

"I wanted him to escape and live!" Luffy yelled at the mist as he got to his feet. "He shouldn't have wasted a thought saving a weakling like me! I _should_ have died...not him!" He began to tremble, but he refused to let himself cry. "All my life…Ace had taken care of me. The one time I could repay him...to save him for once...he had to give everything up saving me because..." He sobbed despite his efforts to control his tears. Tears pooled onto the forest's floor as Luffy fell back to his knees. "I...I've failed so many people."

The entity nodded in agreement. "Indeed. If you truly saw his memories, then you must have seen how Bon Clay threw away his life and freedom for nothing because of this boy. He only had one request, and Strawhat couldn't even do that right. Not to mention the countless criminals Strawhat carelessly released during his failed raid." He glanced at Luffy. "What kind of trouble do you think Sir Crocodile has gotten himself into since he has been free? Maybe he went back to Alabasta and killed your dear friend Vivi along with her family."

Luffy visibly paled at the thought.

"You little..." Franky growled, ready to punch the entity across the afterlife.

"You all are being especially cruel, making him live with such guilt. Can you not see the pain he has been left in because of his sins?" the entity said as it turned towards Luffy. "Such selfish words cannot be the voices of your real crew, Strawhat."

Luffy stared blankly at the ground, considering the entity's words.

"You're the one being needlessly cruel," Brook growled at the entity.

"Besides, the choice to free Crocodile wasn't Luffy's and you know it! It was Iva's idea to free that bastard!" Usopp yelled in anger. "Even with that, Crocodile helped Luffy countless times in both Impel Down and Marineford. He even saved Luffy's life from Akainu. I still don't like the guy, but we owe that sandy croc one. He, among many others, helped bring Luffy back to us!"

"And it was Ace's choice to die," Franky said as he looked down at his captain. "Luffy, I know what it's like to feel guilty over someone's death! My mentor was taken away, left to rot and be tortured in prison before being killed because of me. I felt nothing but endless guilt over it to the point that my life stopped until I finally learned to forgive myself. And that's what you must do now, bro! You must forgive yourself and know that it wasn't your fault."

"Forgive?" Luffy whispered as he lowered his eyes.

"It's hard," Nami admitted. "It may take a long time, but we can help. You just can't give up on life, or on us. Not when there is still so much happiness in the future. Good things will come your way, as long as you continue to live."

Luffy looked in the direction of his crew again. He took several deep breaths. "You...you all not angry for what happened at Sabaody and...Omatsuri? You're not mad that I chose to save Ace instead of going out to find you?"

Zoro had to fight back a snort. "If I was angry, I would tell you, moron. Do you really think I would follow an incompetent captain?"

"We wouldn't have trained and come back if we were mad or thought you were a burden," Sanji added cockily. "I would have hated you if you did nothing after that shitty noble tried to buy Camie-chan."

Luffy stared blankly into the mist. His body trembled as he took in his crew's words.

"And we understand why you wanted to rescue Ace over reuniting with us," Nami said in a gentle voice as she recalled the memories they saw of Luffy and Ace. "He was your brother, caregiver, and best friend. What kind of heartless person wouldn't have rushed to their loved one's rescue if they knew there was no chance for them to escape death? What you did at Impel Down and Marineford wasn't selfish or arrogant, but the ultimate showcase of love."

"You went to Hell and back! You lost ten years of your life and was still willing to move even when you were dying of poison!" Franky yelled, trying to get through to Luffy. "You went into a war zone knowing that you were outmatched and still wanted to keep going to the point where you were dying! How the hell was any of that selfish!?"

"He should have left it in the hands of his brother's crew," the entity said forcibly. "They were more than capable in saving their own crewmate without some upstart rookie complicating things."

"Maybe so. Maybe they didn't need Luffy-san," Brook said as he coldly glare at the entity. "But Luffy-san was Ace's brother before he was theirs. Luffy-san had every right to be there and was willing to die on that battlefield to save his brother. If it was reverse, Ace would have done the same for Luffy and we would have welcomed his help." He pointed his sword at the entity. "You are twisting everything Luffy-san and Ace have done for each other and turning it into something wicked." He looked directly at his captain. "Luffy-san, you're allowing this creature to turn Ace into an evil spirit that is destroying your soul and defiling his sacrifice!"

Luffy was left speechless.

"Ace wouldn't have wanted this, Luffy-san. He would have wanted you to move on and achieve your dreams, not to be a means used to destroy you," Brook said in a gentler voice.

"I know that!" Luffy yelled in frustration. "After what happened a couple of weeks ago...don't you think I'm know that!?" He teared up again, but he refused to allow any tears to fall. "I...I...I'm just tired of feeling hurt... I want this pain, this emptiness, this...guilt to just go away!"

"And you can have that if you use that knife," the entity said with some heat. "Sitting here arguing with yourself achieves nothing. Give yourself the peace you so want and end it all."

"And what about us?" Zoro suddenly asked. "Are you that willing to just leave us like this?"

Luffy turned towards the voice of his swordsman. "Zoro?"

"Have you just forgotten about us!? We've all been through what you're going through!" Zoro yelled, becoming angrier. "We've all suffered pain, regret, and doubt in ourselves. Did you forget that Robin lost all desire to even live before she came to us!? Did you forget that Brook spent fifty years lost in a damn fog after he had lost his entire crew and then had his shadow stolen!? Dammit Luffy, we understand pain! If you needed help, you just had to ask!"

"I'm the captain!" Luffy yelled firmly as he slammed his fists into the ground. "A captain must always be strong. A captain must never show weakness, no matter how heavy the burden becomes. You said so yourself! That if I fell apart, who could you depend on!?"

"Bullshit!" Sanji yelled. "You may be our captain, but you're a still a human! Did you think we would think less of you because you say you're hurt!?"

Luffy looked ready to argued further.

"Did you know, Luffy, that we all attempted to rush to see you after we heard what had happened?" Robin suddenly asked, catching Luffy's attention. "We all wanted to be there for you because we knew you were hurt. We wanted to make sure you were not alone in this."

"You helped us so much, Luffy, and we weren't there when you needed us," Nami said as she choked back some tears. "Do you know the guilt we all felt because of that? Do you know how bad we felt that you lost so much while we remained unaware of anything? You went through hell, and we knew nothing."

"But we're here now and we know!" Chopper yelled. "We can help you get through this."

"Because we're your family, remember!? And families help each other! You don't ever need to be ashamed of asking us for help!" Usopp shouted.

"It isn't just you protecting all of us," Franky said. "It's about all of us protecting one another. So, don't you dare give up on life or us!"

"It does get better, Luffy," Robin said. "For a long time, I believed that the pain from my past would never go away, which was why I was willing to give myself to the government in order to save all of you. I know of the false peace you feel at the thought of dying. It was only thanks to all of you that I finally began to heal. Now, my past does not trouble me anymore. It still hurts at times, but I am able to see my future for the first time in a long time."

Luffy stared at what he still saw as nothingness. His breaths suddenly came out as harsher puffs and he bent over in what appeared to be pain.

The entity stared at Luffy. Something had changed. "What is the matter, Strawhat?"

"Luffy?" Chopper asked in concern as he walked towards his captain. What he wouldn't give to touch him.

"For so long, I felt guilty for letting Ace die. I always wondered if, had I never been there, would he have lived? If I had minded my own business and listened to everyone, would he still be alive?" Luffy sobbed brokenly. "Since that day, I felt like I should have died. When I was on that island that Rayleigh left me on, I wondered why I was the one left alive. Ace had so many friends trying to save him…and his father died to rescue him…so why did he throw it all away to save a weakling like me?"

It was terrible for the Strawhats to see and hear Luffy like this. They hated hearing him talk about wanting death. His will to live was so great that he could survive even the most hopeless situations. To continuously hear from his own mouth that he had lost his desire to live was like breaking the natural law. Luffy was their rock, their guiding light. For him to fall like this...

Perhaps that was why Luffy hid his pain all this time. Luffy knew how important he was to the stability and morality of the crew. He was their captain, so he had to be strong and firm for them, just as he was when he was forced to let go of Usopp. He wasn't allowed to show weakness, no matter how much he hurt.

Luffy took several deep breaths as he continued. "It was only my desire to become stronger to protect and see all of you again that kept me going during those days after the war. If it wasn't for that...I might have gone insane and done something bad to myself. Even now, I wonder if I can protect all of you. I swore I would protect everything when Sabo died, and I've failed. What...what happens if I fail again and you all perish for real? I don't want all of you to die because of me, like Ace. Just the thought of it is...unbearable. I would rather die here than allow anyone to suffer for my sake!"

"Luffy, is that your true fear and guilt?" Zoro asked gently. "That you will fail us?"

Luffy said nothing, but Zoro knew by his captain's silence that he had hit the real source of his problem.

Luffy wasn't just frozen in guilt and regret about what happened to his brother. He was deathly afraid of failing and history repeating itself. That he would eventually let them down and get them killed saving him like Ace, leaving him completely alone in the world. What happened to Ace and Sabo were the sums of all of Luffy's worse fears.

Luffy had proven several times through his actions that he never feared his own demise. If he died protecting and saving his friends, or just chasing his dream, he would go to the next world with a huge smile and no regret. It was the deaths of those around him that terrified him.

"If we do end up with the same fate as Ace, I would see it as an honor," Brook said. "Ace died a noble death."

"I don't want anyone to die saving me!" Luffy screamed angrily as he slammed his fists into the ground. "I'm your captain! It's me who is supposed to die for you! If my death means all of you are safe and allowed to continued towards your dreams, then I would do it!"

"That isn't your choice, Luffy," Franky said firmly. "If we die protecting one another, that's our business. Death happens, and it sucks when it does, but one can't live in fear of what ifs. You know this already, Luffy. That's the life of a pirate!"

Luffy glared in the direction of Franky. "Dammit, I do know that!"

"You may know it and accept it, but you've allowed your brother's death to stunt you," Franky countered harshly. "Don't you think we would be hurt too if you died saving all of us!? Do you know how much like shit we would had felt like if it was you who died during that damn war!? Do you _actually_ believe that we could just go back on the Sunny and continue our journey like nothing _happened_!? This works both ways!"

Luffy was taken aback by Franky's words.

"In a piece of your soul, Luffy, time stopped when Ace died. But you have to get it moving again," Nami said in a gentle tone. "We may all die on you, but remember what your brothers told you in your Dream World. Even in death, you're never alone."

"And that we can never hate or blame you if we do get killed," Usopp said. "We all accepted the life of a pirate. We know that we can die at any time. It wouldn't be worth going to sea if we didn't go on crazy and life threatening adventures. I mean, you said it yourself: part of the fun of being a pirate is the unpredictability of tomorrow."

Luffy lowered his head and sobbed harder, but there was something different about it.

"Why bother with echoes in your own mind?" the entity asked with a note of impatience. "If you desire peace, kill yourself already and be done with it."

Luffy continued to cry. "I...I don't know what's wrong with me. Nothing changed. Ace and Sabo are gone, and I'm still afraid of failing my crew, but...I can't stop...crying...in happiness."

The entity was surprise to hear this. "Happiness? What are you happy about?"

"Even...even if this is all in my head...even if I have gone crazy...my crew came to me when I'm unable to save myself again," Luffy sobbed. "They've done so much for me...and here I am sitting in self-pity. They...went through so much worse than me and they got back up...and here I am sobbing like a crybaby... I really haven't changed."

"That's not true," Usopp said as he knelt by his friend. He looked ready to put his arms around his captain. "It's okay to cry. Especially after everything you went through. You don't have to be strong for us all the time. You're allowed to weak in front of us."

Luffy looked at the knife in his hand as he slowly sat up. It looked like he had forgotten he was holding it. "For the first time in two years...I feel...I feel like...maybe things will get better..."

"You're being too hopeful," the entity said with a hint of annoyance. "Do you really think the guilt in your heart will just go away because you listened to a hallucination? You are destined to be alone, forever lost in the darkness of your own regret. Do you not see how hopeless your life is?"

Luffy smiled as he wiped away his remaining tears. "Maybe what you say is true... Maybe I am hopeless, arrogant, and selfish. But as long as my crew remains by my side, even if it's only in my head, then...I can deal with that." He stared down at the knife and squeezed the handle tightly.

"Get rid of that cursed thing and be done with that bastard!" Zoro yelled.

The entity stared at Luffy, its expression seemingly blank.

"Looks like you're the one who has failed," Brook told the entity coldly. "You underestimated the power of life."

The entity still said nothing, but it still appeared strangely calm as the mist grew thicker around it.

The creature's serene demeanor unnerved Robin. It was defeated, yet it was not upset. Were they missing something?

The entity suddenly began to chuckle. "Well, before you make any final decisions, Strawhat, I have one last memory that I wish to share with you."

Luffy stared at the entity, along with the Strawhats.

"What's he up to now?" Usopp growled.

"What memory can it possibly show Luffy?" Nami said as dread built in her stomach.

They have seen pretty much everything and she couldn't think of anything that could have happened when Luffy was training or after they reunited that would cause him grief. Maybe losing to Caesar, but she highly doubt it. It couldn't be a bluff. That entity was far too smug for that.

The entity's white eyes glowed in the dark light of the mist. "Tell me, Strawhat Luffy, have you ever wonder what happened at Thriller Bark after you lost consciousness?"

Luffy was taken off-guard by the question. "Thriller Bark?"

Zoro paled and felt his mouth go dry. It was going to show Luffy.

Robin, Sanji, and Brook were also distress as they realized what the entity had planned.

The remaining Strawhats also became pallid, although not for the same reason.

"That bastard...he's going to show Luffy that..." Sanji whispered in dismay. If Luffy saw what happened at Thriller Bark in his current mental state, it would destroy everything they've done to save him.

"I know what happened. Kuma came," Luffy answered as he got over his confusion. "What does that have to with anything?"

The entity chuckled. "You poor, naive child. Allow me to show you what happened after you defeated the Warlord Gekko Moriah."

"That bastard!" Zoro yelled. "He's using our memories again!"

Now, he was afraid. He knew what memory that entity was going to show his captain. Luffy was about to see something that he was never meant to see. The memories of what happened with Toby nearly crushed their captain. If he saw the deal he made with Kuma...

Without waiting for Luffy to take or reject its offer, the scene of Amazon Lily faded into the mist. When the mist reformed, they were back at Thriller Bark.

Luffy had also changed with the memory. He was no longer the half-dead man from two years ago. He looked exactly as he did before the Strawhats went into his memories. Although, Luffy's eyes were still slightly void and his mental state was obviously not completely stable.

"Why did you bring me back here?" Luffy asked, completely lost. He was still holding the knife.

"Be silent and watch," the entity said calmly as he pointed towards the scene playing before them.

Luffy looked to see his crew fighting Kuma. They were losing badly.

None of them, not even Zoro, could touch the Warlord because of his strange but powerful Devil Fruit. Everything they threw at him was deflected, and to make matters worse, everyone was worn out from their battle with Oars and Moriah. Although the Rolling Pirates were unharmed and fresh, they stood no chance against the Warlord. Several of them went down with one paw cannon.

Sanji was the only one able to land a solid hit on Kuma and he nearly broke his leg for his efforts.

To Luffy, it was exactly like Sabaody. He could only watch helplessly as his crew fought a hopeless battle.

He glanced at his past self and saw that he was lying limp on a stone slab that was adjusted to act as a bed. Despite all the chaos going on around his past self, he didn't even twitch.

He knew he would be like this after he defeated Moriah, but he felt sick nonetheless that his crew was fighting and getting hurt and he was aware of none of it. He also didn't like that Franky and Robin had stationed themselves the closest to him. They were undoubtedly acting as a last line of defense to protect him against the Warlord.

"That shitty bastard," Sanji growled under his breath. He was shaking badly as he was forced to relive this moment. He should have expected that shitty entity to have one last trump card. He should have seen this coming after that entity showed Luffy their memories from just two weeks ago.

Kuma glanced at the exhausted pirates with a neutral expression. He gave a soft sigh. "As I figured. Getting rid of you all in your injured state is not fair at all. The government ordered me to completely obliterate you, but..."

Instead of finishing the sentence, he raised both arms into the air and created a giant paw bubble.

"What in the world is that?" one of the Rolling Pirates asked, baffled.

"Air? Is he making a giant air bubble with his paws?" Nami in the memory asked in wonder.

"It keeps getting smaller and smaller," Chopper in the memory noted in concern.

Luffy had no idea what was going on. The other Strawhats remembered all too well what happened.

The process was a fairly long, but no one moved to stop Kuma. It was because no one could do anything anyway to stop the Warlord, even if both of his hands were full. They also weren't sure what he was doing and if it was a good idea to interrupt him.

Nami in the memory gasped as she realized what was happening. "He's using his repulsion ability to make a gigantic ball of air, but he's compressing it so much!"

"If all of that air pressure were to suddenly expand, it would create a massive shockwave. It would turn into a bomb!" Robin in the memory explained in fear.

"A bomb!?" Luffy repeated in shock.

"Simplified, the Warlord Bartholomew Kuma is creating an air bomb that will most likely wipe out everything on this ship," the entity explained nonchalantly. "Nasty ability."

Luffy gritted his teeth as he watched helplessly. He tightly clenched his fists and appeared ready to run in and stop Kuma.

The entity seemed to smirk at the rubberman. "This is a memory. There is nothing you can do to change anything. These events have already happened."

Luffy hissed under his breath and trembled in anger.

The paw bubble got smaller until it was only the size of a bowling ball. It kept getting smaller.

"Bomb!?" Usopp in the memory exclaimed in terror. "Are you telling me he's making a bomb!?"

"Boooomb!?" Brook shouted in horror.

After a few more seconds, the air bubble was so compressed that it fit into Kuma's hands. Everyone stared at him in horror, knowing there would be no place to run if he released that air bubble.

Kuma turned to address the pirates. "I will spare your lives."

Luffy was taken off-guard by the declaration. He knew Kuma was a good guy, but why make an air bomb if he had no intention of using it?

The Strawhats closely watched their captain's face.

"We're all watching the same memory, yet Luffy still can't see us," Chopper observed.

"We must still be in a different pocket," Robin said in thought. "We all are sharing the same memory, but we are in a different planes of existence."

"How is that even possible?" Nami asked.

Franky snorted. "Who knows anything about how this crazy mist works."

While they were talking, the pirates who heard Kuma's proclamation sighed in relief. They looked ready to cheer. The Strawhats in the memory eyed the Warlord suspiciously.

"If, in exchange, you will give me the head of Strawhat Luffy," Kuma stated, stopping the celebration cold. All the pirates looked at Kuma as if he was crazy.

Luffy's mouth dropped in shock. His crew never told him about any of this.

The Strawhats' reactions in the memory varied from shock, to annoyance, to outright anger. Luffy knew by their expressions what their answer would be.

"If I return with his head, the government will not complain," Kuma went on, ignoring all the death glares he was receiving.

It took Luffy a moment to find his voice as he considered the deal that Kuma was offering his crew and the Rolling Pirates. "You know, that...that's a good trade."

"You would think that, Luffy!" Usopp yelled harshly at his captain.

"One man's life for that of an entire crew and its allies, more than fair. Bartholomew Kuma was very generous with his offer," the entity agreed. "If you were conscious, would you not have taken his deal?"

"Of course I would!" Luffy shouted, outraged that the entity had even ask such a question. "If my life would have spared my crew, of course I would give myself to Kuma!"

"Good thing you weren't awake," Nami said almost dryly.

The other Strawhats nodded in agreement.

There was a long silence in the memory as everyone stared at Kuma. What surprised Luffy was that all the Rolling Pirates were also glaring defiantly at Kuma. They weren't happy about the deal at all. It was almost like Kuma had asked for _their_ captain's life.

"You're asking us to betray our friend?" Usopp in the memory hissed in a harsh voice as he glared daggers at the towering Warlord.

Luffy had never heard that tone from the sniper before. Even when they had their duel, Usopp never sounded like that. As fierce as that duel was, despite all the harsh words and vicious blows, Usopp was on the verge of tears throughout the entire fight. Here, his tone was a mix of outrage and anger. Usopp was truly pissed.

Even the normally timid Chopper stared fiercely at Kuma without a shred of fear. Luffy could see the fur stand up on his back, making him look almost wild despite being in his Brain Point.

Nami, who had a history of betraying people in the past for her own survival and self-interest, stared blankly at Kuma. There were also no signs of fear or hesitation in her face. Only a cold fury that was so rarely seen.

Robin was much the same as Nami. If she could, Luffy knew she would have used her ability to break the Warlord in half.

Brook, who wasn't even part of his crew yet, looked like he wanted charge and stab Kuma in the face. As far as Luffy could remember, he had never seen the skeleton swordsman so angry.

Zoro and Sanji both had blank expressions, but Luffy could feel their rage.

Franky was grinning, but it wasn't a friendly or cocky grin. It was a grin he usually gave just before he unleashed hell on somebody. When he thought about it, it was the same grin he gave just before they fought in Water 7.

"Come. Bring Strawhat to me," Kuma ordered nonchalantly.

Even with the threat of a bomb going off and killing all of them, everyone had their answer before Kuma even finished his sentence.

"HELL NO!" everyone shouted at once. Their refusal echoed across Thriller Bark and the memory.

Luffy was left dumbfounded, especially by the Rolling Pirates. Every last one of them had shouted "no" along with his crew. Not a single person, people that they met not even an hour ago, considered selling him out. After spending years locked in darkness by one Warlord, they were willing to give their lives for him. They, more or less, had all given Kuma the collective middle finger.

Luffy was nearly moved to tears despite himself. "You guys..."

Kuma face was unreadable as he stared at the pirates. "That is a shame." With that, he released his air bubble and everything was blown away in a huge explosion.

"Everyone!" Luffy shouted in dismay as he watched in horror as his crew and the Rolling Pirates be blown off their feet, thrown into the air, and then slammed into the ground with debris falling on top of them.

The memory shook violently as the person who was experiencing this moment was thrown.

The blast was so sudden and powerful that it was amazing that no one was killed. If Kuma wanted to, he could have easily wiped out every living thing on the ship with that technique.

Luffy balled his fists in helpless anger. Dammit, why did they have to do this? This all could have been settled with his life. What was the point of protecting him if they were all dead?

The Strawhats cringed as they watched their younger selves fly like rag dolls across the broken pirate ship. This was not one of their fondest memories. Nonetheless, they all stood proudly as they watched themselves protect their captain. Luffy may have hated it, but they would all do it again in a heartbeat.

If Luffy had been awake and willing to give his life to Kuma, they would have knocked their rubber idiot of a captain out before he could do it. He wouldn't even have the time to give the order before they'd done it, too. Luffy thought too little about his own life.

Despite looking like everyone was knocked out, the memory kept going, although it was a little on the foggy side, like the person experiencing the memory was half-awake. Fast and harsh breaths could also be heard in the background along with the pounding of a heartbeat. Whoever the watcher was, they were critically wounded.

For the Strawhats who weren't in the know about what happened to Zoro, they half-expected to see Kuma leave, thinking he had killed or at least disable everyone. They did wonder, however, whose memory they were experiencing. As far as they knew, everyone was rendered unconscious from the explosion.

The ones who did know the truth, however, dreaded what they were about to see. How would the crew respond to what Zoro did? More importantly, how would Luffy react given his fragile mental state?

Zoro could only growl as he watched Kuma slowly move through the rubble with deliberate steps towards his prey, certain that there was no left.

He wanted no one to know. He wanted to take all of this to his grave. He knew the guilt that Luffy would feel over what he had done, but it was out of his hands now. That damn entity had to play this as its final card.

Kuma kept walking until he stopped in front of a large piece of rubble. Next to the debris was an unconscious Luffy. He was unharmed in the blast thanks to his rubber body. Despite taking no damage, he was still completely dead to the world, unaware of anything. Kuma's bomb didn't stir him from his slumber.

The memory suddenly became vivid again and the heartbeats speeded up. The breathing of the person experiencing the memory also became faster and choked.

Those little details, however, mattered little to half of the Strawhats.

"What, Kuma was still after Luffy!?" Usopp exclaimed in shock and horror as Kuma used his powers to knocked the rubble blocking Luffy out of the way.

"Luffy's going to get captured!" Chopper yelled in panic.

"This…this can't be right," Franky said, completely lost and confused.

Luffy stared at his inevitable capture with a blank expression. He wondered at the back of his mind how he had slept through an explosion.

Nami gasped as her eyes widened. Luffy was completely helpless. There was nothing stopping Kuma from taking Luffy from them.

The same thoughts must had rushed through the unknown person's memory since their breaths were on the edge of panic now. The heartbeats were so loud that it sounded like the person's heart could burst.

Kuma stared down at Luffy for a second before he reached his giant hand for the rubber boy. Just as he picked Luffy up by the bandages on his chest, a blur came out of nowhere and hit the Warlord on his right shoulder.

"Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed as he watched his swordsman cut Kuma using his steel cutting technique, revealing his robotic arm.

Kuma was not expecting Zoro at all and he stumbled back in surprise.

"Zoro?" Franky asked in equal surprise.

He wasn't surprised that Zoro had remained conscious through the bomb. The man had the endurance of a battle tank. What was surprising was that Zoro was not only able to move, but managed to land a solid blow on Kuma. If Kuma were a normal human, his entire right arm would have been sliced off.

"How did you stay conscious through that!?" Chopper yelled in complete shock. No wonder his injuries were so terrible. Moving around like that undoubtedly reopened many of his wounds.

Zoro didn't answer as he continued to watch the scene with gritted teeth. The crew could hear his swords clinching together as he tightly gripped the hilt of one of his sword.

Memory-Zoro's eyes widened in disbelief when he saw the robotic arm, shooting sparks into the air. It was hard to say if Zoro was surprised that Kuma had a metal arm or that his metal cutting technique had no effect other than leaving a small cut.

"Bastard...what are you..." Zoro stuttered in a strained voice. It sounded like it took all his strength just to speak.

Kuma turned towards Zoro and stared at him for a moment.

"So...you're a cyborg...like Franky," Zoro observed as he took several laboring breaths. "No...you're tougher than just regular steel."

Kuma's eyes glowed for a second and he opened his mouth. An all too familiar beeping noise filled the air.

Zoro gasped in horror as the Warlord fired a giant laser out of his mouth. He was somehow able to will his body to dodge the beam at the very last second and the explosion sent debris flying everywhere. Zoro was knocked into the air by the aftershock, sending him crashing onto the rubble.

The Strawhats cringed as they heard the swordsman's bones crack from the impact. They could also see Zoro's muscles beginning to involuntarily twitch. He was obviously hurt and barely able to move.

Sanji gritted his teeth, nearly biting his cigarette in half. That stupid moss head was closer to death than he though even before he made his deal with Kuma.

Luffy looked like he was ready to run and help his crewmate.

"This is a memory. You cannot do anything," the entity reminded casually, as if reading Luffy's mind.

"Dammit..." Luffy hissed helplessly as he clenched his fists. His palms were beginning to bleed. Zoro was suffering because of him.

While Zoro was slowly picking himself off the ground, Kuma casually fixed the tear in his jacket.

"The steel...was melted..." Zoro whispered as he stared at a steel beam melting before his eyes. He forced his body to face Kuma.

"Cyborg; that is what I am indeed, but I am far different from Cyborg Franky," Kuma explained. "I am what they call a Pacifista. A yet incomplete human-weapon project of the World Government."

"Pacifista?" Zoro whispered as he attempted catch his breath. The word meant nothing to him. What he did know was that he was screwed against the Warlord.

"Created by the government's genius scientist, Doctor Vegapunk, the man who possess the highest intellect in the world. They say that his scientific knowledge has already reached a level that will take the rest of humanity five hundred years to reach," Kuma stated.

Franky whistled. Although he suspected as much when he saw the scientist old lab, he now wanted to meet Vegapunk more than ever.

"With you being the way you are and an ability user on top of it, it seems that our hope is already lost," Zoro whispered. There was a hint of despair in his voice.

Most of the Strawhats, as well as Luffy, were stunned by Zoro's words. It was against Zoro's nature to give up on anything, no matter how mess up or hopeless the odds were. He was a person who would rather die than to give in to hopelessness.

"Zoro..." Luffy whispered.

Zoro sat on his legs and breathed deeply several times. "As expected...my body isn't responding any more..." He looked up and stared desperately at Kuma. "Why must you take Luffy's head!?"

Luffy felt for his swordsman. He sounded lost and, dare he say, scared. Was Zoro that frightened at the thought of losing him?

"That is as far as I am willing to compromise," Kuma informed in a cold voice.

The Strawhats, who didn't know, looked in confusion at Kuma. What was going on?

Zoro continued to stare at Kuma before he glanced at Luffy's unconscious form.

Luffy saw something pass through Zoro's eyes and he felt his stomach drop and ice form. He was going to do something and he didn't like that look.

"Fine...I'll let you have one head," Zoro said as he turned his eyes back toward Kuma. He unexpectedly got on his knees and bowed his head before Kuma. His head was so low to the ground that his forehead was touching the dirt. "However, in exchange, please take my life for his!"

Luffy choked in shock. If Zoro had stripped naked and set his hair on fire, he didn't think he could be more stunned. Zoro bowed his head before no one, be it a Warlord or a god. It was against everything Zoro was to humble himself. He had to keep himself from yelling for Zoro to lift his head up.

Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Franky all gasped in surprise. Of all things, they weren't expecting this ether.

Kuma was also left dumbfounded, showing emotions for the first time

"My head may not be worth much at the moment, but this is the head of the man who will eventually become the world's greatest swordsman!" Zoro exclaimed. "Surely, that should be enough!"

Luffy said nothing, but he was noticeably pale and seemed unsteady on his feet.

Zoro looked at his captain, desperate to read any reaction from him. Luffy, however, had his infamous stone face. It was impossible to read Luffy at the moment, even for him. However, going by Luffy's shaking frame, he was not taking this revelation well.

"Despite your great ambition, you wish to take this man's place?" Kuma asked, not quite believing Zoro.

"Aside for that, I see no other way to save my crew," Zoro said before he glanced at Luffy again for a moment. "If I can't even protect my captain, then my ambition is worthless! LUFFY IS THE MAN WHO _WILL_ BECOME THE PIRATE KING!"

"Zoro..." Chopper whispered in awe. He was on the verge of tears. He didn't think Zoro could get any cooler.

Luffy's stone expression slipped a little and Zoro could see the beginning of tears in his captain's eyes. Whether they were tears of gratitude, sadness, or anger, Zoro couldn't tell.

Kuma stared blankly at Zoro as the swordsman returned his own stare, awaiting the Warlord's answer.

"Now just hold on a minute, you bastard!" Sanji in the memory suddenly yelled as he walked behind Kuma with a limp.

Zoro, and everyone else, was more than a little surprised to see Sanji. Robin was taken by surprise as well since she didn't know this part of the story.

"How are you supposed to get ahead if you're dead?" Sanji scolded. "What about your ambitions, idiot?"

Zoro continued to stare in disbelief at the cook. "You...!"

"Hey, big guy!" Sanji yelled as he walked in front of Kuma, blocking Zoro from his view. "Rather than this moss-headed swordsman, take my life instead!"

Luffy, if possible, got even paler. How didn't he know any of this?

"Sanji..." Nami muttered.

Sanji was trembling badly, barely able to keep standing, but he refused to fall as he glared at Kuma. "I know the marines may not consider me a threat, but soon enough, the one from this crew who will cause you the most trouble will be me! Black Leg Sanji!"

"Why you!" Zoro in the memory exclaimed in annoyance. It wasn't his normal irritation with his rival. Zoro sounded truly concern for Sanji's safety.

Kuma stared blank faced at both of them.

Luffy looked between his cook and his swordsman numbly.

"Instead of this guy...my life...take it!" Sanji nearly demanded in a quivering voice as he fought to stay awake. "We both resigned to the sacrifices that we must take! Let this flower of death blossom once and for all! Give me a glorious death!" He glanced at Zoro for a fraction of a second. "Hey...tell everyone...to take care. Sorry, but...looks like you need to find yourselves another cook!"

Before Sanji could make his grand sacrificial move, Zoro slammed the hilt of one of his swords into Sanji's side, just below the ribs.

All the Strawhats, save for Robin and Zoro, winced. They knew the strike would have broken Sanji's ribs if Zoro hadn't been so careful.

Sanji gritted his teeth, remembering all too well when Zoro knocked him out like a little punk. He unconsciously rubbed the spot where Zoro had hit him. "Dammit. That hurt, you know, shitty swordsman. That bruise didn't heal for two weeks," he grumbled.

Zoro refused to acknowledge the cook as he continued to stare at his captain. Luffy wasn't too surprised by his actions, knowing that Zoro wouldn't allow anyone on his crew to die on his watch.

Sanji in the memory stumbled as he glared angrily at the swordsman. He grabbed Zoro's shoulder as he slumped down. "Ba...bastard!" he shouted before he collapsed limp onto the ground.

Kuma watched these events with an empty expression.

Zoro looked up at Kuma as he removed his remainder swords. "This is my final request." He tossed his swords over towards Kuma, putting himself completely at the Warlord's mercy.

Kuma gave a deep sigh after a few seconds of silence between the two men. "If I were to lay a hand on Strawhat after this, my honor would be at stake." His words sounded eerily similar to Aokiji's words after he had frozen Luffy.

"I'm in your debt," Zoro said gratefully.

Kuma turned towards Luffy and gently picked him up. "You can trust me. I will keep my promise. But before I claim my sacrifice, I will make you experience hell."

Some of the Strawhats paled at those words. What was he going to do to Zoro and how did it involve Luffy?

Luffy could only watch the unfolding events with the entity standing quietly next to him.

Kuma put a hand onto Luffy's chest and within seconds a giant red air bubble was pushed out of Luffy's back. The bubble was so big that it was about Kuma's size. Once the process was done, Kuma placed Luffy back onto the ground.

"What I have just repelled from his body was his suffering and stress," Kuma explained. "This is all the damage he had accumulated during his battle with Moriah and Oars."

Luffy looked like he was going to be sick. It couldn't be...

"If you wish to take his place, then naturally you would have to take in all his pain," Kuma stated. "However, since you are already close to death, if you were to take all of this, it would be impossible for you to survive. You will die."

"No way..." Nami whispered in disbelief as she put her hands to her mouth. This couldn't be real.

"Zoro's injuries...that explains everything..." Chopper murmured as it all fell into place for the young reindeer. His eyes were wide with horror and realization. "All that muscle, tissue, and nerve damage were similar to the stress that Luffy experiences when he overdoes his Gears. Why do I only realize it now?"

"That...that guy is so powerful that he can actually push out something like pain from a person?" Franky asked numbly. Were there _any_ limits to Kuma's ability?

Usopp felt as sick as he recalled how messed up Zoro was. Even after over a month had passed, Zoro still didn't fully recover. For a while, Chopper thought Zoro was beyond recovery and he would remain in a crippled state.

"Please, try some," Kuma said as he tore a piece of the bubble off and allowed it to float towards Zoro.

When that one piece touched Zoro, he immediately screamed and withered in agony.

It was like nothing the Strawhats had ever heard from the swordsman. The sounds alone were indescribable. Only Luffy's screams when he was being healed from his poison came close.

Chopper was ill as he watched Zoro's body looked like it was going to explode from the inside. The swordsman's body was actually attempting to mimic Luffy's Third Gear. The crack of bone and the splash of blood made the young doctor want to cover his ears.

Sanji's eyes widened in disbelief. He knew. He knew this would happen, but he didn't know it was like this. That one little bubble of pain alone nearly shattered Zoro's body.

Robin, who normally had no problem looking at disturbing sights, was horrified by what she saw. It looked like Zoro would drop dead right there.

Brook could only grip his cane in dismay as he watched his crewmate suffer.

The memory tore apart for a moment before it finally return to normal as the agony ceased.

"Zoro!" Luffy screamed when the swordsman fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

Zoro was spread out on his back and his eyes were rolled back as he gasped for air. He was quivering like lightning had hit him or he was having a seizure.

"How was it?" Kuma asked neutrally.

It took Zoro several seconds to catch his breath and slowly sit up. Luffy wanted to yell for Zoro to stop, but knew there was nothing he could do. A memory couldn't be changed, no matter how much it sucked. That was pure torture.

"Just...let me chose the location..." Zoro stuttered. His voice was filled with pain.

The scene shifted and they were in a different part of Thriller Bark. Zoro stood in front of the giant pain bubble and prepared himself. Before the Strawhats could think of anything to say, Zoro stepped up to the bubble and plunged both his hands through it.

The results were gut-wrenching, to say the least. Blood splattered everywhere as Zoro's body was torn apart from the inside out. The popping of blood vessels and the tearing of nerves and muscles could clearly be heard.

Before long, Zoro began to scream despite his best attempts to hold it in. The screams sounded completely inhuman and would remain with the Strawhats forever. Luffy's losing ten years of his life was the only thing that could rival what they were seeing and hearing.

Nami immediately started retching and had to turn her eyes away before she threw up. Sanji was immediately by her side and wrapped a comforting arm around her.

Usopp was much the same as Nami as he covered his ears in an effort to block the terrible screams.

Robin was horrified. She thought seeing Luffy being healed back in Impel Down was a terrible sight. To think, all this pain and suffering originally came from her captain.

Brook refused to look away, but he most likely would have lost his stomach if he had one.

Chopper's mouth fell open in shock. The damage he was seeing was beyond measure. It was truly a miracle that Zoro ever recovered from this. Hell, it was mind-blowing that he was even still alive.

Franky stared wide-eyed, not believing what he was watching. Did a person really live through that? How the hell wasn't Zoro a vegetable?

Zoro didn't bother to look at himself. He remembered all too well this experience and he didn't need to relive it.

What he was concerned about was Luffy. All the remaining color had drained out of his captain's face and his mouth had dropped wider than Chopper's as he watched the memory.

Zoro could tell that smug entity was smiling even without a face, feeding off of Luffy's despair and grief along with the rest of the crew's.

As soon as it happened, it was thankfully over. Zoro remained standing tall and he folded his arms across his broken and bloody body. There, he stood. Even as his consciousness faded, his body refused to fall. If he was going to die, he was going to do it on his feet.

No one on the crew could speak. No one had any words.

"Amazing that a mere mortal survived that. He was quite fortunate," the entity said, breaking the silence that had fallen over everyone.

"I...I...I never knew..." Luffy whispered as he thought back to Sabaody and how Zoro was nearly killed by Kizaru.

That was why Zoro was so messed up after fighting that Pacifista. Why didn't he see it? His crewmate, one of his friends, was mortally wounded because of him.

Almost like his body was moving on its own accord, Luffy walked towards the injured and dying swordsman. He stared at Zoro's blood-ridden body for several seconds. He was shaking and his eyes narrowed as righteous anger built in his chest. His breaths became faster and hasher as the full impact of what Zoro had done struck him.

"Damn it...damn it, Zoro!" Luffy screamed in memory Zoro's face. "I didn't ask you to do this any of this, you moron! Did you lose your ambition!? Did you forget your vow to never lose!? Weren't you supposed to become the greatest swordsman!?"

Zoro in the memory didn't answer.

"Answer me, dammit!" Luffy roared as he punched at Zoro with wild, unfocused punches. His fists passed right through Zoro, but he didn't care. "Damn you, Zoro. Damn you! Damn you! I didn't ask you to save me, you stupid, stupid, moron! I didn't ask you to die in my place! You selfish asshole! You asked what your dream would be worth if I die! What would my dream mean if you got your stupid self killed protecting me!? Damn it, Zoro, answer me!"

The entity watched the outburst with dark amusement.

The Strawhats watched Luffy's breakdown helplessly. For those crew members who had just now learned the truth, they felt the same way as Luffy. One part of them wanted to praise Zoro for his bravery and his selfless act in protecting the crew and their captain.

Another part of them wanted to beat the crap out of Zoro. If Zoro had died here at Thriller Bark, it would have forever shattered the crew. Did Zoro think that he was so unimportant that his death would have been meaningless?

Zoro watched Luffy with a shaking eye. He knew this would cause Luffy untold amounts of pain. He knew Luffy would blame himself for not stopping this from happening. This was meant to be his burden and his alone.

Luffy stopped trying to pummel memory-Zoro and attempted to catch his breath. He was exhausted, both emotionally and mentally. Choked sobs left his throat as he attempted to get his emotions under control.

It looked like Luffy had aged ten years before the Strawhats eyes. His eyes had the same emptiness it did when Ace was dying.

"Dammit Zoro...I promised you, didn't I...? I promised you if I ever stood in your way, that I would..." Luffy muttered softly.

"Yes, you did make that promise, didn't you, Strawhat?" the entity mused darkly. "If I remember correctly, the vow details that if you ever cause your swordsman to lose his ambition, you would have to apologize to him and cut your stomach. That was it, correct?"

Luffy said nothing.

"Don't you dare twist the promise we made!" Zoro screamed in fury, but Luffy couldn't hear him.

"Huh, he can't hear us again?" Usopp asked as panic seized his chest.

"That entity must have increased its influence to ensure that we cannot interfere," Robin stated fearfully.

"From what I have observed, you _did_ stand in your swordsman's way and cause him to lose his ambition and dream," the entity stated nonchalantly. "After all, he had to sacrifice everything to save you. Everything would have been settled peacefully if you have been awake and given yourself to Kuma. But you were too weak to wake up and protect your own crew. So, they were forced to save you, yet again."

"Dammit, stop twisting everything!" Sanji yelled angrily.

"Now that I think about it, your swordsman gave up his ambition twice for your sake," the entity said in thought.

Luffy looked at the entity in shock. "What...?"

"I believe he told you that he trained under Mihawk for the past two years," the entity said.

"Shut the hell up!" Zoro yelled fiercely.

Luffy nodded numbly.

"Did he ever tell you how he got Mihawk to train him?" the entity asked in good nature. "It must have struck you as odd that the greatest swordsman in the world would train a man would desired his title. For Hawk-Eye Mihawk to take such a man as his student, a high price much have been paid, don't you think?"

Luffy couldn't answer. He never thought about it.

The entity seemed to smile at him. "He bowed his head before Mihawk and begged him to train him."

Luffy was taken aback by the revelation. He couldn't speak for several seconds. "You...you're lying..."

"Do you want to see the memory for yourself?" the entity asked nonchalantly.

Luffy could only stare at the creature, unable to speak.

"Zoro... But he doesn't bow to anyone," Chopper whispered, not believing what he was hearing.

"He just bowed to Kuma, remember?" Sanji said as he bit his cigarette. He should have expected as much. No way Mihawk would just train Zoro out of the kindness of his heart.

"Is that true, Zoro?" Nami asked the swordsman.

Zoro lowered his head, telling everyone that it was the truth.

"Now, no matter if he reaches his goal of becoming the greatest swordsman, he will forever have the knowledge that he had to beg before the man he wanted to surpass. That when he does defeats Hawk-Eye Mihawk, it was not his sword alone that surpassed him, but the sword of a pupil surpassing their teacher. He can no longer stand proudly and proclaim that he became the greatest all on his own skill and determination," the entity said as he stared accusingly at Luffy. "Are you not proud of yourself, Strawhat Luffy?"

Luffy looked sick. It seemed like he just wanted to disappear as all these revelations hit him.

"You ruined your swordsman just as you ruined your brother, Strawhat Luffy. At the very least, you owe him the dignity of living up to your end to the bargain," the entity said as it got into Luffy's face. "Take responsibility for what you have done. The vow you two made, after all, was a promise between men."

Luffy said nothing as he glanced at the knife he was still holding. He seemed to have forgotten that he had it. "Yes...we did make a vow."

" _I promise to be a pirate. Opposing the marines now makes me a wanted man. However, I'll tell you one thing. I will always follow my own ambitions!_ " Zoro declared through the memory.

" _Ambition?_ " Luffy in the memory answered back.

" _To become the world's greatest swordsman. If you ever do anything that causes me to lose my ambitions, you will apologize to me at the end of a sword,_ " Zoro vowed.

"I made a promise to Zoro. By him doing this for me, I didn't live up to my promise," Luffy said as he stared at the knife. "I stood in his way."

"Luffy, that isn't the deal we made! You didn't stand in my way! I willingly chose to sacrifice myself and bow my head before Mihawk! I did it all of my own free will!" Zoro yelled as he walked towards his captain. Luffy still couldn't hear or see him. "That deal...that vow...it doesn't matter anymore! It became void the moment I lifted up my sword and told you that I would never lose again! If you had died here, or been taken by Kuma, it would have been a loss! Can't you see that!?"

Luffy continued to stare at the knife. His expression was blank and unreadable.

"Dammit Luffy! I told you that you can never be a burden to me...to us!" Zoro screamed desperately. He looked close to tears and his one eye was bloodshot. "You are our captain! What do you think would become of us if you die like this!? Our successes, our failures, our victories, our pain, are all linked! It will only break us if you give up and die!"

"So, what are you waiting for, Strawhat? Fulfill your promise. Or are you too much of a coward to do it?" the entity asked, amused by Zoro's outcries and despair. "Your crew will continue to sacrifice their lives and dreams as long as you exist. Does your dream mean more than all of them, your supposed 'family'? You have already destroyed your brother's dream and have severely damaged your swordsman. Save the rest of your crew the pain of serving under a fool like you and disappear."

"Please, stop listening that thing!" Nami screamed as she pleaded with Luffy. "If you do this, it will destroy all our dreams!"

Luffy stared at the knife a moment longer before his grip tightened on the handle. "Zoro...Sanji...Nami...Usopp...Chopper...Robin...F ranky...Brook..." he said slowly. "All of you are idiots."

That sentence was the last thing the Strawhats or the entity expected to hear.

"I never asked any of you to sacrifice yourselves like this for me. If I never achieve my dream, I would still be happy knowing that you achieved all of yours. What peace would you have dying for me? After you all have suffer so much...you shouldn't let anyone stand in the ways of your ambitions...not even me." He smiled sadly. "But...it won't work like that, will it?"

The Strawhats was baffled by their captain. What was he saying?

The entity was equally confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Before I came here, Zoro said that my crew's desire to see me become Pirate King became their dream too. That if I failed, if I died, their dreams would mean nothing," Luffy said softly. "When Zoro said that, I didn't want to believe him. I didn't want to believe my crew's dreams would die along with me."

The entity was left stunned. He could see the memory that Luffy was referring to.

"After seeing all of this, I can no longer deny Zoro's words. They...they were willing to give up everything to protect me. They didn't even think twice saying no to Kuma, knowing that they were going to be killed. Zoro and Sanji threw their lives, dreams, and dignity away trying to protect me, and they said nothing. They kept this all from me to save my feelings," Luffy said as he took the knife and held it by its blade, causing his palms to bleed. "After all of that...after seeing their devotion...who am I to turn my back on them?"

With one twist of his wrist, he snapped the knife's blade in two and dropped the remains onto the ground.


	39. Life Goes On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Special Warning from Cana-Puff: She wanted me to give everyone this warning before you read the following chapter: Please tell your readers to have eye-drops on hand if they want to read it in one go. Either that, or they should consider reading it in short bursts so as not to burn their eyes out of their skulls.

The entity stared at the broken knife in silence, not quite believing what Luffy had done.

"How?" the entity asked softly. He did not sound angry or even upset. He was purely baffled.

Luffy stared at the creature in confusion.

"How did you manage to pull away? No soul that has been this badly broken has ever beaten their inner darkness," the entity said. "I broke you. Yet, you still want to live? Why?"

There was a long pause.

"It still sucks. I know I'm not better and I won't be better for a long time...if ever," Luffy admitted before he gave a small, but somewhat sad smile. "But...I still have something to return to. I...I haven't been left with nothing."

"And if you fail to protect those you hold dear?" the entity asked intensely.

"I just have to try twice as hard to keep that from happening," Luffy said, getting some of his confidence back. Although, it sounded somewhat forced.

The entity said nothing.

"Besides..." Luffy said as he touched his hat. He glanced at memory-Zoro, who standing like statue against the rising sun. "I need to kick Zoro's ass, and I can't do that if I'm dead."

Zoro couldn't stop himself from smirking at his captain's vow.

"He beat him!" Usopp cheered. He almost slumped in relief. "He truly beat him!"

"I knew bro could to it! Broken or not, Luffy will always stand up!" Franky exclaimed, barely holding back his tears.

"Now we can finally leave this place!" Chopper yelled happily.

The mist slowly grew thicker around Thriller Bark and it became cold again.

The entity remained silent as cold wind ruffled the mist that made its cloak. After a second, it began to laugh. It started off soft, almost like a hiss, but it soon rose in volume. It was close being manic.

"What's wrong with you?" Luffy asked.

The Strawhats were also left greatly unnerved.

"Has it gone insane?" Nami asked under his breath.

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "What it ever sane to being with?"

"You are the first. I have broken hundred of souls through the centuries and you are the first to not destroy themselves in despair. I studied you. I learned your strengths and your weaknesses. I learned what motivates you, what your fears are, and what words would cause you the most pain," the entity humored. "Despite all of that, it was not enough to completely smother that fire within you. For that, Strawhat Luffy, I commend you from the bottom of my heart. Despite all the knowledge I have of you, I still failed to predict your actions." Its body began to glow.

The ground beneath the entity and Luffy also change into a swirl of mist.

Luffy looked around in confusion as the mist under him covered his feet up to his ankles. He shivered from the coldness.

"However, Strawhat, I too have a deeply-held dream. One that I have devoted my entire afterlife to achieve." The glow got brighter. Mist was spilling from the entity's cloak like a waterfall. For the first time, it truly appeared like the mist and the creature was one being. "And to make that dream come true, Strawhat Luffy, your soul will become _mine_."

Luffy blinked in bafflement before he felt himself sinking into the mist under him.

"What the hell!?" Sanji yelled in surprise as he watched his captain sink into the mist like it was quicksand.

"What...what is this!?" Luffy screamed in shock. He attempted to pull himself free, but he only appeared to sink faster. It was just like his first defeat by Crocodile.

"I would have preferred that you killed yourself so that I could also have the souls of your crew, but that does not matter," the entity said in a voice that was just above a whisper. "You no longer have the strength to resist me. You have become too weakened by your guilt and can no longer escape. It would have been much less painless if you have simply given up."

"What...!?" Luffy screamed, descending even further into the mist. "What does my crew have to do this with this!? What have you done to them!?"

The entity chuckled. "Is this really the time to be concerned about others, Strawhat? You are the one sinking into the pits of utter despair. I was not lying when I said that you could never leave this place. Not when the burden of your guilt is still weighing so heavily on your heart. The only thing you achieve is not dragging others down with you."

"Dammit!" Luffy cussed as he attempted to keep himself afloat.

"What's it doing to Luffy!?" Chopper asked in panic.

Robin's eyes widened in horror. "He...he is being consumed by the mist. The entity is literally eating him."

"But…but Luffy won!" Usopp yelled, not believing that this was happening.

"Luffy, fight it!" Zoro screamed. Dammit, had Luffy been through enough trials. "You can't allow yourself to be eating by this damn mist!"

Luffy couldn't hear his swordsman, but he gave a loud grunt in defiance. "I don't want to deal with you anymore. Take me back to my crew, bastard!"

"You will never see them again, neither in life or death. You will remain here and become a part of me," the entity said cruelly. "This place is your eternity."

Luffy was now up to his waist in mist as it continued eating him.

"Luffy!" Chopper screamed in horror. "We have to do something!"

"Why can't Luffy break free like we did?" Franky asked in a near panic. "He won, didn't he!? How can this thing do this!?"

"Because he is too weak, just as the entity said. Even if Luffy's guilt has been eased, the damage to his soul is still there. In truth, the entity could have taken Luffy at any time after he witnessed Ace's death. He tormented Luffy further so he would be pushed to take his own life," Robin said with wide eyes. "Somehow, that would have not just taken Luffy's soul, but ours as well."

"Are you saying that we only managed to save _ourselves_ after all of this!?" Nami screamed in disbelief and panic as she watched her captain be swallowed by the mist.

Luffy narrowed his eyes and growled. "LIKE HELL!"

Luffy pumped both of his arms and his skin turned a bright red. Steam left his body as he stopped himself from sinking further into the mist.

"That technique," the entity humored. "When will you understand that struggling is futile? You are a just a mere mortal."

Luffy didn't answer the creature. Instead, he began to gradually push himself out of the mist using his increased strength and power.

"He's doing it!" Franky cheered. "He's pulling himself out."

"Go Luffy! Don't you dare lose to that monster!" Usopp yelled in encouragement.

"Beat him, Luffy!" Chopper yelled.

Luffy was back to having his knees above the mist and was gradually making progress.

"How formidable. You have more fight left than I suspected," the entity mused as its eyes glowed. "However, you have allowed yourself to become arrogant again. I said that you would not leave. Your fate was sealed the moment you came here."

The mist under both the entity and Luffy changed. Rapidly, the mist transformed into a collage of faces that were merged into the mist. The mist itself also changed, going from a bluish purple to bluish white. They were all twisted in agony and suffering as the faces struggled to free themselves of their prison. There had to be hundreds of them, screaming all at once.

The Strawhats were left in collective disbelief at what they saw and heard. It was something that the crew would never forget even on their deathbeds and beyond. It was like a chorus of agony.

"My god...so much suffering!" Brook yelled as he covered his nonexistent ears as the souls reached out for him, almost like they were begging him for help. "Those souls...what has that creature done to them!?"

"Those are souls?" Franky asked in disbelief as his eyes become as big as saucers. "You mean…those actually used to be _people_!?"

Usopp became physically sick from the sight and was close to throwing up. It was like looking at that Lily again. Except now, Luffy was the one being eaten through the mess of misery.

Sanji paled in horror at the terrible sight and dropped his cigarette.

Zoro, who was normally one of the calmest people on the crew, began to sweat, and gritted his teeth. He never thought something like this was possible. He didn't really believe in it, but if there was a Hell, this had to be it.

Robin was also ill. How could one spirit cause so much suffering? How many unfortunate souls did this creature consume? How many did he torture until they lost the desire to live and then ate them while they were in despair?

Luffy was severely freaked out. The souls reached out for him, grabbing his arms and neck. "WHAT THE HELL!?"

"These are the many souls I have consumed over the centuries," the entity stated. "They are all a part of me and give me my power. You are nothing compared to this collection of lost and tragic spirits. Now, you too shall join this symphony of souls. In time, nothing shall remain of your consciousness except misery and pain."

"What the hell is wrong with this guy!?" Usopp screamed over the cries of agony from the tortured souls.

"Was this creature really once a living being?" Brook asked in a hoarse voice.

Luffy fought against the souls trying to bring him down. Ghost-like hands gripped tightly onto Luffy, restraining his movements as the mist flowed around him and engulfed his body like a blanket.

Suddenly, Luffy began to scream in anguish as the mist completely engulfed him. His screams reverberated across the landscape, drilling into the Strawhats' souls.

"What...what the hell is the mist doing to him!?" Usopp cried as he listened to Luffy's screams of anguish.

Brook shivered. "I can feel it. Luffy-san is being overwhelmed by the darkness within the mist."

The entity laughed as it watched Luffy suffer. "Did you believe that I was lying when I said that you would experience your worst memories endlessly? Imagine seeing your friends suffering and your brother dying in an endless loop. What feels like _hours_ and _days_ to you is only a few seconds and it will remain that way forever. An eternity of watching your fears replay themselves over and over until your mind and soul shatters and even then, the images will never cease. It will continue on long after you lose your consciousness."

Luffy's screams became louder and more frantic as he attempted to rid himself of the terrible memories ripping apart his mind. He fought against the souls holding him, but he just sunk faster. His screams almost became a part of the tortured souls.

"Oh, you do not have to imagine," the entity humored sadistically.

"YOU BASTARD!" Zoro screamed as he took his swords and attacked the entity. He couldn't touch the creature, just like all those other times. "Dammit!"

"This is your punishment. For trying to live with your regret and guilt, you have been given a truly painful end," the entity said. "Let those images of your pain remain with forever and sink into despair."

Luffy went limp, but his screams didn't diminish one bit. Tears were falling from his unseeing eyes as the images of death and suffering repeated in his head. He was now so far submerged in the well of souls that only his upper body remained floating, and even that was sinking rapidly.

"Dammit, release him, you shitty bastard!" Sanji shouted as he viciously kicked at the entity's body. Still, nothing had an effect.

" _You are all too late!_ " the entity exclaimed in triumph. " _As I said from the start, this boy's soul is mine! Now watch as I feast upon your precious captain! Fill yourselves with regret and it take it to your graves!_ "

"Stop it!" Usopp yelled desperately as he shot at the entity. Still, nothing connected.

Robin attempted to use her powers to pull Luffy free, but she could not grab Luffy's physical form. "Our abilities are useless." She turned towards Brook, looking at the skeleton swordsman with desperate eyes. "Can you touch him, Brook?"

Brook gritted his teeth. "Even the cold of the underworld can't harm something that is already dead. That entity is a ghost that has somehow been empowered to interact with the living. Even if I leave my body, I won't be able to harm it. I also can't reach Luffy-san, since he is currently in a different plane."

"We can't stand by and do nothing!" Usopp yelled frantically. After everything, they couldn't lose Luffy like this.

Luffy sank further until he was up to his neck as he was absorbed into the mist.

"The mist is eating him!" Chopper screamed in panic and fear.

"Luffy, wake up!" Nami shouted at her captain with teary eyes. "You have to fight back!"

Luffy still couldn't see or hear them as he was consumed by images of his worst memories.

The entity laughed at the crew, feeding off of their despite pleas. " _That is right. Cry for you dear captain. Feel miserable that you could not save him. Drown in anguish and despair._ "

Within seconds, only Luffy's face hadn't been absorbed.

" _I...I don't want to die..._ " Luffy's thoughts suddenly echoed across the mist as his screams stopped. He gritted his teeth, but he kept sinking. His eyes were also still unseeing, lost in his own memories.

"Luffy!" Zoro yelled. The swordsman was close to tears.

" _I can't leave my crew...not like this..._ " Luffy thought as the screaming souls attempting to take him. Dragging him so he too could share in their misery. " _Please...please...someone help me...!_ "

"It is too late to beg for help," the entity mocked. "Now, become a part of me, Strawhat Luffy!"

"I won't let you take him!" a familiar voice yelled.

"What!?" the entity exclaimed.

A beam of yellow light struck the entity. It gave a loud scream of pain as its body appeared to evaporate.

Luffy had also stopped sinking and began to rise from the pool of souls as the yellow light surrounded him. The souls attempted to grab him, but the brilliant light protected him. It became so bright that the tortured souls shied away from the boy captain.

"That's...!" Chopper exclaimed in shock as the ball of light floated over Luffy like a guardian angel.

The ball of light pulsed once and released a wave of light across the memory of Thriller Bark.

The souls gave one last shriek before they disappeared. The mist on the ground also cleared.

With everything safe, the ball of light gently put Luffy down. The rubber captain promptly collapsed, completely worn out as the images of death and pain faded from his mind.

"Luffy!" Chopper yelled as he ran to his captain's side. He instinctually attempted to check Luffy, but he still couldn't touch his friend.

Luffy's eyes were wide and unseeing. It was impossible to say if he was conscious or catatonic.

"Luffy-san…" Brook muttered as he fell to his knees and bowed his head in prayer, "thank goodness."

"Too close. We barely made it in time," the ball of light said softly as it appeared in front the Strawhats.

"Where the hell were you the entire time!?" Zoro demanded angrily. How _dare_ this thing wait until the last possible second to save their captain.

"I apologize, but we could not directly interfere until Strawhat called for help," the ball of light said. "It also took a lot of my power to get your captain to hear your voices when he asked for you, so I was in a weakened state until a moment ago."

Robin's eyes widened. "So, it was you that allowed Luffy to hear us." She paused for a moment. "You said 'we'."

"You mentioned this person before," Nami said. "Who is she?"

" _You!?_ " the entity hissed mentally as it reformed itself. " _How dare you interfere!_ "

"It is over. You have lost," the ball of light said firmly. "Although the boy has been weakened by what you have done to him, he still desires life and is on the road of finding peace despite all the torture you put him through. You no longer have any right to claim his soul."

" _It is you who has no right!_ " the entity yelled in outrage as mist erupted from its body. " _His pain and despair are still strong, more than enough for me to take his soul and add it to my power. With him, I shall be closer to getting what I want. I have no time for you and your supposed 'rules'. Stand aside!_ "

The ball of light said nothing for several seconds. "Is it not time for you to finally make peace with your past? One more soul will make no difference. Please, let this go, father."

"Father!?" most of the Strawhats exclaimed in shock.

"Wait, how the hell can this thing breed!?" Sanji yelled as he pointed at the entity.

" _You are not my son!_ " the entity yelled angrily as the mist swirled on its cloak. " _My sons will not return to me until I consume enough souls to reach into the underworld. Once I have enough power to reclaim their souls, I can return my sons to life. We will be a family again!_ "

"What…that's his goal?" Franky whispered, not believing what he was hearing.

"So, I was right. This entity was once a living being," Brook said.

"Father, the mist has twisted you into something that you are not. What you desire will not come true no matter how many souls you consume, because it is impossible! Those who have died can never be brought back to the world of the living. If they do return at all, they will be like me; a disconnected spirit forced to wonder and never be at peace," the ball of light said. "You have worked all these years for nothing and have only succeeded in spreading more misery."

" _Lies!_ " the entity exclaimed, causing a burst of coldness that made everyone on the crew shiver.

"They are not lies! You have allowed your grief and regret about what happened to us blind you to the truth. You have to accept what happened and allow yourself to move on!" the ball of light yelled. "Nothing can be gained for you continuously eating the souls of tortured people!"

The entity growled in response.

"Okay, what the hell is going on here?" Sanji asked, tired of the strange back and forward conversation.

The ball of light said nothing for a moment "You... you all deserved to know the full truth. About this island. About the entity. About me."

The ball of light transformed and soon it turned into a young boy. The boy looked exactly like the children that surrounded Luffy before they came into the memory, except his eyes were not completely white and he didn't have that haunting look on his face. He looked like any normal child.

"My name was Maxwell in life," the boy said. "The entity, the one who has been consuming souls on this island, was my father. A brave and kind nobleman in life."

Brook looked at Maxwell in awe. "I see. This entire time we were looking at a wandering spirit. But how? Once one has died, they should go straight to the other side. And to become so powerful that it can actually manipulate the souls of the living… I've never heard of such a thing."

"What you say is all true. Once someone dies, their soul goes to the afterworld. However, my father and I became entrapped on this island because of the mist," Maxwell said as he gestured to the mist surrounding him. "I do not completely understand it myself, but this entire island is somehow connected to the underworld and acts as a gateway between the worlds of living and the dead."

Usopp shivered. "So…this place really is a ghost island!"

Chopper screamed in fear.

Robin rubbed her chin. "This entire island is a gateway to the land of the dead. I think I remember reading about this a long time ago."

"I cannot give you the full history of this island. What I do know is that a millennium ago, this was a sacred place used to communicate with those who passed on before their time. This was the place where people went to say their final goodbyes to those who died tragically," Maxwell said in a somber tone. "However, something happened about eight hundred years ago that changed the nature of this island. What that something was remains a mystery to me."

"Around the time of the void century," Robin whispered in thought.

"But how was that ever once human?" Nami asked as he pointed at the entity.

"Centuries ago, my father and my brothers were nobles from an island far away from here," Maxwell said as his eyes became downcast. "My father was a caring man who loved all of us and did everything in the world to make us happy and protect us. On that tragic day, we were on a boat trip when a terrible storm appeared out of nowhere. The entire ship was destroyed. My two twin brothers, along with everyone else, were killed and I was seriously wounded. My father, through pure will, swam to this island while holding me in his arms. He did everything to care for me, trying to nurse me back to health. But I was too injured." The boy appeared closed to tears. "Two weeks after coming to this island, I died. My father, completely destroyed by his grief and his regret at not being able to save me, and filled with the negative energy emitted from the mist, he took the dagger that held the symbol of our house and killed himself."

"Oh god!" Nami exclaimed as she put her hands to her mouth.

The entity said nothing and remained emotionless as Maxwell finished his story.

Robin looked at the remains of the broken knife. This must had been why entity wanted Luffy to kill himself with it. Luffy stabbing himself because he could not overcome his despair would have perfectly mimicked the entity's own death.

"But that doesn't explain how he became the entity," Chopper said.

" _What do you hope to gain from telling them all of this?_ " the entity asked with a note of annoyance.

"The mist, even before my father became this creature, is alive. Although, it is not living on the same conscious level as us. The mist is a byproduct from the underworld that grows by consuming negative energy from all over the New World," Maxwell explained. "Originally, the mist was contained and used as a filter to absorb bad thoughts as people communicated with their loves ones. But since that time eight centuries years ago, the mist has spread throughout the entire island, filling everything with dark thoughts and feelings."

"So the mist has been feeding on the despair of living creatures long before your father became the entity," Brook said in mild wonder. "If this mist is a byproduct that feeds off of negative emotions, it must have been created through the pain of spirits who died before their time. It would fit with the history of this island."

Maxwell nodded. "When my father killed himself in his despair, his mind and soul somehow became merged with the mist and created a creature with a conscious mind who not only feeds off of pain, but can interact directly with the living world. When the merger happened, it corrupted my father's soul and he came to believe that if he collected enough souls from troubled and tortured individuals, his power would increase enough to bring my brothers and me back from the dead." He shook his head. "It is all a lie and all my father has been doing is feeding the mist, which craves the energy created by sadness."

The entity chuckled humorlessly. " _Although most of what he says is not true,_ _he is right about part of it. By making people give into their despair it is all too easy to get them to destroy themselves. While you are telling them my history, why don't you tell them about how you have helped me consume more souls with your foolish interference?_ "

Maxwell looked down in shame, unable to look at the Strawhats. "What he says is true. I wanted to free my father from the mist's influence and I thought the best way to do that was by showing him that it is possible to move on from grief and find peace, even in one's darkest hour. If my father could see someone who was broken overcome their pain, I thought he would find the strength to break the mist's spell over him. I did this by allowing people like you to travel through their comrade's memories in order to save them. Darkness cannot be conquered alone. Only the light of love and hope can beat back despair."

Nami frowned. "It didn't work out that way, did it?"

Maxwell looked even more ashamed. "Until now, they all failed. They failed and their souls were consumed when the person they attempted to save killed themselves. I was too slow and weak to get them to their loved one in time. Even when they did made it, they did not have the proper information to reached their love's hearts."

"A person killing themselves somehow takes the soul of everyone within the memory?" Robin asked.

"Suicide is considered the greatest act of despair. When it is committed, it creates a hole within the person's soul that envelops everything around it like a black hole. If your captain had killed himself, you all would have been sucked into his soul and then consumed by the mist like the others before you," Maxwell said before he lifted his head and stared at the entity. "But my father's efforts failed this time. Strawhat is on the road to recovery, which is why he resorted to forcibly taking your captain's soul. In other words, he tried to cheat."

" _This is no game!_ " the entity yelled in fury, causing the mist around him to expand again. " _It does not matter how a soul is collected as long as I get them!_ "

"It matters because if Strawhat had not confronted and beaten his inner demons, I could not have gained direct access to his soul," Maxwell said as he glared at the entity. "While you, father, became the embodiment of despair and death on this island, I became the embodiment of hope and life when the mist failed to corrupt me. By Strawhat hoping for a better future for himself and his friends and him asking for help, he has called upon me and another to protect him. It was also the hope and fate of his crew that allowed them to beat you and reach their captain despite all of your supposed power. You are the one who failed!"

" _Who cares!_ " the entity roared as he turned its attention back to Luffy, who was still laid unmoving on the ground. " _I will take his soul and use it to bring back my sons!_ "

"Stay away from him!" Zoro growled at the entity as he held the creature at sword point. "I don't give a damn about your sons, your history, or about this damn island or mist! I won't let you touch my captain again!"

The entity laughed at the swordsman. " _You cannot even touch me, boy! What do you hope to do? All your suppose power is helpless before me._ "

Zoro growled in response. Still, he didn't back down.

"Give it up, father," Maxwell said in a firm voice. "You have already been defeated. Stop this and return to your old self."

The entity ignored Maxwell and moved to grab Luffy, but something knocked it aside before it could touch the boy captain. "What?"

Standing before the prone Luffy was another ghost. This ghost looked like a person wearing a raincoat and had a mallet in its hands. Although it had no clear eyes, the Strawhats could tell it was staring defiantly at the entity.

"You have done enough," the ghost said as it held it mallet. "As Zoro said, I won't let you touch him _ever_ again."

The entity stared at the ghost as its eyes started to glow in fury. "You are that Klabautermann. I see. It was you who has been helping Strawhat's crew along with my false son. I thought it was the boy's brother despite my powers blocking his spirit from coming here."

"Klabautermann?" Franky repeated in disbelief.

Usopp's eyes widened in realization. "Does he mean...Merry!?"

The Klabautermann turned towards Usopp and gave a gentle smile. "It's good to see you again, Usopp. You have gotten so much stronger. Banchina is very proud of you for coming this far."

Usopp trembled before bursting into tears at the sight of his old friend, and hearing his mother's name. "Merry! How...how are you here!?"

Chopper also cried. "Merry!"

"But how?" Nami asked in disbelief.

"As Maxwell explained earlier, this island is a gateway between this world and the afterlife," Merry said. "I came here because I heard our captain's screams of anguish when the mist took him." She looked down at her captain with tender eyes. "I shielded his soul the best I could, but I lacked the power to stop the entity or to reach our captain before his mind broke. If I had the same bond with our captain as Ace, I could have reached him."

"Wait...so Ace is here?" Nami asked as she looked around for the fire user.

"No, Fire Fist is not on this island," Maxwell answered. "My father has the power to block spirits from coming to this place. When he is consuming the soul of a person, it is natural for the loved ones of that person to try to come here and save them."

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "That's what that creature meant when he said he kept Ace from coming. He knew Ace would be able to reach Luffy and ease his guilt."

"But then how did Merry get through?" Chopper asked in confusion.

"The entity didn't block me because he never considered me. I was only a ship, after all," Merry explained. "It didn't expect me, which was its fatal mistake along with underestimating all of you. I told Maxwell that you all could free Luffy and ease his guilty conscious."

"After so many failures that has only allowed my father to grow stronger and more insane, I was hesitant to let you come to the boy's aid. I thought for certain that you would be consumed just like all the others, especially given how damaged the boy was. However, she convinced me that you could stop my father," Maxwell said. "Because she was a dear friend to all of you, I lent her some of my power and allowed her to guide you through the boy's memory on my behalf."

Nami's eyes widened at the news as she stared at Merry. "You were with us the entire time, guiding us through Luffy's memories?"

Merry nodded. "It was I who decided what you should see to best help our captain."

"Normally, it would have been me guiding you, but my powers are severely limited compared to my father since I never consume souls. My powers are based upon a person's spirit. The more a person wants to live, the stronger I become," the entity explained. "As your captain lost hope and began to give in to his sadness, his spirit became weaker, along with my influence. Also, since I know little of your captain, I had to learn about him in order to show you the proper memories, which would have wasted precious time."

"I had no such boundaries," Merry said, picking up where Maxwell left off. "I knew what memories you needed to see to help our captain and speeded up the process so you could catch up with his soul just as he was being forced to relive his worst memories."

"That's how we happened to reach Luffy just as he hit his lowest point, despite him being in this shitty mist for hours before we even got here," Sanji said in awe. "Does that mean that we have been with Luffy since Marineford?"

"You actually caught up with our captain just before he was forced to relive Impel Down," Merry stated. "Which was actually a surprise to me. I thought you wouldn't reach him until Marineford." She glanced at the entity. "You wasted too much time."

The entity growled at Merry.

"Wait, that doesn't make any sense," Franky said as he glanced at the entity. "Even if you knew Luffy, there's no way we should have caught up that soon."

"Because Merry has a direct link to all of you, she is able to use my powers in ways that I could not," Maxwell said. "She was able feel the boy's spirit and knew that he still had a spark to live despite the horrors that he was being forced to relive, which increased her influence. Also, despite all my father's powers, he, like me, had to file through the boy's memories in order to choose the best ones. For a lack of better words, he had to learn about your captain in order to know how to break him, and showed you Strawhats unnecessary memories."

Merry's eyes became downcast. "Still, despite having access to Maxwell's powers, I couldn't directly help until Luffy's will to live was fully rekindled. My influence alone couldn't reach our captain, although I am certain he felt my presence."

"How did you feel Luffy's spirit to begin with?" Robin asked.

Merry appeared to be smiling. "Because I have been with you all. Although I can no longer be physically be by your side, I still travel alongside you. On this island, so close to the afterlife, I was finally able to appear before you physically again."

Usopp cried even harder as he heard those words. "Even in death, you still watched over us, Merry."

" _How touching,_ " the entity sneered. " _Even so, you will not deny me that boy's soul._ "

Merry held out her mallet. "Yes, I can. Maxwell may be unwilling to harm you because you were once his father, but I hold no such sentiment. Come any closer to my captain and it will be you who will experience regret!"

The entity gave a low growl, more than a little annoyed. " _What is this boy to you? You were just his ship. A pile of timber that he abused and then threw away. If he was not so careless with you, you would still be alive._ "

"You have seen many of my captain's memories and you can say something as stupid as that? Even if I was merely his ship, he is still my captain. He is also the man who will become the Pirate King," Merry said in a strong voice. "Even if I can't sail him to the end of the world, I won't allow you to destroy that dream!"

The entity sneered at Merry.

All the Strawhats were moved to tears by Merry's speech.

"Father, please go back to the man you were," Maxwell said gently. "Has causing suffering and pain to others done anything to ease your guilt? Do you think my brothers and I would want to come back to the monster that you have become?"

" _Be quiet!_ " the entity screamed, taking his eyes off of Luffy and Merry.

"Look at Strawhat! Look at all the pain he was forced to suffer in his life! He grew up mostly alone with a grandfather that was almost always away and abusive! His father figure lost an arm because of him! One of his brothers was brutally murdered with no justice ever being given out! He had his entire crew, who he sees as his family, ripped from him before his eyes and was helpless to stop it not once, but _twice_! He went through Hell, sacrificed one of his dear friends to save his brother only for that brother to die saving him!" Maxwell screamed.

The entity have Maxwell a harsh glare.

"He has every right to want to end it all, but he didn't, even with you pushing his guilt in his face. Father, he was able to break the chains of regret and guilt and looked towards the future. What can't you do the same!? Let go of this foolish quest and allow your soul to finally cross over! Let yourself finally be at peace!"

" _So what?_ " the entity asked impatiently. " _He is still broken and was close to killing himself before his crew interfered._ "

"But that's what family is for!" Usopp yelled. "Family looks out for one another, so they don't have to face hard times on their own!"

"Us being by Luffy's side wasn't a fluke. We all willingly came here, ready to risk our souls to save our captain! We did it because we love him and we weren't going to lose him to some bitter ghost who's too weak to let go of the past!" Nami yelled.

Chopper nodded. "Luffy's more than our captain. He's our brother!"

The entity said nothing.

"You have all our memories, yet you still don't understand us," Brook said coldly. "We've all been through hard times. The only reason you couldn't get to us was because we made peace with our pasts. We only managed to find peace by becoming part of Luffy-san's crew. Through him, we were able to beat the darkness in our souls."

The entity was silent for a moment longer. " _You do not understand. I lost my sons! I had nothing left in the world. There is no point in me living or even existing without them. If I have to sacrifice a million of souls, I will do it to have them back!_ "

"But you didn't lose us, father. You have forgotten us," Maxwell said with some heat. "You deny me as your son because deep inside, you hate what you have become. You do not want to move on because you feel guilty for letting me die. I have been trying to tell you, father, for _hundreds of years_ that it was not your fault! Nothing could have saved me! I was too hurt!"

" _But it was I who took you on that ship!_ " the entity yelled in a broken voice, showing real emotions for the first time. " _If I had listened to the weather warnings, if I had been more careful, you and your brothers would all still be alive!_ "

"What's done is done," Maxwell said sadly. "It was hundreds of years ago."

" _So what!? Time heals nothing! I watched two of my sons drown and then was forced to look on as my baby boy faded away!_ " the entity yelled as the mist swirled violently around his body. " _It wasn't fair. They were only children! Why were they given death instead of me!? They deserved to have a full, happy life and nature robbed them of that chance!_ "

For a moment, Nami was struck by how similar the entity sounded to Luffy. For the first time, she saw the human that was within the entity.

"Yeah, yeah, so time doesn't heal any wounds, but being stuck in grief all the damn time hasn't done anything for you, either," Sanji said coldly. "Your son's right there telling you it wasn't your fault. Do you know how many people would give their left lung to get what you have? Do you know how our captain would feel if he could speak to his brother like you are speaking to your son? Dammit, you shitty pile of mist, your grief is making you stupid and corrupt."

The entity was struck by Sanji's words.

"Father, it is time to let go," Maxwell said. "Isn't Strawhat enough proof that grief does not have to overcome everything? That there is still hope and love even in death? Please, let it go and allow yourself to finally pass. Sage and Marcus, they are waiting for us. They have been waiting for a long time. Don't allow this mist to consume you anymore."

The entity said nothing as it moved towards Luffy. Zoro attempted to stop it, but it passed right through Zoro like he wasn't even there.

"Dammit," Zoro growled in frustration. If only he could touch the bastard.

Merry stared at the entity, ready to attack.

" _Moving on; you make it sound so easy,_ " the entity said bitterly. " _I have worked for so long to bring my sons back. If I were to give up now, then my centuries on this island would have been in vain. All those countless souls that I have consumed would also go to waste._ "

Maxwell gave his father a somber look. "Unfortunately, nothing can be done for the souls you have already consumed. Nothing of who they used to be remains, and they are condemned to remain part of the mist. The only thing you can do now is keep others from suffering the same fate."

"Also, if the end result will not make you happy, why keep doing the same thing?" Brook asked. "Move on already and join your family. There is nothing left here to bind you to this world. The only thing holding you back is your own regret."

The entity turned his attention towards Luffy, who was just now starting to stir.

"What...happened...?" Luffy stuttered. He was shaking badly.

"Don't try to move," Merry said gently to her captain. "You're still weak."

Luffy looked up in confusion at the ghost. "You're...Merry..." He gave a small smile. "How..."

"It doesn't matter how," Merry said as she knelt before her captain. "Just know that I'm here and that monster won't hurt you anymore."

"Monster?" Luffy asked as he looked up and saw the entity staring down at him. His eyes immediately narrowed in anger. "You bastard, I won't be caught off-guard again," he huffed tiredly as he attempted to stand up.

The entity hissed as he saw the fire return to Luffy's eyes. He was no longer the broken shell he reduced him to earlier. "Whether I like it or not, Maxwell was right about one thing. You did defeat me, Strawhat."

Luffy blinked in confusion. "Who's Maxwell?"

"Tell me, Strawhat, was it really the bond that you share with your crew that kept you from taking your own life?" the entity asked instead.

Luffy stared at the entity for a moment before he nodded his head. "Yeah..."

"Even if it means that you may fail and experience the same pain again? How can you be so optimistic when you have already failed?" the entity asked. "The fire and spirit that burns within you failed to saved your brother and protect your crew several times."

The Strawhats saw Luffy wince at the words, but continued to meet the entity's glaze.

"I...I'm still afraid of that. But...it's a fear that I would rather face with my friends," Luffy said slowly. "I can't worry about what could happen. I can only do what I can to make sure that I lose nothing. No one...will _ever_ disappear on me again!"

"And what if your crew tires of you and abandons you?" the entity asked further.

Luffy stood silent for several seconds. "Then...that's that. If they do leave, it's because I wasn't worthy of being their captain. I've failed so many times...but I won't fail again!"

The entity snorted. "Those same empty promises. You really are a hopeless fool." He paused for a second. "But...perhaps, empty promises are better than living in constant regret. Maybe if I thought like you...I could have found a new family instead of always mourning for the one I lost."

Luffy stared blankly at the entity.

"Begone, Strawhat," the entity said softly. "Return to your friends."

The mist surrounded Luffy and he vanished within it.

"What did you do to him?" Zoro asked.

"I sent him back to his body," the entity answered. "He will be weak for several days, but there was no physical harm done to him. Mentally, it will be up to you to fix. If you can."

With that, the entity dissipated into the mist.

The Strawhats looked at each for a moment.

"Then, I guess it is time for us go return as well," Robin said.

Usopp sighed in relief, nearly going limp. "After all of this, it's hard to believe that it is really and truly over."

"Since I brought you here, I will send you back to your bodies," Maxwell said before he paused for a second. "I am sorry that I used you like this, but thank you for helping me get through to my father. He has many sins to answer for, but I am certain that he will never take another soul."

"Don't apologize. Even if you had told us everything from the start, we still would have done this," Sanji said casually. "Whether you used us or not for you own benefice, it was only because of you that we were able to save our captain. For that, you have our thanks."

"Yeah, thank you!" Chopper yelled.

Brook nodded before he bowed to ghost boy. "We all owe you deeply, Maxwell."

Maxwell was taken off-guard by their gratitude.

"And thank you, Merry," Usopp said to the spirit of his dear ship. "We could have never succeeded without you."

Merry smiled. "I only wish I could have done more."

"Sheesh, don't be ridiculous," Franky said. "You saved Luffy's life from beyond the grave. What more could you have done?"

"Still..." Merry started to say.

"Don't start feeling guilty on us," Sanji said with some humor. "We've had enough of that for one lifetime."

Merry nodded and smiled. "You're right. Still, I wish I could help you heal Luffy's heart. But that task falls on all of you."

"You do not need to worry about Luffy," Robin assured with a small smile. "We will take care of him."

"I know you will," Merry said as she began to fade. "You are, after all, the crew of the future Pirate King. I hope I will be able to see it when the day comes."

Brook stepped forward. "Lamb-chan...Merry, it was nice to finally meet you with my own eyes." He then paused. "Although, I have none!" He began to laugh.

"You sure know to ruin a tender moment," Usopp muttered as he side-eyed Brook.

Merry chuckled at the skull joke, taking no offense. "It's good to finally meet you too, Brook. I'm sorry that we couldn't meet in life. It's good to see that Luffy finally found his musician."

"Same with you," Brook said, becoming serious again. "I will always remember your courage. Both in life and beyond."

"I will give your regards to your old crew," Merry said as she fully faded. "They're still watching over you, Brook. They have been the entire time. You were never alone. Even during your darkest days."

Brook gasped, his nonexistent eyes filling with tears at those words as Merry disappeared.

"See you later, Merry," Usopp said tearfully.

Franky cried openly.

Nami also had tears in her eyes. She was happy to see that Merry was okay and even still looking out for them. She truly was a guardian angel.

Maxwell turned back into his ball of light form and floated over the Strawhats. With a flash of light, the memory of Thriller Bark faded away.

"Thank you all again. And I hope your captain fulfills his dream," Maxwell's voice whispered in their ears. "Although it may not be much, I have one last memory I wish to show you. Take it as my thanks to you."

Before the Strawhats could reaction, they were back in Amazon Lily. Luffy was curled up in almost a ball as he slammed his fist into the ground repeatedly, crying about how he couldn't protect anything and cursing the heavens and himself. Each curse seems to cause him physical pain.

"Why...why is he showing us this?" Franky asked.

"I never want to see this ever again," Usopp said. "Why would Maxwell show us this?"

Sanji narrowed. "It seems Maxwell's way of saying thanks is twisted like his father's."

"Luffy-kun," Jimbei said, interrupting Luffy's self-pity. The Strawhats jumped a little when they heard the fishman's voice. They had honestly forgotten that he was there.

Jimbei was standing some distance behind Luffy with a concerned expression on his face. He was deeply afraid. He knew that if he left Luffy like this, he would something terrible to himself.

"Go away. Just leave me alone!" Luffy snapped at the fishman, not even bothering to turn his head.

"I cannot do that! I cannot allow you to hurt yourself anymore than you already have!" Jimbei came close to yelling.

Chopper sighed in relief that there was someone there to stop Luffy's self-destructive behavior.

"Shut up! It's my own body! I can do whatever I what with it!" Luffy yelled back with crazed eyes.

Jimbei was undaunted. "If so, then Ace's body was his own too. He was free to die, regardless of what we wanted."

"Ohhh, low blow," Franky muttered. Did Jimbei had to be that blunt?

"He's right, though. Ace was free to do whatever he wanted. Including sacrificing himself for Luffy," Sanji said.

"But Luffy didn't need to be told that so candidly. Can't Jimbei see that Luffy is hurt enough as it is?" Nami scolded.

Zoro crossed his arms. He knew what he was seeing, given what Luffy told him. "What Luffy needs right now is not a gentle hand or calm words. What he needs is someone to knock some sense into him and cut through his grief. Even at his weakest, Luffy isn't made of glass."

"Be quiet!" Luffy shouted as he turned his bloodshot eyes towards the former Warlord. He was quivering in both grief and rage. It was obviously that he wasn't entirely mentally stable. "The next time you say something I'll beat the crap out of you!"

"Not in that body you're not," Sanji said as he eyed Luffy's wrecked form.

Jimbei had the same thought. "If that will make you feel better, then go ahead and try. I am quite weak myself, but I will not lose to you. Not as you are now."

Luffy stood up and glared at Jimbei like he was Akainu. His face was filled with rage, hatred, and despair.

The Strawhats could feel the malice radiating off of Luffy. They hoped to never feel this from their captain again.

"What...Luffy can't fight!" Chopper shouted. "He'll tear his wounds open!"

"Why is he so mad at Jimbei? He only wants to help him," Nami said as her heart beat faster. This wasn't like Luffy at all.

"Luffy is not thinking clearly. He has all this pent-up anger and frustration and has nowhere to release it, which is why he was harming himself earlier," Robin said. "Jimbei is purposely annoying Luffy so he will attack him instead of causing himself more self-harm."

Luffy gave a low growl as he charge the former Warlord. "Gum Gum Pistol!"

He shot his fist, but the punch was half-powered and slow. Jimbei easily caught the wobbly arm and slammed Luffy into the ground with minimum effort.

Luffy gave a grunt of pain as blood came gushing out of his mouth.

"Luffy!" Chopper screamed in worry.

"Dammit Jimbei, you didn't have to be that harsh!" Nami yelled at the fishman.

Luffy was lying on the ground, gasping for air. Even from just that, he used up almost all of his energy.

Jimbei stared down at Luffy before he took a seat next to the rubberman's head. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, almost like he was remembering something important.

While Jimbei was lost in his own thoughts, Luffy suddenly came back to life. He gave a loud, primal yell before he bit down hard on the fishman's right arm.

Needless to say, that was the last thing Jimbei expected as he cried in pain and shook his arm violently to get Luffy off of him. The boy captain, however, had an iron lock and wasn't going to release Jimbei as he bit deeper into the skin like a wild animal.

Almost all the Strawhats sweat-dropped.

"He actually bit him," Usopp murmured.

"Even like this, Luffy is Luffy," Sanji muttered.

"Still, it's good to see Luffy-san acting more like himself," Brook said, trying to lighting the mood.

"That hurts!" Jimbei screamed as he kept shaking his arm.

"I think Jimbei is shouting more than he did when Akainu put a magma fist through his back," Franky humored.

"I said that hurts, you little brat!" Jimbei screamed as he slammed Luffy into a nearby rock and pinned by his neck.

Luffy struggled and kicked Jimbei several times in the stomach. The kicks were very weak and Jimbei didn't even flinch as he glared at Luffy.

"Can you not see anything!?" Jimbei asked in a harsh voice as he squeezed Luffy's neck.

Luffy growled at him and kept kicking.

"You believed that you could overcome anything and you never doubted your strength! But all those formidable enemies took away your confidence, and rendered you unable to see anything!" Jimbei shouted at Luffy. "And then your brother, who was your guiding light! I know you have lost a lot!"

The Strawhats were left stunned by how well Jimbei had summed up everything. He barely knew Luffy, and yet he understood the pain and doubt their captain was experiencing. Luffy's pride, the pride that he spent ten years building, had been torn to shreds and Ace, his sun, was viciously taken from him before his eyes, throwing him into a world of darkness.

"The great obstacle known as the world is blocking your vision!" Jimbei yelled.

Luffy kept growling and glared at Jimbei, not really taking in his words.

The memory flashed and the Strawhats saw visions of Marineford and Luffy being stopped, blocked, and defeated by several powerful opponents such as Smoker, Mihawk, the army of Pacifista, Aokiji, Kizaru, the vice-admirals, Sengoku in his Buddha form, and finally Akainu as he put his fist through Ace's chest. It was a parade of failures.

The images were fast and violent. The images also shook violently, showing Luffy's mental state was collapsing as he was forced to remember the war.

"You will never find your way like this! You are being consumed by dark clouds of regret and guilt!" Jimbei yelled through the rush of memories that showed Luffy's failures.

He was literally drowning in the darkness within his own heart, just as the entity attempted to consume him by blaming him for everything.

"I don't want to see anymore," Chopper cried through the images. It was just as bad as the entity's mental torture.

"Dammit, what the hell was Maxwell thinking? Is this really his idea of a reward!?" Sanji yelled in anger.

Zoro kept an impassive face through everything.

"I know that it is painful now, Luffy, but you have to bottle up those feelings!" Jimbei yelled.

Nami frowned. "That wasn't the best advice. The reason why Luffy is hurting so much now is because he did bottled those feelings for so long."

"At the time, it was good advice," Robin said as she watched the terrible memories consume her captain. "Luffy was mentally and emotionally unable to deal with his feelings at this time. If he did not bottle and control them, they would have destroyed him. Somewhere along the way, however, Luffy began to hide his feelings completely and that is when he became vulnerable to manipulation, self-loathing, and escapism. He went too far in the other direction."

"Do not think about the ones you have lost!" Jimbei yelled through the roar of memories. "You can never get back what you have lost! Remember what you still have!"

The rush of memories suddenly ceased and the Strawhats were back on Amazon Lily. Luffy gradually stopped struggling and went limp in Jimbei's grip. Jimbei's words had struck something within Luffy. His eyes were slightly wide like he was remembering something.

Chopper was worried for a moment. It looked like Luffy went into shock.

" _If you do find yourself in a moment of despair, you must remember the things you still have,_ " a voice whispered through the memory. For some reason, the voice was so faded that the Strawhats couldn't figure out who the speaker was.

Jimbei carefully let Luffy go and the boy captain slid down the rock and onto the grassy ground. There, Luffy sat with a blank expression.

The Strawhats looked at Luffy was interest and expectation. They weren't sure what was going through his mind or what he was feeling.

Gradually, Luffy brought his bandaged hands up and stared into his open palms. He then began to count down with his fingers, starting with his thumb.

The memory flashed and the Strawhats saw Luffy standing in front of Zoro as he held back twenty marines with his swords.

" _I promise to be a pirate. Opposing the marines now makes me a wanted man. However, I'll tell you one thing. I will always follow my own ambitions! To become the world's greatest swordsman. If you ever do anything that causes me to lose my ambitions, you will apologize to me at the end of a sword,_ " Zoro threatened.

Luffy smiled. " _Greatest swordsman, huh? A fine goal. As the future Pirate King, I would be embarrassed for you if you couldn't do that much._ "

" _Heh, indeed. It doesn't matter if I'm known as a saint or a demon. I will make my name known to the heavens!_ " Zoro declared.

The memory changed again and they were at the Baratie. Luffy stood by Mihawk as Zoro lifted his white sword into the air.

" _I'm sorry for disappointing you! If I don't become the greatest swordsman in the world, it would be a disgrace to you, right? I've let you down, please forgive me,_ " Zoro said in a strain and weak voice. The crew could see the tears running down the swordsman's eyes. " _I swear...from this moment forward...that I will never lose again. Until I defeat him and become the greatest swordsman, I will never be defeated! Do you have any problems with that, Pirate King!?_ "

The memory returned to Amazon Lily as Luffy counted down with his finger.

The memory changed and they were at Cocoyashi. Nami was kneeling with tears running down her red eyes.

" _Luffy...help me,_ " Nami pleaded in tears.

Without a word, Luffy placed his treasure hat on Nami's head and walked towards his awaiting crew.

" _OF COURSE I WILL!_ " Luffy shouted to the sky.

The scene skipped to the ruined Arlong Park and Luffy standing on top of the rubble. The sun from the parting clouds shone on him, illuminating his bloody and battered silhouette.

" _NAMI, YOU ARE ONE OF US!_ " Luffy shouted to a sobbing Nami who was still proudly wearing and protecting his straw hat.

Current Nami was in tears as she watched the memory. She felt a warm, indescribable feeling spread throughout her body. It felt like someone was hugging her.

For a brief moment, the scene went to Amazon Lily. Luffy was still counting down as the memory changed again.

They were at Syrup village. The Nami and Zoro were on the Going Merry as Luffy told Usopp to get on.

" _C...captain. I'm the captain!_ " Usopp cheered as he jumped onto the Merry.

" _Don't be stupid, I'm the captain!_ " Luffy yelled in fury at the sniper.

This made Usopp of the present chuckle.

The memory altered and they were in Enies Lobby. Luffy was lying bleeding and defeated as he stared at Usopp with half opened eyes.

" _This isn't like you! Even though the sky is blackened with explosions, we can still see it! We can still see the sea! This place isn't Hell!_ " Usopp screamed at Luffy.

Usopp was now crying. Luffy was thinking of them.

Luffy put his other finger down as the memories kept coming.

They were back at the Baratie, and Luffy was facing down Don Krieg as Sanji looked on in awe and admiration with his mentor, Zeff. The memory then skipped to Sanji telling Luffy about All Blue and his dream of finding it.

Sanji found himself fighting back tears despite himself. His captain was remembering all their most intimate moments.

As Luffy kept counting, the memory went to Drum. They were standing in front of Wapol's old castle and it was the dead of night.

" _I'll stay here, but...if you ever feel like it, come back someday and..._ " Chopper attempted to say through his moist eyes.

" _Shut up! Let's go!_ " Luffy yelled as he threw his head back, causing his hat to fly off.

He had a huge grin on his face as Chopper wept in happiness.

Current Chopper also sobbed in joy and fondness.

Luffy began to count down with his other hand and the memory flashed again.

They were in the tomb in Alabasta and Luffy was holding Robin and King Cobra in his arms.

" _Wait a second! I have no reason to live! Put me down and leave!_ " Robin screamed in fury at Luffy.

" _Why the hell should I listen to you?_ " Luffy asked bluntly.

The memory went back to Enies Lobby, except now they were on the courthouse, staring down CP9 and Spandam. Usopp had just burned the flag, declaring war against the world.

" _Robin, I still haven't heard it from your mouth! Say you want to live!_ " Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs.

" _I WANT TO LIVE! LET ME SAIL THE SEAS WITH YOU!_ " Robin screamed with all her heart as tears rushing down her eyes.

Robin could not stop herself from crying seeing her past self. It was like she was covered in a warm blanket.

Luffy put down another finger as the memory went to Water 7. They were standing on the Sunny as Luffy threatened to never return Franky's speedos if he didn't join his crew.

Franky was slightly annoyed that this was Luffy's most intimate moment for him. He really needed to find some bonding time with his captain.

As Luffy put his final finger down, the memory rushed back to Thriller Bark. They were in the dining hall with Brook playing the piano as Luffy lay on top of it.

" _I want to see him! When I first met him, he was only the size of a small ship. Even though he was not well tamed, he loved music! He's a good boy! He's still waiting for me at that cape...I still think of him. I see now! So, he's doing just fine!_ " Brook exclaimed before he sobbed into his bony hands.

Luffy smiled at Brook's happiness.

Brook wept openly as the scene faded.

The memory returned to Amazon Lily for the last time as Luffy reopened his palms. Tears fell from his eyes as the warm memories of his friends dissipated the darkness.

For a moment, the Strawhats saw images of themselves appear around Luffy. It was like before when Luffy was deciding about going after Ace. Except now, the vision was not disappearing. Instead, their images grew brighter and more visible.

"I still have...I still have my crew!" Luffy shouted through his tears. "Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook! My friends are still here!"

This sent just about all the Strawhats into tears. In his bleakest hour, he remembered them. Even though they were far away, unable to physically reach their captain, they were still able to touch him. To tell him that he wasn't alone in the world.

Zoro felt an inkling of tears in his one eye. It was exactly as Luffy told him. Jimbei rekindled his will to live by reminding him of them, that he was still loved and that they were those who awaited his returned. They all owed Jimbei a great debt, a debt so big that it would take two lifetimes to repay.

Jimbei truly was one of them. It didn't matter if he never physically sailed with them. He was family, just like Vivi.

Jimbei gave a huge smile; relieved and thankful that Luffy did have something to return to. The Strawhats realized that this was one of the few times they had ever seen him really smile.

"I see," Jimbei said.

"We agreed on a meeting place..." Luffy said as he attempted to wipe his eyes as he cuddled himself. "I got to go...I'm pretty late, but..I'm sure that they're waiting for me!"

Jimbei had that thoughtful expression on his face again before he smiled again and sat across from Luffy.

"I want to see them now!" Luffy sobbed before he threw his head back in cried. "I want to see them again!"

Luffy's cries echoed as the Strawhats felt themselves becoming lighter. The mist engulfed them for the final time and all was blank.

Slowly, each of the Strawhats began to regain consciousness in their real physical bodies. They were all dazed and felt a little sick from their experience.

It was early morning with sun peaking through the trees. The mist that surrounded the island had dissipated into a light fog. It was almost like the entire experience had been a long dream.

"Argh, it feels like I ate that shit cook's food," Zoro moaned as he rubbed his head.

This earned Zoro a kick in the face. "Shut it, shitty swordsman!"

Zoro immediately stood up, reaching for his swords. "You son of a…"

"Is everyone okay!?" Chopper yelled as he attempted to clear his head.

"It seems that we all made it back," Robin said before she glanced towards Luffy, who was still lying prone on the forest's floor. "Although, it appears that Luffy is not awake yet."

Chopper immediately went to check on his captain as the rest crew cleared the cobwebs out of their heads. It was quick check-up and the reindeer doctor eventually nodded in approval.

"He's fine. He's a little cold, but that's not surprising since he's been lying on the ground all night," Chopper said.

"If what that entity says is true, Luffy-san's mental state is the thing we should be the most concerned about," Brook said in worry.

Sanji sighed as he bathed in the sunlight. "That was one wild experience. I can hardly believe what happened. It's like we all collectively had the same dream."

Nami rubbed her forehead and gave a deep sigh. "Tell me about it." She paused for a second. "That last memory..."

Brook looked into the sky, staring at the waving trees as the wind blow over him. "Maxwell really did give us a wonderful gift. He allowed us to see how Luffy healed after the war and how he remembered us. He also allowed us to see how Jimbei saved our captain's soul."

There was a long pause.

"Jimbei - we have to thank him once we see him again," Chopper said tearfully.

"We owe him far more than a thank you," Usopp said as he stared tenderly at his captain. "Without him, Luffy would have been lost to us." He suddenly became somber. "Still...we almost lost Luffy to this mist."

"Jimbei may have started the healing process, but even he could not completely mend Luffy's wounds," Robin said as she gently patted Luffy's head. "For one reason or another, Luffy stopped healing. It is up to us to help him get better."

All the Strawhats nodded in agreement. If there was one thing they learned from looking at their captain's memories, it was how precious Luffy was to all of them. How none of them would ever be complete if they lost him. Somehow, Luffy, and the crew as a whole, became the center of their world.

"Should we carry him back to the ship?" Franky asked, breaking the tense silence.

Chopper nodded. "Yeah. He has been lying on the ground for the entire night. Putting him somewhere warm will help him."

Zoro walked over towards his captain and gently picked Luffy up. He began to carry his captain piggyback as the rest of the crew led him back to the Sunny. They walked for a few minutes in a comfortable silence as all the Strawhats reflected on what they had seen.

"I wonder...will Luffy be mad at us?" Usopp suddenly asked. This got the crew's attention. "We...we were allowed to peer into Luffy's memories. We saw a lot of private thoughts and feelings...things that Luffy never shared with us."

"We had no choice," Nami said. "If we did nothing, Luffy's soul would have been taken."

"Even so...this was far more personal than just looking into his dream and learning bits of information," Usopp said as he tapped his fingers. "I mean...how would any of us feel about seeing such private moments that no one was meant to see?"

"You mean like Zoro at Thriller Bark," Chopper whispered, while looking at the swordsman. "Why didn't you at least tell me what happened? I could have given you better medical care if I had known."

"You and I both know that you did everything you could," Zoro said in a firm voice. "What happened to me would have made no difference in your treatment."

Chopper looked like he wanted to argue the point, but he quickly fell silent. Zoro was right. Even knowing what he did now, he wouldn't have changed how he treated Zoro. Still, he was the ship's doctor. When it came to damages and illnesses, his crew shouldn't hide stuff from him.

"But why keep something like that a secret? That was super, what you and Sanji did!" Franky yelled.

Zoro said nothing.

"We didn't tell anyone because we only did what we knew was right. It was nothing to celebrate," Sanji said as he reached for a cigarette. He was going through mild withdraws since he hadn't smoked for over nine hours. At least, not physically. "Besides, we all know how Luffy would have felt if he knew what happened. You saw his face."

Nami nodded. "Yeah, he actually threatened to beat Zoro up."

"What is ironic is that the entity's final effort to push Luffy over the edge actually worked against him," Robin humored. "It made Luffy see the extent we would go through to protect him, whether he likes it or not."

"Sounds fair, given the lengths Luffy-san goes through to protect us," Brook said, remembering everything they saw in Luffy's memories.

"Still, how do you think Luffy will take everything? Does he even know we were in his memories?" Nami asked as she looked her captain's peaceful face.

After seeing the grief-stricken, anguished looks from the memory, seeing Luffy look so serene was a welcome change. Although, she could see trails of wetness on his cheeks and under his eyes. The pain was so intense that his physical body had cried.

"If he doesn't know or remember, we'll tell him everything," Zoro said, breaking Nami out of her musings. "We'll leave nothing unsaid. From there, we'll let the chips fall where they may."

Robin nodded. "That seems to be the best course of action."

Chopper gave a deep frown. "Still...how are we supposed to help Luffy? If what we saw is anything to go by, Luffy is suffering from several mental illnesses such as depression and PTSD. These are severe mental problems that I'm not trained to handle."

"Well, as he starts to gain confidence in himself again, won't most of that go away on its on?" Usopp asked.

Chopper shook his head. "Mental trauma doesn't just go away. It takes years of intense therapy and care to treat a mental disorder. Even then, it may never fully go away. He may just learn how to manage it."

"Chopper is correct. Because of Luffy's experience, chances are that he will never fully recover. He will have to find a new normal," Robin said.

"What are you saying, that Luffy needs a shrink?" Franky asked with a hint of humor.

"It...may be best that we do find Luffy professional help," Chopper said with some hesitation. "Or, I could read up and train myself. If I want to cure all illnesses, I need to be able to heal mental damage too."

"Luffy's just going to love that," Sanji humored.

Usopp sighed. "Things just got more complex. Considering Luffy is a wanted pirate, no normal doctor would want to treat him."

"I'm certain Chopper can handle it. He's going to be the best doctor in the world," Nami said with confidences.

Chopper blushed and fought not to dance.

"Maybe you can help, Robin," Nami said as she turned towards the older woman. "I mean, you suffered a great loss yourself."

Robin was silent for a couple of seconds. "I may have recovered from my darkness, but I would not recommend my road to healing to anyone. Plus, it took me over twenty years to reach this point."

It was a few more minutes of walking before the Sunny was within their sights. It was then that Luffy stirred on Zoro's back.

"He's waking up," Zoro informed his crew as he stopped walking. The other Strawhats also stopped as they waited for their captain to fully wake up.

Luffy gave a low moan as he rubbed his eyes and gave a big yawn. "Ohhh, I...feel like crap. Did I sleep with my head under a rock again? Maybe I got drunk… Hope I didn't burn down another town or tear the floorboards off Sunny again. Franky was really mad the last time and Zoro was upset because I drunk his secret stash... Although, I prefer Zoro being angry. Nami will kill me if I get into her stash again. Although, who pays one thousand belli for a bottle of wine…?"

The Strawhats had to keep themselves from chuckling at Luffy's monologue. Luffy tended to speak his private thoughts out loud. If he wasn't making life or death decisions, almost anything that ran across Luffy's mind came out of his mouth.

In many ways, that was good thing. If Luffy ever mastered his blank expression, no one would ever be able to beat him at cards. Not even Nami.

It took Luffy several seconds to realize that he was being carried on Zoro's back and that his crew was surrounding him, giving him funny looks. "Guys?"

"Luffy, you're alright!" most of the crew cheered as they went to hugged him, startling Luffy.

"Be careful, he's still weak!" Chopper yelled as he went into his Heavy Point.

"Huh?" Luffy asked in confusion. It was obvious that he was still half-asleep. "Who's weak and what happened?"

"Luffy, what is the last thing you remember?" Robin asked instead of answering Luffy's question.

Luffy tilted his head in thought. "Ah, I remember exploring with Franky. We saw these strange kids who were doing this freaky, but kind of cool-looking dance. I then suddenly felt sleepy and fell out." He was silent for a couple seconds as a haunting expression crossed his face. "I did have this strange nightmare..."

The Strawhats knew by the tremors in Luffy's body that he was recalling his trip through his memories and the entity no doubt.

"Luffy...that wasn't a dream," Nami said softly.

"Huh?" Luffy asked.

"Let's get back to the Sunny and we will explain everything," Robin offered kindly.

Luffy numbly nodded as the crew continued to walk towards the Sunny.

"Zoro, I can walk," Luffy complained as he attempted to wiggle out of the swordsman's grip.

"Just stay still and rest," Zoro ordered firmly, tightening his grip.

Luffy sighed as he slumped against the swordsman and pouted. Zoro could be so overprotective at times.

When they reached the ship, the Strawhats went straight into the galley where Sanji fixed everyone a high-energy breakfast. They all needed to regain their strength after their experience. Food was also a good way to tell Luffy everything that had happened.

Within the hour, all the Strawhats were eating and enjoying their breakfast. There wasn't much talking since everyone was anxious to tell Luffy everything that had happened on the island.

Luffy barely acknowledged the awkward mood as he devoured everything within his reach. After missing dinner, he was making up for the lost meal. He finally noticed that something was wrong, however, when no one complained about him stealing their food. He could guess the source of the tension.

"Guys, what happened on that island?" Luffy finally asked as he looked at all of his crewmates.

The Strawhats looked uneasily at each for a second.

"Luffy, you say you remember having a dream," Robin said. "Was that dream about your childhood, how you met us, the incident at Sabaody, and everything you went through to save Ace?"

Luffy's eyes widened in shock. "Wow, how did you guess all that!?" He frowned. "I didn't talk in my sleep, did I?"

"Luffy, we saw everything," Zoro said bluntly. There was no point of tiptoeing around the subject.

Luffy turned towards his swordsman in confusion.

"Luffy, you weren't dreaming. That mist on that island did something to you," Nami explained. "A vengeful spirit invaded your mind and showed you your worst memories in order to break you and take your soul. In that dream, do you remember someone trying to encourage you to commit suicide?"

Luffy paled when he heard the question. "How...how did you..."

"We saw everything," Sanji repeated as he lit his cigarette. "In order to save you, we went into your mind and saw your memories."

Luffy was deathly silent as he glanced at his crewmates. "How...how much did you see?"

"We...we saw almost everything, Luffy," Usopp admitted softly as he tapped his fingers. "We saw you from a little kid at four years old, all the way up to seeing you after Ace died."

Luffy bit his lips as he took in the news. "You...saw Impel Down?"

Everyone nodded their heads.

"We also saw Omatsuri Island," Nami said barely above a whisper.

Luffy's eyes widened and all the color drained from his face. "You...saw the Baron?" He spoke the man's name like it was taboo. Like saying it out loud would bring back all the ill feelings and hostilities from that island.

"Yeah. We saw how that bastard slowly killed us in front of you by feeding us to a giant flower," Sanji said before he lowered his head in shame. "I also saw the shitty things I said to you."

Luffy was left in a state of silence again. He was clearly still in shock, judging by the way he was gripping and loosening his hands repeatedly. "Marineford...and me...after the war? You saw that...too?"

The Strawhats nodded again.

There was a flash of shame that crossed Luffy's face. "Then...you know of the state I was in after Ace..."

"Luffy-san, there is nothing to be ashamed of," Brook said gently. "After everything you were put through, even the strongest person would have been broken."

Luffy lowered his eyes and sighed, calming himself. There was a long silence. "I wish you didn't see those things..."

"But we did," Zoro said. "We saw that bastard entity use your guilt and fears to push you to the point where you were about to kill yourself." He glared harshly at his captain, making Luffy stiffen. "Why didn't you tell us that you were still hurting that badly? Why did you allow this to build to the point where some bitter ghost could take advantage of you?"

Luffy said nothing for a several minutes. His face was blank and eyes were emotionless as he stared at the table, not making any eye contact with his crew.

The Strawhats were not sure what make of their captain's expression. They knew he was completely unpredictable when he was like this. They prepared themselves for any outburst or lack of emotion that may occur.

After a few more seconds, he smiled. It was completely forced and vacant smile that held none of the warmth they had come to know in their captain.

"Well, it's unfortunate that you saw all that, but I'm okay. It's all the past now. Nothing more than nightmares, really. I guess I just had one of those nights. Thanks for saving me back there. Those were your voices back there, right? I thought I was going nuts or something." Luffy laughed, which was also void of emotion and force.

All the Strawhats could only stare somberly at their captain as he attempted to put up a strong front.

Nami was particularly upset by what Luffy was doing. It was exactly what she did when she confronting Nojiko, Genzo, and the others when they were ready to storm Arlong Park.

"I was just taken off-guard. I was careless, that's all." Luffy continued to laugh. "I guess I didn't take the New World seriously again, huh. But really, I'm fine. I'll just have to be more careful next time." He laughed even harder. "Although, it's funny. What were the chances of you guys ended up in my head twice in two weeks? I won't have any secrets left at this rate."

"Stop that," Robin said harshly, startling Luffy into silence. It sounded like his mother was scolding him. Robin's face quickly softened, but she continued to stare firmly at her captain. "Luffy, please do not lie to us."

Luffy smiled again, regaining his composure. "I'm not lying. Really, you guys worry too much. You guys almost bad as Ace. I'm fine. I don't need to be babied."

Usopp shook his head in disapproval. "You're a terrible liar, Luffy."

Luffy stared at his crewmates as his smile dropped and his eyes became filled with an unspoken emotion.

"Luffy, tell us the truth," Nami said firmly for everyone.

None of them were going to allow Luffy to lie to himself anymore. They came too close to losing him for them to turn their heads and pretend that everything was alright. As much as it may hurt Luffy, he had to confront this.

"I don't want to talk about it," Luffy said quickly as he got up and walked out of the galley.

He didn't get far outside before his crew followed him. They weren't going let him get away like that easily.

"Was it because you were afraid that we would think less of you?" Franky asked for the entire crew.

Luffy glared angrily at Franky. "I said I don't want to talk about it."

"Too bad," Sanji said firmly as he walked right up to Luffy. "We're talking about it."

"If I don't want talk about, we're not talking about it," Luffy said with some heat as he walked around Sanji and attempted to walk to the men's room.

He was cut off by Usopp, who blocked his path.

"Move," Luffy ordered as he glared at the sniper.

Usopp returned his captain's glare. "No."

By this time, the entire crew surrounded Luffy, preventing him from escaping.

"Luffy, if you keep doing this, I will restrain you," Robin stated calmly.

Luffy folded his arms. He now looked outright pissed. "I said I'm not going to talk about it. It's none of your business."

"It's our business when it concerns your health and safety," Nami said with heat.

"Are you disobeying an order from your captain?" Luffy asked harshly as he glared at each of his crewmates.

The Strawhats looked at each other for a second. Luffy rarely used his authority as captain. When he did, it was usually to make important decisions, not to block them.

Normally, they would respect the captain's decision and obey his command, no matter how strange, silly, or stupid his orders could get. For the first time, however, Luffy gave an order that no one could follow.

It was Zoro who answered for everyone. "Yes."

Luffy was taken off-guard by the answer. Zoro had never questioned his authority before.

"As you are now, you're a danger to yourself and your crew. We have to confront this problem or this can happen again," Zoro said as his eye softened. "As a friend...as family, we want to help you, but you have to let us in first. Didn't I say you could ask for our help? That we would undersand. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

Luffy eyes widened.

"Luffy, please let us help you," Chopper said in a pleading voice. "You helped us fight our demons. Let us help you fight yours."

"We won't let you back away from this," Nami said in a gentle but firm voice.

Luffy was silent for several minutes. He knew his crew wouldn't drop this. As much as he hated to admit it, Zoro was right. As he stood now, he was a danger to his crew. Besides, it wasn't like he could go anywhere. Other than Sunny, the only place to go was the island, and Luffy was in no hurry to return there.

"It...it's been two years," Luffy sighed in a defeated tone. "I should be over this by now. I'm your captain. I should be strong enough to get through this. The last thing any of you would want to see was me crying and mourning over Ace after you all spent two years training. You all would had wanted me to be strong...to be ready. Not to know that I doubted myself."

"That's a load of crap," Zoro said in a harsh voice, startling Luffy. "You think just because you're the captain that you're supposed to invincible? That you're not allowed to hurt or cry!? I thought you understood that wasn't the case after everything that happened with Toby!"

"That's the point! Toby shouldn't have been able to get to me in the first place!" Luffy yelled angrily as he got into Zoro's face, which wasn't easy for the rubber boy since Zoro was several inches taller than him. "If I had moved on from what happened to Ace, I wouldn't have been falling into Toby's power. I wouldn't have cried about killing Ace because he wasn't real. I wouldn't still have this longing to return to that damn Dream World and be with my imaginary brothers! I thought I was alright! That I didn't need to trouble any of you...but..."

"Luffy..." Usopp attempted to interrupt by placing his hand on Luffy' shoulders.

His captain, however, wouldn't have it and pulled away from the sniper. His eyes were narrowed and he was breathing hard as he also backed away from the swordsman.

"Looking at it now, reliving those memories, and hearing that guy's words...I can see that I'm no different from the Baron," Luffy said barely above a whisper. "I thought I understood him back then...when he killed all of you. But now, I truly understand his grief and what drove him."

"You're _nothing_ like the Baron, Luffy," Zoro said emphatically.

Luffy glared at Zoro. "What makes me any different from him? We both were given the chance to live inside a fantasy. We both were so consumed by pain that we chose to live within a dream world instead of facing reality, which made us hurt countless people. We were both selfish!" He took several more deep breaths. "The only difference between us was that I didn't have to kill anyone to stay inside my fantasy."

"And would you have killed someone, Luffy?" Sanji asked, catching Luffy off-guard.

"What?" Luffy asked.

"Would you have killed someone?" Sanji repeated as he stared at his captain. "If you could have recreated your brothers or us the same way the Baron did with his crew, would you have done it? Even when you were on Amazon Lily completely broken and drowned in grief, would you have killed someone to get us back?"

Luffy opened and closed his mouth several times. As hurt as he was that day, he already knew the answer. "No..."

"That's the difference between you and him," Sanji said firmly. "You may have been willing to live inside a fantasy, but you weren't willing to stoop as low as the Baron to get it. You were forced into your Dream World, and you didn't choose it willingly, unlike him. You also broke free while the Baron lived the remainder of his life inside a fantasy. Despite what you may believe about yourself, Luffy, you still had a soul even amidst your grief!"

"But..." Luffy started to say.

"Luffy-san, there is no time limit on mourning the death of a love one," Brook said, stopping Luffy from speaking. "My crew died over fifty years ago and I still grieve for them. I would still be mourning them, unable to fulfill my promise to them, if you haven't found me in that fog and given me a new life. I will always miss my old crew, but I now have a new life and family."

Luffy became silent.

"Luffy, all of us have only recently made peace with our past tragedies," Nami said as she reflected on her own past. "Until just two years ago, I had nightmares almost on a daily basis about my mother and Arlong. It wasn't until I met all of you and found my place under your flag that I began to heal. Now, I can look back on those times and not feel the same pain as before. I can finally remember my mother without wanting to cry. I can truly smile remembering all that she had given me and not just remember her death."

Chopper nodded. "Until I met you guys, I was an outcast on Drum. I was called a monster and no one wanted anything to do with me...not even my own family. Only my father and Doctorine cared about me. I thought I would remain an outcast forever, until you asked me to join. Now, I'm not alone anymore and I no longer hate or feel ashamed of being called a monster. I embraced that word. Like your grandpa told you, I see my power as a gift to protect those I care for."

Luffy could only stare at the small reindeer. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"I had many friends and family in Water 7, but I felt isolated because of my guilt about what happened to Tom. He was my father and mentor and he gave his life protecting me because I was irresponsible with my ships," Franky spoke up as he lowered his eyes. He was trying not to cry. "I thought for years that the only way to make things even remotely right was to stay in Water 7 and protect everyone. It was you and all your crazy actions at Enies Lobby that made me finally see that I didn't have to be shackled by my guilt anymore. That I could build my dream ship and sail with you guys to the end of the world. That...it was okay to forgive myself."

"I was alone for over twenty years," Robin spoke softly. "I could trust no one because every time I thought I found a place, people would turn me in to the government. I had to find shelter among outlaws and pirates and I did many terrible and unspeakable things to stay in their good graces. When you found me in that tomb, Luffy, I truly was ready to die in despair, and I was prepared to do it again back in Enies Lobby. You all, however, have given me a place to belong. You have given me a family. I am not alone anymore and those dark days are finally in the past."

Luffy stood stunned as everyone poured their hearts out to him.

"I have been alone as far as I can remember," Zoro suddenly spoke up, stunning everyone. "I never really had a family and the closest person I ever had to a friend died when I was still just a child. If I had never met any of you, I may have achieved my dream, but it would be an empty prize. I would most likely become like Mihawk, wandering the oceans bored and disillusion. Now, when I do achieve my dream, I will have people to share it with. My swords are no longer just to achieve my personal goals or to fulfill an old vow. My swords are also for protecting my family and all their hopes and dreams."

Sanji finished his cigarette before he casually crushed it onto the deck. "I don't have the deep, depressing stories all of you have. I grew up with no parents, but I was still cared for by the sea chefs on my old ship, then Zeff and the other shit cooks at the Baratie. Even so, I thought I could never achieve my dream of finding All Blue because I believed I owed my life to that shitty old man. If you had never come, and blown a hole in the roof, I would have most likely spent the rest of my life at the restaurant, thinking that was the only way to repay him. If I had, I would be living an empty and dreamless life. So, you could say you saved me as well."

"I don't really have a tragic story either. My mom died when I was young and my father left to go to sea so long ago that I barely remember his face," Usopp said. "My dream was to always go out to sea and be with my father, but I never had the courage to actually do it. If you guys never came to my village, not only would Kuro have killed Kaya, but I would have never found the courage needed to finally go out to sea and stop pretending to be a pirate. Now, I have much more than I could ever imagine. I have a new family and a new place to truly call home. When I see Kaya and the others again, I will be a true pirate, not the false hero I used to play in my stories."

Luffy looked silently at his crew. No one really shared their past with one another. He knew that some of his crewmates knew more than others, but overall most of his crew kept their life stories to themselves. It wasn't because they were ashamed or no one was interested, but it was because it didn't matter.

One of his crewmembers could tell him today that they were a serial murderer, or ate human flesh, and he wouldn't care or think any less of them. It was in the past, where it belonged. For whatever reason, it never occurred to Luffy that this utter acceptance could and _did_ work both ways.

"Luffy, even if you had returned to us broken and crying about what happened during at Marineford, we would not have thought any less of you, or thought you should be over it. We would have supported you just as you supported us in our darkest hour," Robin said in a gentle voice. "When we saw you holding Ace while he lay dying in your arms and saw you crying in that forest alone, we did not see you as weak or unworthy of being our captain. We saw someone we love in pain. We all cried with you and wanted to help you, despite being unable to reach you. We all also regretted not being by your side that day. No one should have to experience what you had alone."

Luffy was tearing up, but refused to let himself cry. He was so sick of crying.

"You heard our voices. That wasn't a dream or a hallucination as that entity kept claiming. It was us telling you that things would be okay again," Sanji said in an unusually soft voice. "It may not seem like it at times, but if you let us in and take our help, then things can get better. You're not alone."

Luffy lowered his head and closed his eyes. He didn't know what to speak. He didn't think he could speak with the giant lump that was forming in his throat.

"Luffy, have you actually had the time to really mourned Ace's death?" Nami suddenly asked.

Luffy stared at Nami. "You saw my memories."

"I saw you cry immediately after Ace died and after you had woken up, but have you ever really just gone somewhere and mourned?" Nami questioned. "Not just cry for a few minutes and pull yourself out of it."

Luffy paused in thought. "No...not really. I held back after Jimbei snapped me out of my depression. Not long after that, Rayleigh came and offered to train me. From there, we went back to Marineford to give you all the message. After that, we left to train."

"So, you never had time to mourn and reflect," Nami said sadly.

"I thought about Ace all the time when I was training and I even cried a little after Rayleigh left, but I didn't want to cry anymore by then. I just wanted to forget it happened..." Luffy said in a soft voice.

"Luffy, maybe the reason you can't completely get over what happened to Ace is because you've never properly mourned him and told him goodbye," Usopp offered. "Even in your dream, you still didn't allow yourself to really let go."

Luffy turned his eyes away. "I don't want to let go. I don't want to cry anymore."

"Why?" Franky asked.

Luffy said nothing for a moment. "If I let go...if I allow myself to feel the same way I did at Amazon Lily...I would fall into that hole again. That emptiness nearly swallowed me. I barely climbed out before… I don't ever want to return there...to relive that pain. It would be worse than dying."

"You won't fall," Sanji said firmly. "Because we won't let you."

Franky gave a wide grin as he smashed his fists together. "If that darkness attempts to swallow you, we're here to beat it back."

"Luffy, it's okay to cry," Chopper said as he went up to Luffy and hugged his leg. "Holding your feelings in like this won't make you better. If you keep doing it, you'll hurt more. We're your family. You can cry in front of us."

Luffy's tears built furthered in his eyes. He started to tremble and hunched over despite his best efforts to control his emotions.

The Strawhats were immediately at their captain's side and embraced him in a tight group hug. Luffy was completely encircled by his crew as they gently lowered him onto the lawn.

Luffy's eyes widened at the awkwardness of having all of his crewmates hug him, especially Sanji and Zoro. Sanji rarely showed his emotions to the males on the crew, other than anger and annoyance, and Zoro rarely showed his emotions at all. Yeah, he did unexpectedly hug him that day not long after he had woken up, but Luffy chalked that up to being a 'once in a blue moon' kind of thing.

Having Franky on him was also strange, simply because of how big the cyborg was, so much so that he practically fitted everyone in his arms.

The awkwardness of the situation, however, quickly faded and before Luffy knew it or could stop it, he was crying his eyes out. This time, he couldn't stop himself no matter how hard he tried. His entire body shook as he allowed himself to truly mourn his brother's death.

It was nothing like the time when Zoro had embraced him and allowed him to cry in private. Those tears were to mourn the loss of a false world and the death of his dream brothers. These tears were the sum of everything that had built since that day in Marineford.

Jimbei told him to hold his tears back and to bottle his emotions. He held them back further when Rayleigh told him it was better for him to train and grow stronger instead of reuniting with his crew. Now, however, it was impossible. He could hold nothing in anymore.

"It was my fault! Why did Ace had to get in the way!? He should have let me die! He should have let Akainu kill me! I was the one who couldn't defend myself! He shouldn't have saved me! I was ready to die! He didn't have to keep saving me! It wasn't supposed to happen! Not like this! Damn you, Ace, why didn't you keep running?! Why didn't you run?! Damn you, Akainu! Damn you for taking Ace! Damn you, Blackbeard, for giving Ace to them and betraying him! Damn everyone for making Ace not want to live! Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit!" Luffy shouted and ranted through his tears. "I won't forgive any of them! Give Ace back! Give him back! GIVE MY BROTHER BACK!" he screamed through his tears.

The Strawhats held their captain tighter and allowed themselves to cry along with him unrestrained as Luffy continued to curse every god, entity, and spirit he knew, and even some he made up.

The words and tears that flowed out of his mouth were all bitter and even hateful, but all of them knew that Luffy didn't mean everything he was saying. These were the words of a man who had allowed his emotions to build to the point where he could no longer control them. It was this bitterness, regret, and self-hatred that nearly ate Luffy alive. All the Strawhats were going to make sure that Luffy let everything out, no matter how vile it was.

Under the shelter, safety, and care of his friends, his family, Luffy for the first time completely wept his heart out. The tears were the cathartic that Luffy needed as his harsh cussing turned into mournful and broken sobs.

Things were still not alright, and Luffy would grieve the rest of his life for his brother, but never as bitterly as he did at that moment.

The crew continued to hug Luffy until he eventually cried himself into an exhausted sleep.

It was Chopper who picked Luffy up and carried him to bed like he was small child. His captain had been through a lot, but hopeful this was truly the beginning of his healing. That he would no longer be weighed down by guilt and regret. That he had found true peace.

Luffy slept through the entire first day without stirring. Chopper surmised it was mental exhaustion. Being forced to relive your worst memories and directly confront your inner demons would leave anyone exhausted. As Nami pointed out, crying yourself dry always made you sleepy.

Thankfully, no nightmares haunted Luffy in his sleep. They wouldn't allow them, given that one of his crewmates stood with Luffy as he rested. Now more than ever, Luffy needed the support of his friends.

When Luffy awoke, he felt much better and happily ate the nine meals that he had missed.

The days passed slowly as the Strawhats recovered on their ship. Even with the curse of the mist beaten, the crew still didn't want to walk on the island unless they truly had to.

Luffy spent most of those days resting and listening to his crew as they told him in greater detail what they had saw within his memories.

Nami and Sanji both gave Luffy their most heartfelt thanks for saving them back in Drum, which earned him several slabs of meat from Sanji and a pardon on his racked-up debt from Nami. However, he also got a major scolding from them for running around in a blizzard with no coat and tearing his fingers up climbing that mountain.

Once she was finished scolding Luffy about Drum, Nami talked to him about how grateful she was about Arlong and how he destroyed the room that was once her prison. Luffy, naturally, brushed off the thanks and the tongue-lashings.

Chopper grinned from ear to ear as he talked about how cool Luffy was when he took on and won against his most dangerous opponents, especially Crocodile and Lucci. Although, the young doctor also gave Luffy an earful for being too willing to hurt himself. He expressed concern about how Luffy had wrecked his body at Impel Down and Marineford and how close he came to dying. Luffy, of course, waved those concerns off.

Usopp had the same worries as Chopper and pretty much forced Luffy to promise that he would never push himself like that again. He knew it was a promise that Luffy wouldn't keep, especially if they were ever in danger or were facing a powerful opponent, but Usopp wanted Luffy to at least acknowledge how dangerous his techniques were and how he was robbing his crew by being too willing to sacrifice his own life. He had already lost ten years with his dear friend. Luffy didn't need to give up any more of his time in this world if it could be prevented.

Brook talked to Luffy about everything he saw and didn't hold his pride back from his captain. Luffy's acts of humanity were the things that touched the musician the most. Saving the lapahn who attempted to kill him, saving an entire kingdom for the sake of one friend, his willingness to give the Baron a proper burial despite all the pain he caused, and going against the world to save Robin truly touched his nonexistent heart. He also thanked Luffy for saving Laboon's life and giving him something to live for, which made Brook bow before his captain, much to Luffy's horror.

The entire crew also told Luffy what happened on that ice island with the bounty hunters. They told him that their flag was, in fact, stolen and they fought to get it back without his knowledge. Looking back, they were all deeply ashamed about the deceit and how that lie had affected Luffy's confidence.

Luffy mostly laughed off their concerns. Naturally, he forgave his crew, but he also made it clear that he didn't want them to be ashamed to tell him when something goes wrong like that again. Luffy was also relieved that it was just the Jolly Roger being stolen that caused his crew to lie to him. Yes, the Jolly Roger was the pride and joy of a pirate crew, but losing his crew's trust as their captain and friend scared Luffy far more than permanently losing his pirate mark.

For the crew as a whole, the journey into Luffy's memories was an enlightening experience on such a level that it would take them months, if not years, to fully digest everything they had seen. After witnessing so much, none of them could look at Luffy the same again.

It wasn't that they pitied Luffy or thought less of him as a person, but for some of the Strawhats, it fully showed them that Luffy, despite all his power, confidence, courage, and will, was still a normal human.

They always knew Luffy wasn't invincible or immune to pain and heartache, but because of how Luffy carried himself and how he tended to react to situations, it was easy to forget those things and regard him as something more than human. When everything was settled, those members vowed to never forget that lesson and took it to their hearts that Luffy was still just a man, and at the end of the day, he needed the same care and support as any other person.

For the other crewmembers, it revealed to them that despite Luffy's carefree and strong personality, their captain was quite fragile on many levels. That deep inside his heart, he was still that child who desired friendship and had a deep-seeded fear of loneliness and rejection. Luffy did a good job hiding that particular aspect of himself, but looking back on their travels together, it could be clearly seen whenever the crew faced its darkest moments.

They also knew that Luffy didn't really like that side of himself, but those who recognized that aspect of their captain made it clear to Luffy that it was nothing to be ashamed of. They respected and loved him as a whole, which included his vulnerable qualities. No one, after all, could remain strong all the time.

On the third day after Luffy had woken up, it was Nami who decided that one of the best ways to help Luffy heal was to have a funeral for Ace. For her and some of her others crewmates, there was a sense of closure when you put someone to rest.

Although, 'funeral' was the loose way of putting the ceremony. There was no body to bury and Luffy owned nothing of Ace to burn or to put on an altar in remembrance. Luffy was also not one to give big or emotional speeches, and none of the Strawhats knew Ace enough to say anything, so there was no talking, either.

Still, even if the funeral was more symbolic than an actually ceremony, it was far better than having nothing and having Ace's spirit continue to linger around Luffy like a ghost. He needed a way to let Ace go in a meaningful way, much like they did with Merry.

Brook provided the music for the service. It was a slow, somber tone that captured the mood perfectly. Only Robin out of the entire crew recognized the song Brook was playing. From what she later told the Strawhats, it was an old classical piece used for grieving when someone of great importance died, usually a king. It was called _Adagio for String_ s.

With everything ready, a single candle was lit and Luffy carefully lowered it into the water, allowing it to float away. What surprised the Strawhats was that Luffy asked for a second candle to light and send with the first.

It took the crew only a moment to realize that Luffy was having two funerals. One for Ace, and another for Sabo, who never received anything upon his death. It may have also felt wrong to Luffy to send a single candle by itself out into the vast sea. Even in death, he wanted Ace to have company.

Luffy attempted to hold his tears during the silent vigil, but he eventually broke down as the two candles got further away from Sunny. Brook's playing became more intense and passionate. The crew carefully gathered around him, given him their support while he said goodbye to his brothers.

They were all also in tears as they thought about their own lost loved ones. Some even swore that they saw Zoro shed a single tear during the ceremony, but no one said a thing.

The entire crew stood by their captain's side long after the candles disappeared. They wouldn't move until Luffy was ready. After an hour, Luffy silently made his way to the cabin. Before he went to his quarters, he turned towards his crew and gave them a quiet 'thank you' in the form of a small smile.

It was at that moment that they knew that Luffy would be alright.

It was two days after the funeral that it was decided by Luffy that it was finally time to leave. Chopper thought Luffy should rest longer after such an emotional ordeal, but the Strawhat captain was ready to leave.

"Are you sure it's okay for us to go now?" Nami asked Luffy as they began to sail away from the misty island. "You don't have to force yourself if you're not ready."

"Yeah, there's nothing left to do here. Besides, there's nothing wrong with me that a little rest won't fix," Luffy assured in a somewhat distant voice as he stared at the sea. "I can mourn on the way to our next adventure."

Zoro nodded in agreement. He didn't want to spend another minute on that cursed island. It had no name and deserved to remain that way.

"Although, it is a little sad that we could not fully explore the island," Robin said with a hint of regret. "If what Maxwell said was true, there was a lot of history there."

She briefly wondered if there could have been a Poneglyph on that island. It was suspicious that the island fell into darkness around the same time of the void century. There could have been some clues to what happened. At the same time, after seeing what that mist did to her captain and what became of Maxwell's father and all the souls taken by him, she could not bring herself to step foot on it again.

Usopp leaned into his hands as the island got further from their sights. "It's hard to believe that there was once a place where people could go to see their loved ones again. I wonder…if we all could have seen our families and friends one more time."

Chopper nodded. "Being able to at least say goodbye to those who died unexpectedly or before their time can mean a lot to a grieving person. That's why I supported Hogback when he claimed that he was studying zombies and the idea of bring someone back from the dead, even if it was just for a moment."

Robin said nothing for a second as she thought of all the people who died at Ohara. "Centuries ago, it may have been possible. The mist, however, has corrupted that island, filling it with pain and despair. It is best that what we experience is not passed on so no one else falls victim to the mist."

"I agree," Brook said in a somber tone. "Let the mystery of that island rest in peace along with all those unfortunate souls."

"We shouldn't be so somber!" Luffy exclaimed with a huge grin on his face. "We can't have the ceremony if everyone's depressed!"

"Oh, we're going to do that now!?" Chopper asked excitedly.

Luffy chuckled. "Of course. I'm just sorry we didn't do it when we first came into the New World."

Sanji smiled and nodded. "Yeah, we should have done this a long time ago. Not just because of our new members, but because we all changed since that time."

"We may have changed, but our dreams and ambitions remains the same. In fact, they have grown," Nami said with a wide grin.

Franky slammed a giant barrel down in the middle of the deck. "There we go. I made a special barrel just for this event. A regular one would never fit all of us."

Robin chuckled. "Very true."

All the Strawhats surrounded the giant barrel and smiled at one another.

"You first, captain," Zoro said with a grin.

Luffy put his foot on the barrel. "To become the Pirate King!"

Zoro was the next to put his foot up. "To become the world's greatest swordsman!"

Nami was next on the barrel. "To draw a map of the world!"

Usopp confidently put his foot on the barrel and smiled. "To become the true King of Snipers!"

Sanji put his foot on the barrel next. "To find the All Blue!"

Chopper went into his Heavy Point and put his foot onto the barrel. "To find a cure to all diseases!"

Robin joined her foot with her other crewmates. "To learn the true history!"

Franky was next to put his foot up. "To build a dream ship that can sail to the end of the world!"

Last, but certainly not least, Brook put his foot on the barrel to complete the circle. "To reunite with Laboon and help Luffy-san become the Pirate King!"

They all stood like that for a moment, united in their dreams and hopes. For half the Strawhats, this was renewal of vows and a recommitment to their dreams and one another. For the other half, this was moment to mark themselves as part of the history of this crew.

Luffy smiled as he looked at each of his crewmates. In less than two weeks, they had saved him twice from himself. Each time, they could have left him. They could have moved on and achieved their dreams without him. Both time, they moved Heaven and Hell to save him. They held him up and kept him from falling into the black hole of his grief and regret.

He was told that it would get better, that there would come a time when he could think about Ace without it causing pain in his heart. Tried as he might, he couldn't bring himself to actually believe it.

Now, he knew for sure that things would eventually get better. That a day would come when he could think of his brother without pain and tears, but happiness and joy. It wouldn't be today, nor tomorrow, but it will happen someday. After all, he had his family by his side. His new brothers and sisters. It was as Zoro said to him that night; they were connected now. Their successes and failures were shared by everyone, even if Luffy didn't completely like it.

"Now, let's sail to the end of the world, _together_!" Luffy shouted.

"Yeah!" all the Strawhats yelled in unison as they crushed the barrel in a powerful downward kick.

From the island, two figures watched the Strawhats leave. One was a boy with green hair and a long-sleeved shirt, and the other was a tall man wearing a fancy suit with a cane. He had long green hair just like the boy next to him.

The two looked at each for a moment and smiled.

The man took the boy's hand into his own and they both turned back towards the island. There, they disappeared into the mist.

* * *

 

_Regret-"The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward."_

―Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections on life Human Experience.


	40. Epilogue

Luffy woke up feeling groggy and a little stiff as he stretched in his bed. It took his mind a few seconds to clear enough to realize that he was the only one inside the room. He wasn't too surprised, though. His crew had allowed him to sleep in again. This had become a common occurrence ever since they'd left that mist island.

Normally, he would be slightly irritated by his crew babying him, but the events of that last island had left him drained and he appreciated the extra hours of sleep. He was also grateful that no nightmares had haunted him over the last couple of days. After everything he was forced to re-experience, he just couldn't handle bad dreams right now.

With one last stretch, Luffy jumped out of bed and headed out of the quarters. When the sun hit him, he flinched from the brightness. By the way it was positioned, he had slept through breakfast and it was close to lunch. The one thing he hated about sleeping late was missing a meal, and his crew didn't feed him in his sleep unless he was out for a couple of days. Oh well, that just meant he had to make-up for lost time.

Luffy grinned to himself as he made his way to the galley.

Normally, Sanji did not feed anyone past the designated meal times. If you missed breakfast, you had to wait until lunch to be fed. This strict schedule was put in place so Sanji didn't spend the entire day making individual meals for everyone. The cook also hated reheating food; something about the food losing its flavor.

There were exceptions, of course. Injured crewmembers were given meals based on their level of consciousness and all the women could get their meals whenever they wanted. Sanji also made light snacks for those who did miss a meal. Strict or not, Sanji wasn't going to let anyone not eat for several hours, not when something could happen that would delay or cease a meal from being served.

When Luffy entered the galley, unsurprisingly, there was no one inside except Sanji, who never seemed to leave the kitchen unless he was serving snacks.

"Sanji, food!" Luffy demanded as he sat at the table and banged his fists.

"Sheesh, you can at least say hello, rubber bastard. I'm not your maid," Sanji scowled as he barely turned his head towards Luffy. Despite the harshness of the words, it was half-hearted and most likely spoken out of habit than actual annoyance.

Luffy laughed in good nature. "Okay, good morning, Sanji!"

Sanji rolled his eyes as he brought over several plates worth of food. He had sensed Luffy waking up and already had his meal prepared. Most of it were scraps from breakfast, but Luffy didn't mind. He ate practically anything. "More like afternoon. Lunch will be served in an hour."

Luffy drooled eagerly as Sanji sat the mountain of food in front of him. He wasted no time tearing into his breakfast. He was so focused on eating that he failed to notice that Sanji didn't return to the kitchen like he usually did after serving food. Instead, he took a seat at the table and patiently waited for Luffy to finish eating.

He didn't have to wait long since Luffy inhaled everything within a few minutes.

"More food!" Luffy demanded, banging his plate.

"No, we will be having lunch soon," Sanji scowled lightly. "You can wait till then."

Luffy pouted. "Stingy."

Sanji reached into his suit pocket and took out a package of cigarettes. "Whatever. You don't get a full meal if you don't come on time."

Luffy lost his pout when he realized that Sanji wasn't quite acting like himself. This behavior had become rather commonplace over the last couple of days. He hated it. He hated how somber and quiet his crew has become since they left that island. It just wasn't normal.

He also hated how they treated him like he was made of glass or something. Yeah, he maybe a little messed up in the head, but he wasn't weak like he was that first day.

"Sanji..." Luffy started to say.

"We need to talk," Sanji said as he lit his cigarette.

Luffy sighed. He had an idea what the talk was going to be about. He had more than a few with his other crewmates over the last couple of days.

"It's about that island, right?" Luffy asked bluntly.

Sanji put his lighter away. "Yeah, but it isn't the mist one."

This made Luffy tilt his head.

"We need to talk about Omatsuri," Sanji said bluntly.

Luffy stiffened when he heard that name. He knew that Sanji, most among all his other crewmates, would want to talk about the events with the Baron. Still, he had hoped that Sanji would have forgotten since it was just one small piece of all the memories they saw.

Sanji sighed, blowing out some smoke. "About what I said..."

"Sanji, there's nothing to talk about," Luffy interrupted. "You said what you said out of anger. I mean...Chopper, Robin, and Usopp disappeared without us even noticing. We were all stressed and worried. None of us acted like ourselves."

"That's no excuse," Sanji said with bitterness in his voice. "There's absolutely no excuse for the way I treated you. Even if some within our crew was missing, I disrespected you as a captain and...as a friend."

"Sanji..." Luffy tried to say.

"I put everything on you. I blamed you for everything in my own frustration and anger," Sanji went on, not allowing Luffy to stop him. This needed to be said. It needed to be said over two years ago. "As a crew, we are all responsible for ourselves and one another. The falling out at Omatsuri was on all of us. Not just you."

Luffy shook his head. "No, Sanji, you were right. It was all my fault. I ignored that the Baron was tricking us and let him take Chopper, Robin, and Usopp right from under us. I also failed to keep the crew together, allowing everyone else to be caught. Then..." He couldn't finish. A stupid lump had formed in his throat. He was remembering things that he wanted to forget.

"Shut up!" Sanji suddenly yelled, snapping Luffy out of his dark thoughts. The cook was glaring at Luffy. He looked truly pissed. "Don't you understand anything, you stupid rubber brain?! It wasn't all your fault!" He took several breaths to calm himself. "We...we are the ones who abandoned you. The Baron caught us because we broke apart and abandoned one another. If we were thinking straight and attacked the Baron together, as a crew, then that whole thing with that shitty Lily wouldn't have happened!"

Luffy opened his mouth to speak, but Sanji wasn't finished.

"You did everything in your power to save us. I saw that," Sanji said in a soft voice. "You kept trying to free us even as that shitty Baron took away your ability to move and taunted you with each of our deaths. And...you were willing to die with us."

Luffy was quiet for several seconds as he played with his fingers. "What else could I have done? After the Baron...killed you...I lost my will to go on. What the Baron said about being alone...it hurt the most. I didn't want to be alone." He squeezed his hands tightly.

"And you shouldn't have been," Sanji said as he lowered his eyes. "For that, I am sorry."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence in the galley.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Luffy said slowly.

"You should be," Sanji said as he flicked some ashes off his cigarette. "You should have told us a long time ago about what happened on that island. You can't keep such secrets from the crew. Our experiences, both good and bad, are needed for us to grow. You also shouldn't have forced yourself to carry such a burden on your own."

Luffy continued to play with his fingers, looking very much like a little boy. "I was afraid..."

"That we would leave you if we knew what happened. That you have lost our trust," Sanji finished, repeating the fears Luffy talked about when was speaking to Sunny and when the entity taunted him.

Luffy nodded.

Sanji took several puffs of his cigarettes. "You really are a moron. After everything you put us through, with one crazy adventure after another, you really believe us getting eating by an overgrown plant would be a deal breaker?"

Luffy said nothing.

Sanji turned towards Luffy and looked his captain straight in his eyes. "Listen, Luffy, and listen well. Don't you _ever_ blame yourself for our deaths. The moment we all signed on to become pirates, we willingly signed our lives away. We know that any day could be our last. That we could all die from some random event or some shitty pirate or marine who gets lucky. That's the risk we took when we joined this crew. You can't keep blaming yourself when shit happens."

"But I'm the captain," Luffy replied with some heat.

"So what?" Sanji asked with an equal amount of heat. "Unless you're god, and I'm not talking about that shit brain Eneru, you can't determine when we die. You can only do your best. On Omatsuri, you did everything in your power to save us. You didn't give up until the last of us were dead. That's nothing to be ashamed of. That's why we follow you, Luffy. We follow you because we know you'll give us everything you have and more. That's the mark of a great captain."

Luffy stared at Sanji with a blank expression.

Sanji stood up and made his way into the kitchen. He paused for a moment as he put out his cigarette. "Luffy, no matter what happens, no matter what troubles we'll run into in the future, you are the only one I will ever call my captain."

Luffy was close to tears as he stared at his cook. "Sanji..."

"Now get the hell out of my kitchen," Sanji said before hearts appeared in his eyes. "I have to get lunch ready for Nami-swan and Robin-chan."

Luffy didn't argue with Sanji. He gave a small smile as he left the galley.

As he left, he felt like a giant weight has been lifted off his chest. For the first time, he could finally look back at Omatsuri without feeling the overwhelming pang of guilt. It was a wonderful feeling. His crew had forgiven him.

The day passed normally as the crew sailed to Dressrosa to meet up with Law and Kin'emon. They knew that the death surgeon was going to be pissed with them for running so late, but it really couldn't have been helped. It wasn't like they were planning to stop on some cursed island and nearly have their souls eaten.

Luffy acted normal as he ran and played games with Usopp most of the day. Since his energy level was still fairly low, they played more low-key games like cards and jacks. Usopp was frustrated to find that even after two years, Luffy still somehow ended up with more cards then he started with.

"Luffy, can I see you?" Chopper called from his office.

Luffy gave the young doctor a wide smile. It was always odd to play games without Chopper. "Sure."

He got up and ran into the infirmary. Luffy's happy mood dissipated when he saw the serious, somber expression on Chopper's face. The young captain knew that he had to deal with doctor-mode Chopper. He hated when Chopper became all serious. He preferred Chopper when he was happy and goofing around.

"Can you take a seat on the bed? I want to run another check-up on you," Chopper said as he got his needles ready.

Luffy pouted. He hated check-ups. They were so tedious. "But I just had a check-up a couple of weeks ago and you checked me _again_ just a couple of _days_ ago."

"Well, I need to give you another one. I want to make certain that the mist didn't do any long-term damage to your body," Chopper said.

His voice left no room for argument. Despite his timid personality, Chopper became a monster when it came to performing his duties as the ship's doctor. Even Zoro was wary when Chopper became like this. He just had an aura that demanded respect.

Luffy sighed in defeat as he sat on the bed. For almost two hours, Luffy was subjected to multiple tests that ranged from blood work, physical exams, reflex tests, and breathing exercises. It was far more extensive than the physical that Chopper gave everyone after they had reunited.

"Your heart seems healthy and normal," Chopper said as he finished his latest test. "Although, maybe I should put a monitor on you to make sure."

Luffy gave Chopper a blank stare. "Chopper...what's wrong?"

Chopper flinched at the question. "Nothing's wrong. I just want to make sure that mist didn't do any damage. There's a lot about that island we just don't know and you were unconscious for almost twelve hours. Better safe than sorry."

Luffy shook his head and frowned. "You're lying."

Chopper paled at the statement. "I...I'm not..."

Before he could say anything more, Luffy poked the reindeer doctor across his chest, earning chorus of giggles from the younger boy as he attempted to protect himself.

"Tell me the truth, or do I have to tickle it out of you?" Luffy asked mischievously as he continued to mercilessly poke Chopper. He knew all the spots that drove Chopper crazy. He wasn't even really trying and Chopper was already giggling helplessly.

"Okay, okay, stop!" Chopper laughed as Luffy stopped tickling him. Once he finished giggling, his face became somber. "I was worried. I wanted to make sure that you were really alright. You...you really messed your body up trying to save Ace."

Luffy lost his smile as he stared at Chopper. "Oh, is this what this is about?" His smile returned. "Well, I'm fine, you see. So, you don't have to worry."

Chopper said nothing for a moment. "It isn't as simple as that, Luffy. Although you're physically fine now, you could have done long-term, permanent damage to your body. It may not show now, but in a couple of years you could eventually develop some serious health issues like arthritis, muscle fatigue, heart failure, strokes, or even cancer, to name a few. You...you've been too careless." He was near tears on that last part.

"But Chopper, I'm fine now," Luffy assured as he patted his body. "You shouldn't worry so much about what could happen."

"I'm the doctor, it's my duty to worry about your health for both the present and future!" Chopper yelled angrily, startling Luffy. "Luffy...you kept fighting even after your body was past its limits. Your body was already tired after you...after you lost ten years of your life fighting off poison. But you kept going after Iva gave you those hormones. You kept fighting and getting hurt, which made you very sick. When your body tried to get you to rest, you took more hormones and forced it to keep going." He took several deep breaths as he looked his captain directly in his eyes. "Luffy, you were at the edge of death. You could have died even if you _had_ saved Ace and escaped because your body was becoming too tired to function."

Luffy took in this information with his usual blank expression. It was impossible to tell how much of Chopper's statement he understood, despite the young doctor's best efforts to simplify everything.

"But I lived," Luffy said in a matter-of-fact voice.

Chopper wanted to yell that it was because Ace died that Luffy was still breathing, but kept those words to himself. He didn't need to guilt-trip Luffy with that after everything he had just been through.

"Luffy, you have to take better care of yourself," Chopper said slowly. He wanted to make sure Luffy understood the gravity of what he was saying. "All this added damage and close calls are going to catch up with you one day. If you keep doing stuff like this, using your Gears carelessly, pushing your body beyond its physical limits, you really will become severely sick and die at a young age. Even if it doesn't kill you, you can ruin your body to the point where you can't be a pirate anymore."

It felt very wrong to Chopper to be having this kind of conversation with Luffy. It sounded like he was talking to some old man who didn't realized that he wasn't in his twenties anymore. Luffy wasn't an old man. He was nineteen, for God's sake. This should be the prime of his life. He shouldn't be talking about health issues and death.

Luffy shrugged. "I don't mind dying."

Chopper narrowed his eyes and glared at Luffy, causing the boy captain to flinch. It looked like he was going to go into his Monster Point without even using a Rumble Ball.

"I know you don't care! You never care about your life! That's why you do reckless things like using your Gears and going into a war with a sick body! _You_ may not care, but I and the others on this ship do!" Chopper was shaking in rage at this point. He also appeared close to tears. "Dammit Luffy, I don't want you to suddenly drop dead when you're in your twenties! You have already lost ten years of your life! Do you think so little of yourself that you can't even try to be more careful!?" He took several breaths. "When you're hurt, Luffy, I'm the one who takes care of you. If you lay in this infirmary bed dying, how do you think the rest of the crew would feel? How would you feel knowing that I would have to watch you fade away!?"

Luffy ducked his head in shame. He should had known that Chopper would be particularly upset about Impel Down and Marineford. He did hurt himself pretty badly. He also knew that he was hurting his crew whenever he went out and got himself injured. It wasn't like he had death wish. Despite everything that had happened on that island, he still loved life. He wanted to be with his crew forever and have endless adventures.

At the same time, he would lay down his life in a second to protect his crew. That would never change, even if meant that his crew would someday have to watch him die. He would rather have his crew mourn his passing than him being forced to hold them as they lay dying in his arms like Ace.

Chopper took several deep breaths as he recollected himself. "I know I can't stop you from using your Gears or risking your health, but what I can do is care for any damage you may have done to yourself already."

Luffy blinked in confusion.

"I'm going to put you on a special diet," Chopper said, putting his hooves on his hips. "I'm going to make sure you eat extra fruits, vegetables, and carbohydrates. You will also be taking daily vitamins for now on. If you won't take the tablets, then I will give you an injection."

Luffy was taken off-guard by Chopper's statement. Sanji was the one in charge of the dietary needs of the crew except when one of them was sick, and then that duty fell to Chopper. For Chopper to suddenly take a proactive role in his food intake, he must be dead serious.

Luffy chewed his bottom lip as a sudden fear hit his heart. "Will I still be able to eat meat?"

Chopper said nothing for several seconds. "Yes. You can eat all the meat you want."

It would probably be better for Luffy's overall health to cut down on the meat, especially the red meat, but Chopper knew that was a lost cause. Luffy would never take to any diet he recommend if he took away his favorite food. Taking meat from Luffy was like trying to get Sanji to stop smoking or Zoro to stop binge drinking. As a doctor, he had to know what battles to fight.

Luffy smiled happily. "Okay, then."

Chopper sighed in relief. He was afraid that Luffy would fight him. "I'll tell Sanji and he can cook you the proper meals as soon as possible."

Luffy nodded. "So...can I go now?"

Chopper truthfully wanted to run several more tests on his captain, but that could wait for another day. He had enough lab work to keep him busy for the next several days anyway. Although, there was something else that needed to be discussed.

"Luffy, I have been studying up and...I want you to come to consultation," Chopper said in hesitant voice.

Luffy blinked. "Consultation?"

Chopper tapped his hooves together. "Luffy...when we were in your memory and saw what happened...I came to the conclusion that you have PTSD."

Luffy tilted his head in confusion. "PTSD?"

"Post-traumatic stress disorder. It is a common mental disorder that occurs after a person experiences extreme trauma," Chopper explained. "When you went to the war and watched...Ace get killed, it caused a great deal of mental distress for you. That stress is being transmitted into a mental disorder that has been causing you to have flashbacks, nightmares, and bouts of depression."

Luffy stared at Chopper with blank eyes. He obviously didn't understand a word Chopper said.

Chopper sighed in frustration. Talking to Luffy was like talking to a five years old child at times. "In other words, you're sick up here." He pointed to Luffy's head.

Luffy grabbed his head and looked slightly panicked. "You mean...my brain is sick?"

Chopper nodded; close enough. "You have been ill for some time, given what the entity was able to do to you."

Luffy frowned. "Is there anything you can do to make me better?"

"There is no cure, but we can manage the symptoms," Chopper said. "For example, I can give you drugs to help you to sleep at night so you won't have nightmares, as well as you coming here at least three times a week to talk about what happened."

"Talk?" Luffy asked.

"From what I read, talking is one of the best ways to help treat PTSD." Chopper's eyes became downcast. "Although, I'm no expert. I need to do a lot more studying and research if I wish to really help you. But I'll do everything I can. Robin has also offered to help since she, too, experienced this disorder. Together, we'll do everything we can to help you through this, Luffy!"

Luffy was stunned by the commitment in his doctor's voice. He was close to being moved to tears. Dammit, he was crying a lot lately. "Thank you, Chopper." He gave one of his signatures grins.

Chopper returned the smile. Things were still not better, but this was a good start.

"Well, can I go now?" Luffy asked bluntly, breaking the tender mood.

Chopper sighed as he shook his head. "Yeah, you can go."

"Yahoo, finally!" Luffy cheered as he ran out of the infirmary.

Chopper shook his head as he watched his captain leave. Luffy may be reckless, but he was going to do everything medically possible to make sure that his captain lived a long, healthy life, both physically and mentally. Luffy will be unable to gain back the ten years he lost and fully heal the mental damage, but Chopper would work to make the years that Luffy did have left were good ones.

Luffy was barely out of the infirmary when Nami called him.

"Luffy, can you come here?" Nami asked from over the railings. Although her voice was calmer than usual, Luffy knew by her tone that the question was more of a demand.

Luffy sighed. Looks like he couldn't go back to playing. "Coming, Nami!" He stretched his arms and rocketed himself to the upper level of Sunny.

Nami said nothing as she guided Luffy to the library. The room was empty, which wasn't unusual since only Nami and Robin really used it. It was unofficially the girl's sanctuary, especially since Nami drew her maps the library most of the time and it was suicidal to disturb Nami during her mapmaking.

Which was why Luffy was surprised when Nami led him to her desk and forced him to sit down. The desk was clear of any maps or sea charts, showing that Nami had cleaned up before she got him.

Before Luffy could ask what was going on, Nami placed a blank sheet of paper on the wooden desk along with a pen.

"What's this for?" Luffy asked as he grabbed the pen.

Nami leaned onto the desk. "I want you to write a letter."

Luffy tilted his head. "To who?"

"To your adoptive mother," Nami answered. "I bet you haven't written to her since you left Dawn Island."

Luffy stared at the paper. "No. I haven't really thought to."

Nami sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "I figured as much."

"What brought this on all of a sudden?" Luffy asked as he turned towards his navigator.

Nami said nothing for a second. "Luffy, how do you think Dadan must feel about what has happened these last two years? I mean, don't you think she's hurting too about what happened to Ace?"

Luffy flinched at the question. He was so lost in his own grief, shame, and regret that he never really considered Dadan's feelings.

"She lost her child in that war and you were pretty much declared dead for two years," Nami said softly as she reached towards her left arm and squeezed her tattoo. She had a distant look on her face. "I can only imagine the pain she went through, thinking that both of her babies were dead. It's the worst pain imaginable for a parent. To lose their child."

Luffy lowered his eyes and became silent for several seconds. "Did you know…that Ace was with Dadan and the others since he was a baby?"

Nami turned towards Luffy.

Luffy gave a sad smile. "Grandpa came out of nowhere and dumped him at her house and ordered her to take care of him. He even told her straight up that he was Roger's child. Had her cursing grandpa's name for days." He gave a humorless chuckle. "Dadan and the others had no clue what they were doing and couldn't even change Ace's diaper. Ace was so strong that he kept putting holes in the floor and walls when he fell over, trying to walk. I was lucky that I was older when Grandpa threw me with those bandits."

Nami gave a tender smile. "Ace told you that?"

Luffy nodded. "Ace and Dadan talked before he left. It was one of the few civil conversations they had. Dadan was upset about Ace leaving and didn't come to see him off." His eyes became misty. "She cried a lot when he left, but she completely denied it. At night, she would go through the picture books looking at old photos of him. She even had a photo book that followed his entire pirate career with a bunch of newspaper clippings and all his wanted posters."

He paused as he looked at the blank sheet of paper. He dimly noticed several wet spots on the discolored sheet.

Nami remained quiet, knowing that her captain was having a moment of reflection. She had a lot of those before she left Cocoyashi.

"The day before I left to become a pirate, she actually baked me a cake," Luffy suddenly said.

"A cake?" Nami repeated.

He nodded and gave a soft smile. "Yeah. It was chocolate. It had 'Happy Birthday' written on it. She knew that I would be too impatient to go out to sea to wait and have a celebration on my actual birthday. It was the first birthday cake I had since…momma died." He felt tears trickle down his cheek. "I never cared much for birthdays since momma died. They were just another day. But…they made that day feel special again. Like…" He couldn't finish the sentence as he wiped his eyes.

He was so emotional lately. Every little thing was making him cry.

Nami put her hand gently on Luffy's shoulder and squeezed in comfort. "A mother's love. There's nothing quite like it, is there?"

Luffy said nothing.

"Dadan, despite her hard edge and cold demeanor, did a lot for you. At the very least, I think she deserves a letter from her son. Something to let her know that you're okay. That she's not forgotten," Nami said in a very gentle voice.

Luffy gently touched the rough paper. He felt ashamed that he never got in touch with Dadan. After all that she had done for him, he owed her a couple of words. Besides, Ace told him to give Dadan his regards. It maybe two years late, but he promised. It was part of Ace's final wish.

"Okay…" Luffy said softly as he picked the pen back up.

Nami smiled and started to walk out of the room, wanting to leave Luffy in peace.

"But, can you help me?" Luffy suddenly asked, catching Nami off-guard. "I can't write."

Nami turned around and stared at Luffy in surprise. "You can't write? At all?"

"Well, I can write my name, Ace's name, grandpa's name, and your guys' names, but I've never really written before," Luffy said.

Nami continued to stare at Luffy. She shouldn't be so surprised. Even if this was Luffy, it wasn't unusual for most people not to know how to write anything besides their signatures. Also, Luffy had no formal education from what she seen. She supposed Garp wanted the marines to give Luffy his formal education after he joined. She should be grateful that Ace at least taught him how to read.

Nami sighed, but gave a small smile. After everything he has done for her, teaching him how to write would be the least she owed him and she always repaid her debts.

"Okay, I'll help you," Nami finally said.

For half an hour, Nami helped Luffy write his letter. Well, it was more that Nami wrote the letter while Luffy told her what he wanted to say. She didn't have all day at the moment to teach him to write and spell. She also wanted Dadan to be able to actually read the letter since Luffy's handwriting could best be described as chicken scratch. She would have an easier time translating Poneglyphs than trying to read Luffy's handwriting.

At the end, she did have him sign the letter, otherwise Dadan would tear the letter up, thinking she was being punked by some imposer.

By they time they were finished, dinner was ready. Before they left for the galley, Nami gave a time to when she could teach Luffy how to write. By her estimations, it would take Luffy at least two years before he was decent enough to write on his own. She didn't mind.

Dinner was just as loud and lively as usual as Luffy inhaled his food and stole from his crewmates.

Some within the crew wondered if they should tell Luffy that he didn't have to steal, since none of them were going to take his food. Given what they had seen of Luffy's childhood, his food-stealing habit, as well as him eating super fast, were developed as survival instincts since he had to fight for his food against bandits, his brothers, and wild animals.

Without speaking a word to one another, none of the Strawhats said anything to Luffy. At this point, the habit was too ingrained into their captain for him to stop. It would be like telling Nami not to steal anymore.

Besides, it kept the crew on their toes to watch out for their captain's stretchy, thieving hands. If they really wanted to stop him, they could do it by stabbing him with their forks.

From the corner of the room, Chopper talked softly to Sanji about the special diet Luffy would be on for now on. The cook wasn't upset by Chopper's request. He was actually quite happy that Chopper was taking such an initiative in Luffy's health.

He, like everyone else on the crew, was deeply concerned about Luffy's well-being and anything that could be done to help their captain was welcomed.

Buying the ingredients needed for the new diet would raise their food cost since he would be feeding Luffy almost as well as he does Nami and Robin, but Sanji was certain that Nami wouldn't mind. When it came to welfare of the crew, no price was too high for her.

By the time evening rolled around, most of the Strawhats were relaxing on deck and enjoying their free time. It would another day before they reached Dressrosa and the crew knew they should relaxed while they had the chance.

Zoro was on deck training with his many weights. The day was too nice to be cooped up in the Observatory, especially since calm days in the New World were extremely rare.

He was halfway through his sets when Luffy approached him. His face was unusually serious, not having its normal cheerful glow. Not too shocking, but still unnerving nonetheless.

Regardless, Zoro was happy that Luffy dropped the happy, carefree act around him. He found Luffy's forced smiles to be more disheartening than his frowns, or vacant expression.

"We need to talk," Luffy said bluntly once he got close to Zoro.

Zoro stopped swinging his weight and gently placed it on the deck along with the weight he had in his mouth.

"I figured you would," Zoro said as he reached for towel and wrapped his face. He was more surprised that he waited this long.

Luffy stared intensely at Zoro. "Why?"

Zoro looked into his captain's eyes and knew immediately that he was referring to Thriller Bark and his sacrifice to Kuma.

"You know the answer," Zoro said in his usual emotionless manner. "I did it to save you and the rest of the crew. There was no other way. Kuma was just too strong for us at the time."

"That's a lie," Luffy said as he put his hands on his hips. "You could have given me over to Kuma and no one would have been hurt. You didn't need to sacrifice yourself for me."

Zoro stared intently at Luffy. "You know that was impossible. No one on this crew would have been able to look at each other again if we had allowed you to be captured by Kuma."

After seeing Impel Down and what happened to Ace, the mere thought that it could have been Luffy if he was captured made him sick. And, unlike Ace, there would have been no rescue party for their captain.

They would, beyond any doubt, have gone after their captain and tried to save him, but they lacked the strength and resources back then. Two years ago, Luffy would have been beyond their reach if the government got their hands on him.

He would take Luffy's pain as his own if it meant never seeing his head on a spike.

"So you all stood up to a guy you couldn't win against, who also had a bomb, when everything would had been settled with one life," Luffy said. He almost sounded like he was scoffing them. "That's stupid. You guys really are idiots."

"No more stupid than us raiding Enies Lobby and declaring war against the government to save Robin," Zoro countered.

Luffy shook his head. "That's different."

"It's only different to you because it was your own life on the line instead of one of us," Zoro pointed out. "If Kuma had offered one of us in exchanged for the crew's lives, would you have taken it?"

Luffy was about to answer when Zoro cut him off.

"I know what you would have done. You would have refused and given your life to protect that person. In fact, you have," Zoro said with a coldness in his voice. "You gave your life up to Aokiji when we first met him on that island."

Luffy was left speechless.

"I saw the memory. You challenged Aokiji to a one-on-one fight. By him accepting, he forfeited the chance to kill Robin and the rest of us. He could only kill you." Zoro glared at Luffy. "You couldn't have known that you would be spared and you knew you couldn't win. You sacrificed yourself for your crew and did it in a way so that none of us would have seen you die; therefore, we wouldn't feel guilty about your death. It was a captain's order, after all, for us to return to the ship and take care of Robin."

Luffy said nothing, which told Zoro everything.

"So, you have no right to lecture me or any of us about being stupid about giving our lives away," Zoro said in a harsh voice.

"I'm the captain. I'm responsible for all of your lives," Luffy said, a bit of anger in his voice.

"And we've been through this. We're responsible for each other's lives. Stop being so selfish," Zoro countered. He was close to yelling. "I'm just the swordsman. If I die, I can easily be replaced. The only thing you would be missing is the extra muscle. You are the _captain_! You are the heart and soul of this crew. If you die, it would be the end of us. If I die, you will grieve, and will eventually move on. That is how a pirate crew works."

Luffy narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth as rage filled his body. "Do you think that little of yourself, Zoro? You think I would simply move on and forget about you if you got yourself killed?"

Zoro looked Luffy directly in the eye. "I think as much about my life as you think of yours."

Luffy became silent, considering Zoro's words. "You didn't think that way two years ago. You put your dreams and ambitions before everything. You even made me promise to never stand in your way. Yet, you go and sacrifice yourself behind my back and say nothing. Why?"

"Because I don't value that promise anymore," Zoro said firmly. He needed to make Luffy understand. There would be no more secrets between them. "I haven't valued it in a long time. Not since your dream became a part of mine."

Luffy continued to stare blankly at him.

"Luffy, we've been through hell and back together. We traveled all through the East Blue and the Grand Line as brothers-in-arms. We laughed together, mourned together, fought together, and we made history together. Do you really think I would ask the man who saved my life on every level imaginable to gut himself over an old, stupid vow? A vow made before I realized that I have found my place in the world?" Zoro said with more passion than he realized he had. He numbly realized that he was using the same tone with Luffy that he used when he begged before Mihawk to train him. "That promise I made two years ago doesn't matter. The only vow that matters is the one I took when I said that I would never lose again. That means, I won't lose making you the Pirate King."

Luffy said nothing for several seconds. Zoro almost wanted to growl in frustration. Luffy had that stupid unreadable expression again.

"Can't you see, Zoro? It doesn't matter. Whether you value that vow or not doesn't change the fact that I broke my promise to you," Luffy said in a hard voice.

Zoro felt a chill run down his spine and settle in his stomach.

"When we met, Zoro, I promised you that if I ever stood in the way of your dream that I would apologize to you at the end of a sword," Luffy said without a trace of emotion. "I got in the way. Twice, if what that mist guy said about you and Mihawk is true. For over two years, you have been mocking me."

Zoro glared at Luffy. "How could you say something like that?"

Luffy closed his eyes. "You were mocking me because you were leading me on. Instead of telling me that our vow had been broken, that you gave yourself to Kuma to save my life, you had me believe that I was still honoring our promise. A promise that I took seriously."

Zoro felt his mouth go dry. Luffy was right. Without him ever noticing it, Luffy have done many things to ensure that he never lost his ambition or drive to become the greatest, such as never giving him an official position and never calling him out for dueling Mihawk instead of going after Nami. Luffy has honored that vow to the best of his ability and he dishonored his captain by never telling him that his feelings had changed.

He was a man of action, not words. For him, that vow became invalid after he lost to Mihawk. When he bowed his head before Kuma and offered his life, he didn't even consider that stupid promise.

Perhaps a part of him believed that Luffy knew. That his captain knew that his feelings had changed since that day in Shell Town. That he now considered everyone on this crew his family. That there was something more important than him becoming the greatest swordsman.

Now, seeing what he saw through Luffy's memories, he understood that despite Luffy's insight of his crew, he never noticed. Because Luffy allowed himself to believe that he was expendable, he blinded himself to the changes within his crew. He failed to notice how much his crew dearly loved him and how they were willing to sacrifice their lives and ambitions to make his dream come true. Perhaps he did know, but chose to deny it.

"Luffy…I'm sorry I never told you," Zoro said in an unusually gentle voice. "I did it because I knew you would blame yourself and that…"

"I might fulfill our vow," Luffy finished.

Zoro said nothing for a couple of seconds. "Yes. Whether you accept it or not, losing you, or anyone within the crew...would be far more painful than me never being able to use a sword again."

Luffy sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment. "I understand. But, the matter remains. A vow, once made, can't be broken."

Zoro felt his heart still and he was holding his breath.

"Once I become the Pirate King and help you all achieve your dreams, I will fulfill my vow to you," Luffy said in absolution.

Zoro's eye widened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What?"

"You said that your dream has grown to include mine, right? If I die before I become Pirate King, I would dishonor you even more and crush the dreams of my crew. So, if I kill myself after I become the Pirate King and you become the greatest swordsman, then you won't be breaking your new vow."

Zoro blinked several times in surprise. Since when did Luffy become a lawyer? How did he even come up with this? "You truly value that archaic promise that much?"

"It was a promise made between men. A vow made between the man who will become the Pirate King and the man who will become the greatest swordsman in the world," Luffy said as he crossed his arms and looked Zoro directly in the eye. "Such a promise can never be shattered."

Zoro stared at Luffy in disbelief. "Why do you care so much? You've broken promises before."

Luffy tilted his head as if Zoro had asked a stupid question. "Because I honor any promise I make to a friend. And, because you were the first to call me captain, I can't turn my back on this vow. If I did, I wouldn't be worthy of being the Pirate King."

Zoro looked at his captain with admiration. He would rather die than break a promise to him, even if he himself no longer valued it.

He should have figured that this would happen. It was as Luffy said: a promise between men couldn't be broken. It could only be replaced with a vow of equal or more importance. The vow he made after he lost to Mihawk didn't negate the first vow. Without even trying, Luffy had found a big loophole. There was only one solution.

"Then, let's make a new vow," Zoro said, catching Luffy off-guard. "When you become the Pirate King and I become the greatest swordsman, we will have a battle. If I win, I'll claim your life."

Luffy stood silent as he took in Zoro's words. "What do I get if I win?"

Zoro gave his signature shark grin. "If you win, you get me."

Luffy blinked in confusion.

"If you beat me in battle, then I will pledge my sword to you until the end of time. Until your death and beyond, I will be by your side," Zoro said.

Luffy was struck by the vow and his eyes watered. "You..."

"Do we have a deal?" Zoro asked.

The two men stared at each other, having one of their wordless conversations. In a span of a few seconds, several words were shared.

For Luffy, he understood that the weight of this promise far outweighed the vow they made two years ago. Zoro was a free spirit, much like himself. For him to bet eternal servitude for a lost showed that he was either very confident that he would win, or just being stupid.

After looking at Zoro, he knew that neither were the case. Zoro wanted to lose. What would had been a fate worst than death two years ago, was something that he now desired. There wasn't even an ounce of hesitation in the older man's face.

Luffy had mixed feelings. One part of him deeply desired to have Zoro and everyone sail with him across the endless sea forever. It was a dream come true. At the same time, he didn't want anyone on his crew to be his servant. Being a pirate was all about freedom, after all.

Zoro kept looking at Luffy and through his eye, he assured his captain that their relationship was not one of master and servant. This was a vow between friends. Between family. When he reached the top of the world, Zoro wanted to be by his side.

Luffy gave a cocky grin as he held out his hand. Zoro did the same as he grabbed onto his captain's hand and squeezed it firmly

"It's a promise," Luffy said. "I won't lose to you."

Zoro grinned at his captain. "You better get stronger. When the day of our battle comes, I won't hold back. If you're truly the Pirate King, you should easily be able to handle the greatest swordsman in the world. Otherwise, killing you would be putting you out of your misery for embarrassing yourself."

Luffy laughed. "Yeah."

Zoro couldn't stop himself from grinning. For as long as he had lived he never imagined he would look forward to the day that he lose. And he would lose. When Luffy becomes the Pirate King, he would be stronger than anyone, including himself, and he couldn't be happier. What fate could have been better than becoming the right hand to the future Pirate King?

"Then, there's only one thing left to do," Luffy said as he closed his eyes.

Zoro lost his smile, baffled by Luffy's statement. What was left?

Before he could contemplate the meaning to Luffy's words, Luffy slammed his fist into Zoro's jaw, sending the swordsman sliding across the deck, breaking several floorboards.

All activity on the ship stopped as the crew looked at Luffy in surprise. The crew noticed for a while that Luffy and Zoro were having one of their private conversations and purposely kept themselves busy so they wouldn't overhear. Now, they couldn't ignore what was happening.

"Zoro, are you okay!?" Chopper yelled in panic.

He started to rush over towards the swordsman, but Sanji held out his arm, stopping the young reindeer. This was a moment between Luffy and Zoro. Two years has been building towards this.

Zoro sat up on the deck and rubbed his sore jaw. "What the hell!?"

Luffy tilted his hat down, covering his eyes. "I told that mist guy that as soon as I got back, I was going to kick your ass. Get up. You're not getting off that easy."

Zoro lifted himself off the deck and stared at Luffy. There was a slight pause.

"What are you waiting for? Get your swords and fight me," Luffy ordered before he gave a wide, almost demonic, grin. "I won't be satisfied kicking the ass of someone who won't defend themselves."

Zoro gave his shark grin as he went to the side of the ship to retrieve his swords. He also grabbed his bandanna and wrapped it around his head.

"So, you want a preview of what to expect?" Zoro said as he unsheathed his swords. "Fine by me. Just don't cry when you lose." He stuck his precious white sword in his mouth.

Luffy chuckled as he charged Zoro.

Within seconds, Luffy and Zoro were fighting across the deck. It looked very similar to their fight at Whiskey Peak except without the malice. All the Strawhats could also see the huge grin on Luffy's face as he fought his swordsman in the match. He was undoubtedly having the time of his life.

"What a bunch of barbarians," Sanji scoffed light-heartedly as went back to delivering Robin and Nami their fruit drinks.

Nami had smile on her face as she took the offered drink. She was happy to see Luffy acting more like his old, stupid self. "Ah, boys will be will boys."

"Indeed," Robin chuckled as she sipped on her drink. "This is especially good today, Sanji."

Sanji spun around in joy from the compliment. He had hearts in his eyes and a huge stupid grin on his face. "Thank you, Robin-chan!"

"Hey, don't tear up Sunny!" Franky yelled as he saw more parts of the deck break under the force of the two monsters' attacks. "Dammit, that's going to take me all day to fix! Show the ship some respect!"

"Give it up," Usopp said as he patted the cyborg on the back. "When they get like this, it's best just to sit back and just repair the damage once they're done."

Franky folded his arms and grunted in frustration. "I swear." He caressed the mast of the ship. "I'm sorry, Sunny, for having these two morons are crewmembers. I'll patch you up as soon as they're finish."

Chopper gave a small sigh as he rubbed his eyes. He had better get the bandages and disinfectant ready. Hopefully, there would be no broken bones.

"This fight needs some music!" Brook suddenly exclaimed as he took out his guitar and started to play the song from Luffy's mushroom-induced hallucination. It felt fitting.

As the two pirates fought and listened to the music playing in the background, Luffy felt his heart become lighter. He was truly surrounded by those who loved him. Like Shanks had promised so long ago, he had found true acceptance.

This was his family.

'WE ARE!'

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a sequel to Perchance to Dream, but you do not need to read that story to know what is going on. This fanfic also takes some inspirations from LuffySmileyFace's story 'The Memories of a Straw Hat' and Didannl's 'The Journey into Luffy's Memory'. Even through these two do not know me, I want to thank them for firing up my interest in this story idea again.
> 
> Spoilers: Pretty much one big one for the entire series up to Return to Sabaody with some bits of information from the latest arcs. There are also spoiler from Perchance to Dream. You have been warned.


End file.
